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lauracreads's review against another edition
3.0
3,5/,75 still not quite sure. It was an enjoyable read but maybe it was a bit too long and it was hard to get through the first 100 pages. Definitely not a book for everyone.
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
2.0
Bland, considering the 'racy and scandalous' plot.
niwrad93's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
chigwellreader's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
lau3rie's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book has a hold on me for reasons that I can't fully articulate - Mary is just a very engaging character and I find it hard to put down once I pick it up. It's certainly a fine example of a man writing a convincing female PoV (turns out it's not that hard to write an entire novel without your female character musing on the size of her breasts).
It's an epistolary piece, told through letters and Mary's intermittent journals, covering a period of about 40 years. We do skip through long periods of time at certain points, but we hit the important beats of Mary's life and the times she's living through, and get a real sense of her growing and forging her own identity and success as a woman living far from home.
Being set in the first part of the 20th century and written in the 70s, there are defintely things in it that would be construed as racist with a modern lens, but it doesn't feel hateful or malicious to me.
It's an epistolary piece, told through letters and Mary's intermittent journals, covering a period of about 40 years. We do skip through long periods of time at certain points, but we hit the important beats of Mary's life and the times she's living through, and get a real sense of her growing and forging her own identity and success as a woman living far from home.
Being set in the first part of the 20th century and written in the 70s, there are defintely things in it that would be construed as racist with a modern lens, but it doesn't feel hateful or malicious to me.
nyeran's review against another edition
2.0
“Laughter between two is sometimes a closer act of love than any other.”
♠ Anche meno. Capisco il contesto storico però meno. Perchè se poi vai a vedere, tutti i suoi patemi d'animo sono conseguenze di azioni o decisioni che ha preso arbitrariamente, che ci stanno pure, però meno. Hai voluto fare il passo? Ora te ne assumi le responsabilità senza lagnarti, grazie.
♠ Poi vabbè io leggendo la trama avevo capito che il problema sarebbe stato la storia impossibile tra due persone di culture troppo diverse, in quel periodo storico, due caratteri agli antipodi, in più il fatto che lei fosse sposata. Ma no, Kentaro manca per una buona parte del libro (forse anche di più vista la sua personalità scialba) e il resto è farcito da Mary che conosce gente, Mary che va in posti, Mary che fa cose, Mary che va in paranoia...
Ok capolavoro. Però meno.
♠ Anche meno. Capisco il contesto storico però meno. Perchè se poi vai a vedere, tutti i suoi patemi d'animo sono conseguenze di azioni o decisioni che ha preso arbitrariamente, che ci stanno pure, però meno. Hai voluto fare il passo? Ora te ne assumi le responsabilità senza lagnarti, grazie.
♠ Poi vabbè io leggendo la trama avevo capito che il problema sarebbe stato la storia impossibile tra due persone di culture troppo diverse, in quel periodo storico, due caratteri agli antipodi, in più il fatto che lei fosse sposata. Ma no, Kentaro manca per una buona parte del libro (forse anche di più vista la sua personalità scialba) e il resto è farcito da Mary che conosce gente, Mary che va in posti, Mary che fa cose, Mary che va in paranoia...
Ok capolavoro. Però meno.
lalexvp's review against another edition
5.0
Of all the books I've read recently about women and their role in Victorian society, or even earlier, this one in particular struck me. It contains an exceptionally unique yet realistic plot while also addressing the issues women faced in society through a lens which allows modern readers to empathize with a time so different from our own.
Written in 1977 by a Scottish man who was born and raised in Japan, The Ginger Tree follows a Scottish woman, Mary Mackenzie, who's journey begins in 1903 on a ship bound for China where she anticipates meeting and settling with her future husband. At 20 years of age, she embarks on this journey having hardly experienced any aspect of life outside of the home and her adventure, from beginning to end, opens her eyes to the reality of human nature and society - first, as an unhappy wife trapped in a foreign country with an unloving husband, second as an estranged wife and mother whose daughter is taken from her after a scandalous affair, third as the lover of a foreign aristocrat, and lastly as a self-sustaining woman who simply strives to survive alone and reunite with her children. Through everything, Mary grows stronger and more aware of her role and of how her choices have forced her to change to accommodate society's view of her. Forever labelled as a "Scarlet Woman," she tries to navigate through two of the most conservative countries in the world - the United Kingdom and Japan - as a woman whose hope has been lost. It is an effective and enduring story in its confrontation with the role of women, their sacrifices and their struggles in a time when women were considered nothing more than the property of men.
The most effective way that this message is communicated is through its structure for the whole book is written in the first person through journal entries. From 1903 well into World War II, everything that we know of Mary and her life comes directly from the pen of Mary herself. This offers a compelling look into the emotional ties she has to every choice she's made and to every character she's interacted with. The characters themselves are hardly developed beyond any use or relationship they have with Mary. Yet the structure is far from boring - beyond the "this is what I did today..." sort of speech, The Ginger Tree engages subtlety with readers in that nothing is explicitly stated. Plot elements are alluded to as necessary for what is at the forefront to make sense. For example, the death of a friend is initially addressed through the description of how strange it is to have received a box full of every letter Mary had ever written to this friend while at the forefront of the sentence is the fact that Mary feels guilty for not having kept each letter sent by this friend to Mary. The rhythm of the writing is almost musical in that it flows naturally and uninhibited demonstrating aspects of Mary's character slowly over time through her patterns of speech and thought. It creates a sort of suspense that might otherwise be lacking while using the emotion of the first person narrative to demonstrate its point about Japanese and Victorian societies. Mary's own relationship with this theme is the most striking aspect of the first person in that without understanding the minute details which accompany her actions, the commentary would be strictly circumstantial. For example, after several years in Japan when Mary has had the opportunity to live on her own for a while, she learns the subtleties of the Japanese language and is able to bring intentional formality or lack thereof to her interactions with other characters, able to play her role as a submissive women when necessary in order to give herself the greater advantage in social situations.
