Scan barcode
A review by izabrekilien
Snakeskin Shamisen by Naomi Hirahara
4.0
The story started out rather slowly, with several characters whose name I didn't remember right away. I noticed too late it was the third book in a series I'd never heard about.
I liked the idea of a grumpy gardener being a reluctant detective. Mas is a man of a few words - he even pretends he doesn't speak English when it suits him.
I wasn't much interested in the story to begin with, just happy to sit back and read about this Japanese community in the United States, with all their différences, vocabulary, history and quirks. The story grew on me when it turned historical and was about Okinawa in the second world war and the particularities of the Okinawaïan people. The slow pace began to pick up and I even laughed when Wishbone was trying to catch his crook : pretending he was watching birds to the worried security agent and running after the guy with his crutch ! Beware of old men with crutches, they're not as harmless as they seem !
To sum it up : I liked Mas's character, the depiction of Japanese people, it was interesting, and the story finally grew on me. I'll see if I can catch the two previous volumes.
I liked the idea of a grumpy gardener being a reluctant detective. Mas is a man of a few words - he even pretends he doesn't speak English when it suits him.
I wasn't much interested in the story to begin with, just happy to sit back and read about this Japanese community in the United States, with all their différences, vocabulary, history and quirks. The story grew on me when it turned historical and was about Okinawa in the second world war and the particularities of the Okinawaïan people. The slow pace began to pick up and I even laughed when Wishbone was trying to catch his crook : pretending he was watching birds to the worried security agent and running after the guy with his crutch ! Beware of old men with crutches, they're not as harmless as they seem !
To sum it up : I liked Mas's character, the depiction of Japanese people, it was interesting, and the story finally grew on me. I'll see if I can catch the two previous volumes.