Fifty Words for Rain: A Novel Hardcover – September 1, 2020

If I had to review this book in one word, it would be heartrending. From start to finish, Nori goes from one bad situation to another. She’s the bastard child of the Kamiza clan and hidden away in an attic after her mother disgraces herself, then abandons Nori to the care of her grandparents. In my view, that’s the worst sin her mother committed.Set in Japan after the Second World War, the reader gets a view of the changing world that’s resisted by the aristocracy. When Nori meets her brother, the heir apparent, she’s fascinated with him. He has scant regard for her at first, and her adoration is idolatry that I feared would turn into incest. It didn’t.The cruelty and lack of regard for Nori’s life underscores the divide between the rich and poor, the accepted and the forbidden. Her calm acceptance of being less than nothing makes Fifty Words For Rain a painful read.Nori eventually escapes the harsh world she was born into, but comes full circle and returns to Japan. The end of the book leaves much food for thought and speaks to untenable choices people make out of a sense of obligation, misguided or not.In Nori’s case, her decision to change the status quo was at odds with the treatment of her son. With power in her hands, she walks in her wicked grandmother’s footsteps. But, if there’s a follow-up to this story, I definitely want to read it.

The first 2/3 of the novel exceeded my expectations. It was culturally unique, mysterious and very engaging. The last third of the book did not finish the story in the manner I believe it deserved. I felt that the ending tied up loose ends, but did so far less intriguingly than the plotting done for first part of the story. That being said, I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this novel. The writing is lovely, and the imagery profoundly moving. Reminiscent of Memoirs of a Geisha, but it stands well on its own merits.

This story broke my heart so many times. That being said, Nori is a character so breathtakingly brave as to be stunning. I felt like she was a person who I wanted to know and the writer gave me that with every passage. An amazing debut.

***Spoiler Alert*** THIS REVIEW CONTAINS COMMENTS THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED SPOILERS.I read this book because it was picked by Amazon Editors as one of this year’s most essential reads, and the blurb was incredibly intriguing. In the end however, I struggle to give it 4 stars, and will have to settle at 3....maybe 3.5.So much of this book seemed ‘borrowed’ to me. Starting with the title, which was reminiscent of 50 Shades of Grey. After reading the book though, and being able to appreciate the choice of title, I can forgive the author for this similarity.The first part of the book was far too reminiscent of Flowers in the Attic. Down to the description of the magnificent house, polished floors and grand staircase. Next, was the almost replication of Memoirs of a Geisha, again including some of the imagery it conjured.In the second half of the book, the story flowed on it’s own steam, but began to lack the substance that it provided in the first two parts. The characters became a bit more stereotyped, which was a big disappointment for me as I felt like so much had gone into the character development in the first two parts of the book. There was so much more to draw upon for these characters in the second half of the book, which was not fully exploited, and at times actions contradicted the earlier character development. Furthermore, the story became far too dramatic and took on a “Danielle Steele” element in the second half of the book.My biggest problem with this book was the overburden of grief and misfortune that took place in one storyline. While I know that this theme of grief / being cursed was central to the story, it was in my opinion really overdone to the point of being unbelievable. How many times can a person cheat death? There were huge chunks of the book (especially in the first section) which just relayed tragedy after tragedy without any real story development. The author seemed to be simply going for shock value.Despite this harsh criticism that I’ve launched, I did enjoy reading this story and read all 400+ pages in 3 days. The pacing was spot on. I was never quite sure what turn the story would take, and that kept me wanting more, reading late into the night to see what happened next. The story itself was riveting and full of intrigue. I loved the exploration of the theme of abandonment and how this ripples through one’s life, never quite ending. The writing itself was easy to digest and with some very nice imagery and use of vocabulary. Even if concepts seemed ‘borrowed’, the words were not.A lot of readers did not seem to like the ending, but I actually found it very fitting to the story itself. It also set up nicely for a sequel, which I might read in the hope that the author’s writing matures with her second book.

Beautifully written. Characters caught my interest right from the beginning. The ending surprised me and I wonder what others will say about it!

At first, I thought the book must have been written for young people and was slightly annoyed as I started reading because I hadn't realized I bought a book for high school aged kids. I got over that quickly because the story grabbed me and didn't let go. The pages flew by.There are very few descriptions of the details of Japanese life, culture, and architecture at the time I can see with a few changes that this book could have taken place in almost any other country. Beautiful kimonos are described, but not much else. Even though I have been to Japan many times I often pictured western style places because there are no descriptions. For example, the author mentions an estate. I pictured a sprawling western mansion even though I know that the Japanese "estate" of those times and mostly now are very different from what we might imagine. The granddaughter lives in what is called an attic. Of course I picture a western attic as I am not too sure that there were or are attics in most Japanese homes--no matter how fancy. I have been in a number of Japanese homes--small and large and don't recall any attics. So, if you are hoping to learn or read about Japanese culture which is not at all what Westerners think it is, this is not the book for you. If you want a book that keeps you reading then this is it.Some things are left hanging at the end, but I suspect there will be a sequel.I recommend for any age.

