Synopses & Reviews
Once in a great while a new novelist comes along who dazzles us with rare eloquence and humanity, with flawless storytelling and a unique understanding of another place and time. Takashi Matsuoka is just such a writer.
His magnificent new novel, set amid the violence and beauty of nineteenth-century Japan, takes us beyond the epic tradition of James Clavells Shogun and into a majestic realm of samurai and geishas, ninjas and Zen masters. Brilliantly imagined, gloriously written, Cloud of Sparrows is at once a sweeping historical adventure and a love story of almost unbearable poignancy. It is storytelling on the grand scale from a novelist of astounding depth and grace.
Review
"By turns filled with wit and poignant irony, this novel brilliantly portrays the profound conflict of cultures between the rulers and newly arrived outsiders in 1861 Japan. Remember the Shogun frenzy of 30 years ago? Rejoice! A new and thrilling epic is here." Rosemary Pugliese, BookSense 76