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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/the-garden-of-evening-mists-twan-eng-tan.html
Yugiri, the Garden of Evening Mists was made to sound so interesting I really want to visit it. The garden, the gardener, the apprentice...all fascinating and all rather sad. Yun Ling Teoh survives being a guest of the Emperor's and is struggling to come to terms with being the sole survivor of a prison camp where her sister died. Her relationship with the garden and Aritomo and all those who survived is unveiled slowly, very slowly, but it still manages to be absorbing. I felt like I learned a lot again about of manner of things. And the complexity of all manner of things and people and motivations.
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Exceptionally well written and highly reflective book. I also enjoy the historical context which gave me a lot of new insight. The only reason why this is not a 5 star read (for me) are the lengths of the plot which are justified but nevertheless make it a long read. At times I also had trouble following the storyline. Still, I would recommend this book to all who wish for further insight into the history of Malaysia, the Japanese occupation, Japanese Gardens and coping with the traumas of war.
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
An interesting novel, rich in metaphor, history and specialist knowledge, but it started off very slowly and I found it difficult to enjoy as much as I expected to. The opening sentence "On a mountain above the clouds once lived a man who had been the gardener of the Emperor of Japan" drew me in, but what followed did not immediately live up to expectations. I was not drawn to the main character and narrator, Yun Ling – she felt wooden and without depth. Having said that, the second half was more engrossing, and the historical aspect was fascinating, as were the insights into the Japanese style of gardening.
This was by far my favorite book of the summer. The scope of the story was revealed little by little, just like the Japanese garden that is the focus of one of the story threads. The main characters grow to be so much more than when they begin and I learned more about WWII in Japan and South East Asia, other cultures and treasure stolen during the war and hidden away.
The narrator, Anna Bentinck, was wonderful too.
I have tracked down one other book by Tan, which I've heard is even better, The Gift of Rain. It was nominated for the Man Booker prize and I will boost it to the top of the TBR pile.
The narrator, Anna Bentinck, was wonderful too.
I have tracked down one other book by Tan, which I've heard is even better, The Gift of Rain. It was nominated for the Man Booker prize and I will boost it to the top of the TBR pile.
I love it when I learn something new from the book I'm reading. In this case, I was exposed to Malaya (now known as Malaysia) during and immediately after WWII and and was educated on the Japanese invasion of their country, the communist uprising after the war, tea, and Japanese gardening. The story of Yun Ling Teoh, a retired judge who was the sole survivor of a Japanese war camp when she was young, unfolds very slowly in the beginning. As Teoh starts to reflect on her life we are introduced to her friends who own a tea estate as well as the Japanese gardener who becomes her mentor despite her hatred for all things Japanese. It took me a while to warm up to the book but once I settled in I enjoyed.
In this exquisitely beautiful novel we are told the story of the ravaging of the people of Malaya in Southeast Asia by the Japanese during WWII. As retired Supreme Court Judge Yun Ling Teoh returns to her home and garden in the Cameron Highlands and begins to recount her experiences during and after the war we get a glimpse into a culture, people, and historical events that seem to have been forgotten in most history books. To me what is most fascinating about this book is that although we witness some horrendous atrocities during Yun's walk down memory lane the calmness and serenity that filters throughout the story is amazing. The writing is reflective and soothing much like Yun's garden. I loved this book.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
No