This book was so good. Very engaging and unpredictable, heartwarming and heartbreaking! Excellent!

Sie ist erst acht Jahre als ihre Mutter sie an der Tür ihrer Großmutter absetzt. Noriko ist beinahe starr vor Angst. Sie soll still sein und gehorchen, aber sie ist doch erst acht. Noriko wird im Haushalt ihrer Großmutter aufgenommen. Im Jahr 1948 in einem Haushalt einer reichen Familie mit Beziehungen zum Königshaus, was macht man da mit einem kleinen Mädchen, dass anders ist. Man versteckt es. Noriko bekommt eine gewisse Erziehung und eine Art Bildung, aber nach draußen darf sie nicht. Niemand soll wissen, dass es sie gibt. Doch eines Tages steht wieder ein junger Mensch vor der Tür, ihr ehelicher Halbbruder Akira.Mit diesem Romandebüt besucht man die Jahre nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg in Japan. Auch dieses Traditionen verhaftete Land kommt nicht umhin, sich zu verändern. Doch die obere Klasse sträubt sich gegen Änderungen. Sich zu ändern kann schließlich auch bedeuten, Macht einzubüßen. Norikos Großmutter handelt fast wie ein Kerkermeister, sie sperrt das Kind ein, versteckt es und misshandelt es. Erst Akiras Auftauchen ändert etwas. Der vier Jahre älter Junge, ein begnadeter Violinist, öffnet Noriko die Welt. Er führt sie zur Musik, er spricht mit ihr, er sieht sie. Für Noriko, die von ihrer Mutter verlassen und von ihrer Großmutter gequält wurde, ist er die Welt und auch die Öffnung zur Welt.Das kaiserliche Japan ist wie eine fremde Welt, die in den 1950er Jahren traditionell und rückwärtsgerichtet erscheint. Die herrschende Klasse will ihren Einfluss nicht verlieren und ein uneheliches Kind einer Tochter aus sogenanntem guten Haus, bei dessen Vater es sich dazu noch um einen farbigen Amerikaner handelt, ist nicht gerade dienlich. Im einigem Entsetzen liest man von den Verhaltensweisen, die Norikos Großmutter an den Tag legt, um mit noch größerem Widerwillen festzustellen, dass der Großvater noch fürchterlicher ist. Und die verstehen sich als Noble. Akira wirkt als sei er Norikos Rettung. Man wünscht den Geschwistern nur Gutes, auch wenn sie manchmal etwas zu eng sind. Vielleicht ist es so, wenn sich Geschwister, die befürchteten Alllein zu sein, später finden. Fast schon zu viel hat Noriko zu erleiden. Es wirkt so, als geschehe immer eine Katastrophe, wenn gerade mal alles gut ist. Und so ist gerade die emotionsgeladene Dramatik, die den Roman vorantreibt und packend macht, die man mitunter als etwas überladen empfindet. Besonders zum Ende hin, sind Norikos Entscheidungen nicht immer nachvollziehbar. Und auch den Gang der Dinge würde man sich anders wünschen. Dennoch ein fesselnder Einblick in eine ferne Kultur zu einer vergangenen Zeit.

Fifty Words for Rain is a strong debut novel, telling the story of Nori, a young biracial girl in post-WWII Japan, born to a Japanese aristocratic mother and her lover, an African-American soldier. Nori is abandoned by her mother and sent to live with her Japanese grandmother who cannot abide a granddaughter who is illegitimate and part black, and neither can the traditional rules-bound Japanese society in which they live. Nori’s life is difficult and bleak as she is hidden away by her grandmother in the attic, treated harshly and forced to take chemical baths to lighten her skin. Nori’s life changes with the arrival of her Japanese half-brother, Akira, who tries to help her build a life within the confines of the regimented, discriminatory and anti-American post-WWII Japanese society.The plot is generally well-paced, although the middle part does drag a little, the writing is excellent, and the characters are fascinating. Themes of self-acceptance, the challenges of being a woman in a traditionally patriarchal society, resilience and strength are woven throughout the novel. I could not believe that this is the author’s first novel. Very well-done and well-deserving of being the September GMA book club pick!

Overall i enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged enough to read to the end but i found it quite slow moving.

I liked the book- though found the end very disappointing.. very contrary to the story. Was as if the beginning was by one author & the end another... unless there is a sequel planned!!

An extraordinary story of the life of a mixed race child born into Royalty in Japan. Perceived as the families shame she is imprisonments in an attic , beaten and humiliated. She is rescued by a half brother, who like her was abandoned by their mother who had tried to escape the binding family ties. It is a story of triumph of the spirit against overwhelming odds.The book is hard to put down and one is left wanting more at the end.