Wednesday, December 26, 2007

2007 book 183

Gail Tsukiyama's The Street of a Thousand Blossoms
This story of two families in Japan during and after WWII, and especially of two brothers, one who becomes a sumo champion, and the other a Noh mask maker, is a generally engaging one. Both families are struck early and often by tragedy, though some of Tsukiyama's characterizations are a little weak and the emotional impact is lessened. Still, her writing is lovely and her descriptions of plant life and of the sumo world are worth the read. B+/B.

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