The Street of a Thousand Blossoms - Tapa dura

"[Tsukiyama] writes with eloquence and feeling. Her prose is so finely wrought that you smell the rotting persimmons and the sawdust from wood being sanded in a mask shop. You are chilled by the mist rising in a Japanese mountain valley and even feel the heat and stench of the flames consuming parts of Tokyo during a World War II firebombing. This book is a feast for the senses...Tsukiyama has the soul of a storyteller."-"Denver"" Post""" "A fascinating, intricate portrait of Japanese customs and rituals that floods the senses.""-USA Today" "Tsukiyama's writing is clear and spare, and the thoughts and actions of her characters are accessible, believable. She unmasks their intentions for us, making it all the more tragic when they misread one another."-"Seattle"" Times""" "Tsukiyama is a mesmerizing storyteller . . . [her] historically detailed and plot-driven story of resilience, discipline, loyalty and right action is "[Tsukiyama] writes with eloquence and feeling. Her prose is so finely wrought that you smell the rotting persimmons and the sawdust from wood being sanded in a mask shop. You are chilled by the mist rising in a Japanese mountain valley and even feel the heat and stench of the flames consuming parts of Tokyo during a World War II firebombing. This book is a feast for the senses...Tsukiyama has the soul of a storyteller."--"Denver"" Post""" "A fascinating, intricate portrait of Japanese customs and rituals that floods the senses.""--USA Today" "Tsukiyama's writing is clear and spare, and the thoughts and actions of her characters are accessible, believable. She unmasks their intentions for us, making it all the more tragic when they misread one another."--"Seattle"" Times""" "Tsukiyama is a mesmerizing storyteller . . . [her] historically detailed and plot-driven story of resilience, discipline, loyalty and right action is popular fiction at its most intelligent, appealing and rewarding."--"Booklist""" "Tsukiyama has long been known for her emotional and detailed stories. This time, she has gone even deeper to explore what happens to ordinary people during frightening and tragic times."--Lisa See, author of "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan "and" Peony in Love"" ""Gail Tsukiyama is a writer of astonishing grace, delicacy, and feeling. Her lyric precision serves not only to leave the reader breathless but to illuminate human suffering and redemption with clarity and power."--Michael Chabon, author of "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" "Covering the years of the war and after, on the home front of Japan, Tsukiyama tells a powerful story of family, of loss, and of endurance with her usual insight, her perfect imagery, and her unforgettable characters . . . I loved every word."--Karen Joy Fowler, author of "The Jane Austen Book Club" "Gail Tsukiyama takes us into the world of sumo, allowing us to experience what exists beyond the rituals and the wrestling: the fascinating culture of contact and the intimacies of family love and devotion. This is an impressive achievement."--Elizabeth George, author of "What Came Before He Shot Her" and "Write Away: One Novelist's Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life"" ""A master storyteller . . . Gail Tsukiyama expertly and beautifully weaves together the lives of a sumo wrestler and his family, and a Noh mask-maker through World War II and into the 1960s."--Jane Hamilton, author of "The Book of Ruth" and "A Map of the World""" "Tsukiyama's close attention to historical and geographical detail enriches the narrative . . . "--"Publishers Weekly" "Tsukiyama returns to the historical fiction genre and brings to life another sumptuously written work . . . As in her other novels, Tsukiyama proves to be adept at capturing sensory detail."--"Library Journal" Praise for Gail Tsukiyama and "The Street of a Thousand Blossoms" "[Tsukiyama] writes with eloquence and feeling. Her prose is so finely wrought that you smell the rotting persimmons and the sawdust from wood being sanded in a mask shop. You are chilled by the mist rising in a Japanese mountain valley and even feel the heat and stench of the flames consuming parts of Tokyo during a World War II firebombing. This book is a feast for the senses...Tsukiyama has the soul of a storyteller." --"Denver"" Post""" ""Blossoms" is a fascinating, intricate portrait of Japanese customs and rituals that floods the senses..."" --USA Today" "Tsukiyama's writing is clear and spare, and the thoughts and actions of her characters are accessible, believable. She unmasks their intentions for us, making it all the more tragic when they misread one another." --"Seattle"" Times" .,."another ambitious and engaging drama." --"Seattle"" Post-Intelligencer""" "Tsukiyama is a mesmerizing storyteller...