A Good Morning America Book Club Pick and New York Times Bestseller! From debut author Asha Lemmie, “a lovely, heartrending story about love and loss, prejudice and pain, and the sometimes dangerous, always durable ties that link a family together.” —Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The NightingaleKyoto, Japan, 1948. “Do not question. Do not fight. Do not resist.”Such is … Nightingale
Kyoto, Japan, 1948. “Do not question. Do not fight. Do not resist.”
Such is eight-year-old Noriko “Nori” Kamiza’s first lesson. She will not question why her mother abandoned her with only these final words. She will not fight her confinement to the attic of her grandparents’ imperial estate. And she will not resist the scalding chemical baths she receives daily to lighten her skin.
The child of a married Japanese aristocrat and her African American GI lover, Nori is an outsider from birth. Her grandparents take her in, only to conceal her, fearful of a stain on the royal pedigree that they are desperate to uphold in a changing Japan. Obedient to a fault, Nori accepts her solitary life, despite her natural intellect and curiosity. But when chance brings her older half-brother, Akira, to the estate that is his inheritance and destiny, Nori finds in him an unlikely ally with whom she forms a powerful bond—a bond their formidable grandparents cannot allow and that will irrevocably change the lives they were always meant to lead. Because now that Nori has glimpsed a world in which perhaps there is a place for her after all, she is ready to fight to be a part of it—a battle that just might cost her everything.
Spanning decades and continents, Fifty Words for Rain is a dazzling epic about the ties that bind, the ties that give you strength, and what it means to be free.
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Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie is a beautiful novel—I was amazed to know it is her first. Opening after WWII in Occupied Japan, the story unfolds in both the present and the past– following the illegitimate birth of a baby girl. Her mother was married to another, so was cast out in shame with her infant daughter. Her father was an African American soldier– the girl’s journey is twisted and tragic . The historical tidbits of an evolving culture are interesting.
There were 6 different narrators which made the story flow wonderfully. I really enjoyed it.
This is a fascinating historical fiction story set in Japan following World War II. Nori is a complex and sympathetic character. I loved seeing her develop over the course of her journey and watching her mature from a scared little girl into a confident young woman. A wonderful and different read.
An excellent book from the first page.
This novel is one of the best historical fiction books I’ve read this year! The characters are great. I love Nori and how Asha Lemmie wrote her as a character. What really gripped me was the storyline of this novel. It was unlike any other book I’ve read, which I really LOVED. Asha Lemmie’s writing was a great surprise and a much needed addition to the historical genre. I cannot wait to read more from her!
I also loved having her on my HeyitsCarlyRae Book Hour on my YouTube Channel and talking more about her novel Fifty Words for Rain.
If you haven’t read this book definitely put it at the top of your TBR list. It will not disappoint!Asha Lemmie
Fifty Words for Rain is the story of Nori Kamiza. Nori was an outsider from the moment she was conceived. Her mother is a Japanese aristocrat and her father is an African American soldier from the US. When Nori is 8 years old, her mother abandons her at her grandparents house. Her grandparents take her in only to hide her away in the attic. She is a bastard and an embarrassment to Kamiza name. When Akira her half brother moves to the estate, Nori’s life changes. She finally learns of love and acceptance. The grandparents can not allow the siblings to be together as Nori is in their words a bastard. Nori’s life takes unexpected twists and turns and leads to an amazing book for the reader. I loved Nori and I felt everything she did. The author does such a tremendous job with her characters. I did not want the story to end. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.