About this title: Barbara Jefferson, a young American teaching in Tokyo in the 1960s, is set on a life-changing quest when her Japanese surrogate mother, Michi, dies, leaving her a tansu of homemade plum wines wrapped in rice paper. Within the papers, Barbara discovers writings in Japanese calligraphy that comprise a startling personal narrative. With the help of her translator, Seiji Okada, Barbara begins to unravel the mysteries of Michi's life, a story that begins in the early twentieth century and continues through World War II and its aftermath. As Barbara and Seiji translate the plum wine papers they ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780299211608ISBN:0299211606
Description: Very Good. -Hardcover-Clear mylar protects dust cover-Ex-Library book, has usual Stamps and markings consistent with Library Books. read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Acceptable. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Acceptable. Corner tips of cover and pages curl up slightly. Cover has fold/crease lines. Cover has scratch/scuff marks. Cover has slight wear to its edges/corner. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
ISBN-13:9780299211608ISBN:0299211606
Description: Good. 0299211606 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
Description: Good. 0385340834 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Dial Press
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780385340830ISBN:0385340834
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. 336 pgs in vg reading condition with slight wear on edges; cover has slight wear on edges, no crease in spine read more
"A glimpse into the life of an American young woman who is teaching in a Japanese school; her learning about the culture and lives of some other teachers with whom she associates; her love; her education about the effects of the bomb at the end of WW2."
"To me, this was a novel that made me greedy to read more and more. It is about an anglo in Japan -- teaching at a very conservative school -- and a gift that she receives from a friend who has departed...and how that gift unravels so many secrets -- and even seems to deepen the bonds of their friendship past death.
I am an incurable romantic -- and again this is a novel that touched my heart. Keep this in mind with all of my reviews. :) A novel has to be well written, but it can't be just "intelligent." It has to be soulful for me to enjoy it."
"I really enjoyed the stark reality of the romance in this book. It captured emotions while not putting love on a pedestal. The backgrounds of the aftermath of Hiroshima and the Japanese culture were both intriguing and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good story."
"This book is set in Japan during the 60s. It's a great insight into the aftermath of WW2 in Japan. It follows the main character, Barabara, as receives an inheritance of plum wine bottled on the first day of each new year and each wrapped in a journal entry made the same day, extending 30 years into the past. Through these she learns the history of a dear Japanese friend; discovering she was a Hiroshima survivor and had given birth to a child in 1945 who suffered mental retardation resulting from radiation exposure.
The book is well written. I hate it when authors distract from the story they are trying to tell with poor use of language. Davis-Gardner writes the story well, but I found the main character and her love interest to be unsympathetic characters for the most part and not particularly likeable."
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