[her] historically detailed and plot-driven story of resilience, discipline, loyalty and right action is popular fiction at its most intelligent, appealing and rewarding." --"Booklist""" "Tsukiyama's close attention to historical and geographical detail enriches the narrative..." --"Publishers Weekly" "Tsukiyama returns to the historical fiction genre and brings to life another sumptuously written work....As in her other novels, Tsukiyama proves to be adept at capturing sensory detail." --"Library Journal" "Tsukiyama has long been known for her emotional and detailed stories. This time, she has gone even deeper to explore what happens to ordinary people during frightening and tragic times." --Lisa See, author of"Snow Flower and the Secret Fan "and" Peony in Love"" ""Gail Tsukiyama is a writer of astonishing grace, delicacy, and feeling. Her lyric precision serves not only to leave the reader breathless but to illuminate human suffering and redemption with clarity and power." --Michael Chabon, author of "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" "Covering the years of the war and after, on the home front of Japan, Tsukiyama tells a powerful story of family, of loss, and of endurance with her usual insight, her perfect imagery, and her unforgettable characters. . . . I loved every word."--Karen Joy Fowler, author of "The Jane Austen Book Club" "Gail Tsukiyama takes us into the world of sumo, allowing us to experience what exists beyond the rituals and the wrestling: the fascinating culture of contact and the intimacies of family love and devotion. This is an impressive achievement."--Elizabeth George, author of "What Came Before He Shot Her" and "Write Away: One Novelist's Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life"" ""A master storyteller . . . Gail Tsukiyama expertly and beautifully weaves together the lives of a sumo wrestler and his family, and a Noh mask-maker through World War II and into the 1960s." --Jane Hamilton, author of "The Book of Ruth" and "A Map of the World" Praise for Gail Tsukiyama and "The Street of a Thousand Blossoms" "Tsukiyama has long been known for her emotional and detailed stories. This time, she has gone even deeper to explore what happens to ordinary people during frightening and tragic times."---Lisa See, author of "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan "and" Peony in Love"" ""Gail Tsukiyama is a writer of astonishing grace, delicacy, and feeling. Her lyric precision serves not only to leave the reader breathless but to illuminate human suffering and redemption with clarity and power."---Michael Chabon, author of "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" "Covering the years of the war and after, on the home front of Japan, Tsukiyama tells a powerful story of family, of loss, and of endurance with her usual insight, her perfect imagery, and her unforgettable characters. . . . I loved every word." ---Karen Joy Fowler, author of "The Jane Austen Book Club" "Gail Tsukiyama takes us into the world of sumo, allowing us to experience what exists beyond the rituals and the wrestling: the fascinating culture of contact and the intimacies of family love and devotion. This is an impressive achievement."---Elizabeth George, author of "What Came Before He Shot Her" and "Write Away: One Novelist's Approach to Fiction and the WritingLife"" ""A master storyteller . . . Gail Tsukiyama expertly and beautifully weaves together the lives of a sumo wrestler and his family, and a Noh mask-maker through World War II and into the 1960s."---Jane Hamilton, author of "The Book of Ruth" and "A Map of the World"

Japan, 1939. Two orphaned brothers are growing up with loving grandparents who inspire them to dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows signs of promise at sumo wrestling, while Kenji is fascinated by the art of Noh Theatre masks. But as the ripples of war spread, the brothers must put their dreams on hold - and then forge their own paths in a new Japan. Meanwhile, the two young daughters of a renowned sumo master find their lives increasingly intertwined with the rising fortunes of their father's star pupil, Hiroshi.