Helpful Score: 1
"Delicious" is the only way to describe this book. The writing is elegant, the main character's voice is so believable (even though she is in an unbelievable situation), and the attention to detail regarding language, clothing, and food is stunning.
Memoirs of a Geisha and Tales of Murasaki, of course, are the pearls of this genre, but The Teahouse Fire offers a wonderful look at lives centered around the tea ceremony. The life is seen from a variety of perspectives, including the devastation to traditional Japanese families caused by the Meiji Restoration.
The author's knowledge of her subject is impressive, her writing just superb, and the character development is mouth watering. If you enjoy reading a "Western" writer's attempt to introduce a foreign culture so strange to Americans and other Westerners, this is an enjoyable read.
Memoirs of a Geisha and Tales of Murasaki, of course, are the pearls of this genre, but The Teahouse Fire offers a wonderful look at lives centered around the tea ceremony. The life is seen from a variety of perspectives, including the devastation to traditional Japanese families caused by the Meiji Restoration.
The author's knowledge of her subject is impressive, her writing just superb, and the character development is mouth watering. If you enjoy reading a "Western" writer's attempt to introduce a foreign culture so strange to Americans and other Westerners, this is an enjoyable read.
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