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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A beautiful story about true and loyal love beautifully written with incredible sensitivity about a Japanese samurai and a tragically unavailable woman for whom he cares both physically and emotionally. This one will stay with you.
The Samurai’s Garden carries several subtle messages about humanity and surviving hardship, all set against the backdrop of traditional Japanese culture. Interestingly, the main character, Stephen, is Chinese, a twenty-year-old young man who stays at his grandfather’s beach house in Tarumi. Stephen is ill and needs to recover. In 1937-1938 the Japanese Army advances on China, creating background tension and cross-cultural issues. The book is slow but moves, like a quiet stream in the woods, never at a standstill or raging battles, as if it mirrors a quiet, respectful society. At 200 pages, it is a fast read. I give it four stars because of how it weaves characters together, especially at the end. Ultimately, the story is about looking beyond appearances to the person and story within.
This is a subtly told story. It begins slowly, but by the end I felt like the characters were real people. Stephen was likeable and it was easy to experience his emotions along with him. Matsu and Sachi were unforgettable. I didn’t want this story to end
I love this book. A beautiful story that transports you to a different place and time. The characters are fascinating and the story is one that resonates deeply with me. Humanity is explored with elements of romance, love, hate, anger, regret and tragedy. Matsu and Sachi, carry the Samurai tradition with honour and courage as Gail Tsukiyama weaves a magical story in The Samurai’s Garden.
The author created a cadence that fit perfectly with the story and growth it conveyed. I was surprised to end a book set in wartime with a sense of calm: liking and respecting the main characters, how they led their lives and how they chose to treat others.
This is a read-again book. In addition to enjoying it myself, I have recommended it to book clubs with unanimous positive feedback. It will always be on the favorites shelf.
Actually, I really only like to read non-fiction so, I was disappointed when my
book club picked this fiction story. However, it was well written and certainly’ a very
believable story.
Just read this for book club ~ quite a lovely story! Ms Tsukiyama writes incredibly well; the characters are solid; the layers of emotional/psychological love/friendship without specifying or dissecting them are simply quite lovely!
As someone who lived in Japan for 4 years and who has visited the country too many times to count, I found the book to be an authentic account of life in pre-war Japan. The dynamic between Japan and China is also well presented although not a predominant theme of the book.
One of my all-time favorite books.
Reading it was like a meditation.
A peek into the tension between China and Japan during war and how individual friendships spanned the tensions. Also a good coming of age story.
You will learn so much about living as an outsider from these people with suffer from Hansen’s disease.
One of my favorite books of all time and definitely my favorite by this author. I read it years ago and still have fond memories of it. The book stands out. It’s a beautiful introduction to Japanese gardens, rock gardens and the culture.
A beautiful book for anyone interested in Japan, self-discovery, spiritual growth etc.
Loved it and others she wrote
In one’s life everyone should read this book. It would help us to set our priorities
So the next generation can see what’s really important in life.
This was a quiet book that was easy to read. but it could have been so much more.
The author is a great writer – I read at night and I soon felt as though I was in Japan because of the author’s descriptive prose and character development.
Excellent characters come to life as you read. Moving story of honor, friendship, family dynamics and tragic love.
slow but very informative – good cultural descriptions.
Descriptive writing.