Reviews

Der Brautkimono by Sujata Massey

hellu122's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

cheesygiraffe's review against another edition

4.0

I didn't learn much about kimono as I'd hope I would. This was more about meeting Rei's parents and also about her choosing between Hugh and Takeo. The thief and murderer were the person I didn't suspect but it wasn't a surprise either.

marie_gg's review against another edition

4.0

Takes place partly in the U.S., partly in Japan.

jennifer_fatula's review against another edition

 DNF at 14%. I did not like the author's writing style. I feel like these books are meant to be standalone but maybe if I had read the other's in the series I would have cared more about the character? 

usbsticky's review against another edition

4.0

This is my 5th Rei Shimura book, read out of order. I'm not sure why I'm reading these books out of order but it does seem to make the series a little bit less predictable for me.

All my reviews of the Rei Shimura books are gonna be pretty similar. I think Sujata Massey is an excellent writer. The writing flows well and I really enjoy the exploits of Rei, the description of Japan (when she's there), Japanese culture, her love life, etc. As far as this being a spy or mystery book, it's only so-so. But I keep being drawn in every time I finish another book. It's the book version of binge watching a TV show, I just can't stop!

In this book, she is hired to Washington D.C. where she is to do a presentation of historical kimonos for a couple of weeks as well as courier the kimonos to DC from Japan by air. She goes there as part of a tour group to save money. But once she is there, two rather unpleasant things happen. As usual, I'm not a great fan of Massey's detective writing. There is no real build up of suspense, the action is disjointed and the reveal is unsatisfying. But as I have said, I'm addicted to the series and I will continue to read it as I enjoy the life and drama of the protagonist.

I strongly recommend that any new readers read this series in order!

mirpallo's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

elizafiedler's review against another edition

4.0

Very glad that this series is back on track; Rei and Takeo's relationship was SO unhealthy, and the last book's treatment of manga culture was super disappointing. Rei is much better at dealing with antiques.

nocto's review against another edition

My initial impressions of this book weren't good. The story takes Rei away from Japan, the country she chooses to live in and the setting that makes the books a really interesting read for me. As well as going to what I thought would be a more mundane location I thought there were several bits of unrealistic plot happenings early in the book. Rei, still fairly new to the antiquities business is entrusted with taking a shipment of valuable old kimono from a museum in Tokyo to a museum in Washington DC and the whole setup and incompetence of the two museums didn't ring true for me.

Of course I should have trusted the author more as most of the things that bugged me in the beginning turned out to be plot devices rather than plot holes by the end of the book. And the transition to the United States worked pretty well too. Rei is half American and grew up in California and the inclusion of her parents in this book definitely furthered the personal side of the series. There was also a lot of things where we saw America through the eyes of Japanese tourists and so the setting wasn't as run of the mill as I'd been expecting but actually worked pretty well.

In the end the plot wasn't as good as it could have been but the side of the story dealing with Rei's relationships really developed very well in this book and I like it as an episode in the series though I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wasn't following the series. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what Massey does with the characters next.

pussreboots's review against another edition

5.0

Had a Maltese Falcon feel to it.

It's the fifth in the Rei Shimura series but it stands alone just fine. Shimura goes to Washington DC with a selection of priceless kimono on loan to a museum. One of them goes missing and is tied up with the murder of a young Japanese tourist. I managed to sort of figure out the plot but there were still enough surprises to keep me entertained all the way to the end.

http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2013/comments_12/brides_kimono.html

hsutherland2's review against another edition

4.0

This book was written pre-9/11, pre-Memoirs of a Geisha, and in the early days of Starbucks ubiquity and eBay--and all of that showed.
Aside from some of the dated references, I enjoyed The Bride's Kimono a lot! And as a Washington D.C. resident, I appreciated the sense of place in this book, particularly the long-haul of getting out to Dulles airport.