"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Etsuko and her sister Naomi move with their respective husbands from Kobe to Seattle in the 1920s. When Naomi dies in childbirth, the widowed Etsuko becomes the baby's surrogate mother. The two return to Japan, where the girl, Hanae, can receive the education in subtleties that is her heritage as a member of a samurai family. The young American girl finds the chores and trials of samurai life enraging. "Take sweeping the garden path with a light bamboo broom: the point isn't just to clear off debris. Designed to develop dedication and spiritual depth, the real task is in repeating the activity--morning and dusk, over and over, for decades--until she learns to leave light, flowing impressions on the soft surface earth."
Just as patiently, Etsuko and Hanae must learn the secrets of their family. There's quite a bit of familial breast-beating, sure, but it's leavened by the perspective of Etsuko, a bumbling, sweet-tempered antiheroine of a narrator. The book comes alive as the two women, trapped in the liminal state of exile, neither American nor Japanese, learn to wrest the best from both worlds. As Japan teeters on the brink of war, Etsuko and Hanae apply their samurai-warrior sense of honor to fighting for peace. Minatoya (author of the acclaimed memoir Talking to High Monks in the Snow) never settles for black or white. She always strives for that more difficult place: the gray area. --Claire Dederer
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0684853620
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # AY16
Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # newMercantile_0684853620
Book Description Condition: New. Book is in NEW condition. Seller Inventory # 0684853620-2-1
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-0684853620-new
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0684853620
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0684853620
Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover0684853620
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Included. 1st Edition. New York: Simon and Schuster [1999]. First edition. First printing. Hardbound. New in dust jacket, very fine/very fine in all respects. A pristine unread copy. SIGNED BY AUTHOR on title page. [CASE6] 0.0. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # leaf35
Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 1.5. Seller Inventory # Q-0684853620