Finally, the particular historical setting through two World Wars and beyond from the viewpoint of a foreigner in Japan is perfect for its target audience. The author develops his commentary on Japanese society in a way which appeals to Western readers with an expertise only someone with his background could truly demonstrate. Perhaps by being male, the he could offer even more complexity on the theme of women's roles than women themselves because he would have been allowed to experience the world unaffected by the same restraints as women. He would also, perhaps, more fully understand the intricacies of the wars as they occurred because of his proximity to the conversations of men affected by service. Though it is not hard to imagine a well informed woman in this world, I feel that this story written by a woman would have been overbearing rather than realistic. Maybe that's unfair, but as a woman I felt that I could simultaneously relate to Mary and also see the problems of her world from an outsider's perspective. I think that this balance is necessary to the adaptation of her character to her circumstances as she navigates the subtleties of her unique social position.
Overall, I give this an A or an A+. The story was engaging, its themes well developed, its characters relateable and its plot realistic. The Ginger Tree left me with a feeling of closure while engaging my historically inclined self in an internal discussion of the cultural and societal details the book addressed.
Written in 1977 by a Scottish man who was born and raised in Japan, The Ginger Tree follows a Scottish woman, Mary Mackenzie, who's journey begins in 1903 on a ship bound for China where she anticipates meeting and settling with her future husband. At 20 years of age, she embarks on this journey having hardly experienced any aspect of life outside of the home and her adventure, from beginning to end, opens her eyes to the reality of human nature and society - first, as an unhappy wife trapped in a foreign country with an unloving husband, second as an estranged wife and mother whose daughter is taken from her after a scandalous affair, third as the lover of a foreign aristocrat, and lastly as a self-sustaining woman who simply strives to survive alone and reunite with her children. Through everything, Mary grows stronger and more aware of her role and of how her choices have forced her to change to accommodate society's view of her. Forever labelled as a "Scarlet Woman," she tries to navigate through two of the most conservative countries in the world - the United Kingdom and Japan - as a woman whose hope has been lost. It is an effective and enduring story in its confrontation with the role of women, their sacrifices and their struggles in a time when women were considered nothing more than the property of men.
The most effective way that this message is communicated is through its structure for the whole book is written in the first person through journal entries. From 1903 well into World War II, everything that we know of Mary and her life comes directly from the pen of Mary herself. This offers a compelling look into the emotional ties she has to every choice she's made and to every character she's interacted with. The characters themselves are hardly developed beyond any use or relationship they have with Mary. Yet the structure is far from boring - beyond the "this is what I did today..." sort of speech, The Ginger Tree engages subtlety with readers in that nothing is explicitly stated. Plot elements are alluded to as necessary for what is at the forefront to make sense. For example, the death of a friend is initially addressed through the description of how strange it is to have received a box full of every letter Mary had ever written to this friend while at the forefront of the sentence is the fact that Mary feels guilty for not having kept each letter sent by this friend to Mary. The rhythm of the writing is almost musical in that it flows naturally and uninhibited demonstrating aspects of Mary's character slowly over time through her patterns of speech and thought. It creates a sort of suspense that might otherwise be lacking while using the emotion of the first person narrative to demonstrate its point about Japanese and Victorian societies. Mary's own relationship with this theme is the most striking aspect of the first person in that without understanding the minute details which accompany her actions, the commentary would be strictly circumstantial. For example, after several years in Japan when Mary has had the opportunity to live on her own for a while, she learns the subtleties of the Japanese language and is able to bring intentional formality or lack thereof to her interactions with other characters, able to play her role as a submissive women when necessary in order to give herself the greater advantage in social situations.
Finally, the particular historical setting through two World Wars and beyond from the viewpoint of a foreigner in Japan is perfect for its target audience. The author develops his commentary on Japanese society in a way which appeals to Western readers with an expertise only someone with his background could truly demonstrate. Perhaps by being male, the he could offer even more complexity on the theme of women's roles than women themselves because he would have been allowed to experience the world unaffected by the same restraints as women. He would also, perhaps, more fully understand the intricacies of the wars as they occurred because of his proximity to the conversations of men affected by service. Though it is not hard to imagine a well informed woman in this world, I feel that this story written by a woman would have been overbearing rather than realistic. Maybe that's unfair, but as a woman I felt that I could simultaneously relate to Mary and also see the problems of her world from an outsider's perspective. I think that this balance is necessary to the adaptation of her character to her circumstances as she navigates the subtleties of her unique social position.
Overall, I give this an A or an A+. The story was engaging, its themes well developed, its characters relateable and its plot realistic. The Ginger Tree left me with a feeling of closure while engaging my historically inclined self in an internal discussion of the cultural and societal details the book addressed.
ladylady's review
sad
tense
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? Yes
2.0
swarnak84's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25