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eBook editions

The Samurai's Garden

by Gail Tsukiyama

The Samurai's Garden Cover

ISBN13: 9780312144074
ISBN10: 0312144075
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

Only 2 left in stock at $4.95!

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The daughter of a Chinese mother and a Japanese father, Tsukiyama uses the Japanese invasion of China during the late 1930s as a somber backdrop for her unusual story about a 20-year-old Chinese painter named Stephen who is sent to his family's summer home in a Japanese coastal village to recover from a bout with tuberculosis. Here he is cared for by Matsu, a reticent housekeeper and a master gardener. Over the course of a remarkable year, Stephen learns Matsu's secret and gains not only physical strength, but also profound spiritual insight. Matsu is a samurai of the soul, a man devoted to doing good and finding beauty in a cruel and arbitrary world, and Stephen is a noble student, learning to appreciate Matsu's generous and nurturing way of life and to love Matsu's soulmate, gentle Sachi, a woman afflicted with leprosy.

Born to a Chinese mother and a Japanese father in San Francisco, Gail Tsukiyama now lives in El Cerrito, California. Her other novels include Dreaming Water, Women of the Silk, The Language of Threads, and Night of Many Dreams.
In this widely popular novel—with over 100,000 copies in print—beloved California author Tsukiyama uses the Japanese invasion of China during the late 1930s as the somber backdrop for an unusual story about a 20-year-old Chinese painter named Stephen Chan.

When Stephen is sent, on the eve of World War II, to his family's summer home in a Japanese coastal village to recover from tuberculosis, he comes under the care of Matsu, a reticent housekeeper and master gardener. Over the course of a remarkable year, Stephen learns Matsu's secrets, gaining not only physical strength but profound spiritual insight. For Matsu is a samurai of the soul, a man devoted to doing good and finding beauty in a cruel and arbitrary world. In Stephen he finds a noble student, one eager to appreciate Matsu's generous and nurturing life ways—and to love Matsu's soulmate, gentle Sachi, a woman afflicted with leprosy.

Sensitive, genuine, insightful, and accessible—equally rich in its compelling characters and situations—The Samurai's Garden is a well-written, multi-faceted story blending art, culture, society, history, and personal experience.

"Tsukiyama brings a fluid, smooth elegance to the complicated story she tells."—San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

"An exraordinarily graceful and moving novel about goodness and beauty. Tsukiyama is a wise and spellbinding storyteller."—Booklist

"Austerely beautiful . . . A book to be read slowly and savored."—Anniston Star (Texas)

"Beautifully crafted . . . Tsukiyama's writing is crystalline and delicate, most notably in her evocation of time and place."—Publishers Weekly

Review:

"Tsukiyama is a wise and spellbinding storyteller." Booklist

Synopsis:

The daughter of a Chinese mother and a Japanese father, Tsukiyama uses the Japanese invasion of China during the late 1930s as a somber backdrop for her unusual story about a 20-year-old Chinese painter named Stephen who is sent to his family's summer home in a Japanese coastal village to recover from a bout with tuberculosis. Here he is cared for by Matsu, a reticent housekeeper and a master gardener. Over the course of a remarkable year, Stephen learns Matsu's secret and gains not only physical strength, but also profound spiritual insight. Matsu is a samurai of the soul, a man devoted to doing good and finding beauty in a cruel and arbitrary world, and Stephen is a noble student, learning to appreciate Matsu's generous and nurturing way of life and to love Matsu's soulmate, gentle Sachi, a woman afflicted with leprosy.

About the Author

Born to a Chinese mother and a Japanese father in San Francisco, Gail Tsukiyama now lives in El Cerrito, California. Her novels include Dreaming Water, Women of the Silk, The Language of Threads, and Night of Many Dreams.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 6 comments:

Mary Chartowich, January 19, 2012 (view all comments by Mary Chartowich)
I always enjoy Gail Tsukiyama's writing and this book is an excellent read. Well told story.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
smitty04, January 4, 2012 (view all comments by smitty04)
A wonderful story of loyalty, honor and love. Make you want to stop and take a deep breath and appreciate life.
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Margaret Storms, January 4, 2010 (view all comments by Margaret Storms)
I actually felt I could see where everyone was every step of the way. I felt as though I was reading a painting or the book was done in paintings. My favorite book of all time. This book was always passed on by everyone that read it.
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(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
View all 6 comments

Product Details

ISBN:
9780312144074
Author:
Tsukiyama, Gail
Publisher:
St. Martin's Griffin
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Chinese
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Man-woman relationships
Subject:
Japan
Subject:
Historical fiction
Subject:
Love stories
Subject:
Tuberculosis
Subject:
Romance - Adult
Subject:
Japan History 1926-1945 Fiction.
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Historical
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Copyright:
Edition Description:
Trade Paperback
Series Volume:
99/058
Publication Date:
19960431
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
224
Dimensions:
8.29 x 5.47 x 0.62 in

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Related Subjects


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The Samurai's Garden Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$4.95 In Stock
Product details 224 pages St. Martin's Griffin - English 9780312144074 Reviews:
"Review" by , "Tsukiyama is a wise and spellbinding storyteller."
"Synopsis" by ,
The daughter of a Chinese mother and a Japanese father, Tsukiyama uses the Japanese invasion of China during the late 1930s as a somber backdrop for her unusual story about a 20-year-old Chinese painter named Stephen who is sent to his family's summer home in a Japanese coastal village to recover from a bout with tuberculosis. Here he is cared for by Matsu, a reticent housekeeper and a master gardener. Over the course of a remarkable year, Stephen learns Matsu's secret and gains not only physical strength, but also profound spiritual insight. Matsu is a samurai of the soul, a man devoted to doing good and finding beauty in a cruel and arbitrary world, and Stephen is a noble student, learning to appreciate Matsu's generous and nurturing way of life and to love Matsu's soulmate, gentle Sachi, a woman afflicted with leprosy.

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