The Samurai's Garden: A Novel Kindle Edition

I read this novel a couple of summers ago and chose it for use in my English IV class. As I am sure others have written, the story concerns Stephen, a 20-year-old Chinese man who spends over a year in Tarumi, Japan, at the family beach house while he recovers from tuberculosis and learns a great deal about beauty, honor and loyalty. My students and I liked that the novel has a historical setting, Japan and China during Japan's 1930s march across China, because we had little knowledge of it. My science-oriented students were interested in the leprosy aspect, which gave us opportunities to research the disease. And who can resist the unfolding love stories of Sachi and Matsu, Stephen and Kieko and the secrets of the past.? Beautifully written.

There is a sadness about this book even though good things happen. A young Chinese college student with TB goes to a summer house in Japan to recover right as the Japanese invade China. With a heavy heart this young man has a love for his home and the caretaker. Not only does the caretaker care for the garden at the summer house, he also cares for a woman who lives in a leper village. The gift of love from these two people helps heal Stephen from the outside in. Worry for his country at war, his family in Hong Kong doesn’t prevent Stephen from loving the people who have helped him grow during his year in Japan.I wish there was a sequel... but I’d be afraid Matsu or Sachi would die from age or disease. Maybe the war would end and Stephen could return to Tarumi and Keiko would still have feelings for him. I know, I’m a romantic at heart.I just felt the ending wasn’t the end.

Transported to a time and place I know very little about, I felt such a connection with young Stephen-san as he slowly healed with the help of two people he would have never considered connecting with. Against a backdrop of a war that was decimating his homeland,he lived surrounded by those who were supposed to be his mortal enemies. But only tenderness and wisdom carried him to health.

I had bought Gail Tsukiyama's "The Color of Air" (which is still waiting to be read) based on my love of the Hawaiian islands and decided to read the generous preview text of "The Samurai's Garden" when I noticed the Kindle version on sale. There was enough of the preview text to lure me into the story of Stephen from Hong Kong, sent to his grandfather's beach home in Tarumi, Japan to recover from TB and into the care of the stoic Matsu the caretaker of the home, as the Japanese Imperial army gains ground in China. Stephen is away from his mother who remains in Hong Kong with his younger sibling, two other siblings studying in Macau, and his mentally-distant father who tends to business in Japan, but gains new indelible connections in Tarumi. Without going further on the narrative or characters involved I'll just say there I found heartbreak, sorrow, beauty, strength, resilience, and hope and am glad I saw the story through.

I found the language beautiful; not overdone, nor too minimal. For such a short read, I find myself still pondering thoughts and questions that occurred to me: you know, those philosophical kind of questions about life. For instance, that old saying that "time heals all wounds" illustrate that the pain from the past is actually diminished over time, or is it more caused by small changes in perception as we age and grow?

Two gardens, one a traditional Japanese garden by the sea and the other a garden of raked rocks and pebbles in a leper colony in the hills above the first, symbolize the peace to be found in nature even in the face of tragedy and war. As is started this book, I didn't know what to expect. Having read a couple of of other books set in the period when Japan was rampaging through China and before it attacked Pearl Harbor, I was prepared for a war story. Instead, I found a quiet meditation on friendship and love.

This is one of the Best Books I've read this year and I read many! The story takes place prior to WWII. It is a story of a Chinese man who goes to his family's summer home in Japan to recover from tuberculosis. The story takes you on an adventure of one finding himself. It is beautifully written, and thought provoking. I had tears running down my face at the end of the book.

Really my score would be 3.5 stars as it's neither a three nor a four star. It did keep my attention through to the end, which is a major positive. The opening chapters are gentle, peaceful and simply just nice, using that much abused word. Having worked in Japan, it gave me a greater insight into Japanese culture which I enjoyed. Equally the insight to the leper colony around which so much of the book revolves was very sensitive, certainly not mawkish and through growing my awareness of the disease increased my sensitivity to it.What marked it down to me was that the plot ran out of steam a bit three quarters of the way through. Also having recently been spoilt by reading John Williams (Stoner), Willa Cather and Jane Gardam, all most beautiful writers and masters of their craft, the beauty of the text was just not quite up to it and I felt a bit let down.Don't let me put you off, it is a good book but not a great one.

This is a beautifully written tale about a Hong Kong Chinese boy sent to Japan in the 1930's to convalesce after a bout of tuberculosis. The simplicity of the story and the economy of the language used helps the reader to focus on the profound nature of the events described.The characters are well drawn and even though some of the events that unfold are tragic and arise from human weakness, it left me with a positive and uplifting view of human nature.There is an interesting contrast between the gentle unfolding of the tale and the politeness of the lead characters, with the momentous, tragic and even violent events in people's lives. I knew little of the relationship between Japanese and Chinese cultures in the period immediately before the Second World War, and this book helped me to gain useful insights.I would heartily recommend this book.

This is wonderful book; beautifully written

What a great read.

I bought this book, because of the title, I though it was about samurais. Although there's nothing about samurais , I still love this story based in Japan. I couldn't stop reading until the end. I wish it was much longer though.