The Street of a Thousand Blossoms
Ratings6
Average rating4.3
It is Tokyo in 1939. On the Street of a Thousand Blossoms, two orphaned brothers dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows early signs of promise at the national obsession of sumo wrestling, while Kenji is fascinated by the art of Noh theater masks.
But as the ripples of war spread to their quiet neighborhood, the brothers must put their dreams on hold--and 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 fortunes of their father's star pupil, Hiroshi.
*The Street of a Thousand Blossoms* is a powerfully moving masterpiece about tradition and change, loss and renewal, and love and family from a glorious storyteller at the height of her powers.
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
"Every day of your lives, you must always be sure what you're fighting for. "
Beautifully tragic, tragically beautiful, as is life.
“Just remember, every day of your lives, you must always be sure what you're fighting for.”This book followed a family in Japan through the grips of World War II and out the other side again. Two brothers raised by their grandparents and the owner of a sumo stable and his two daughters are the main performers in this little play, and we get an intimate look into the thoughts, feelings, fears, and dreams of these people as they progress through their uncertain lives. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, even moreso of historical fiction set in Asia. This book, however, left me feeling a little bit “meh”. It's a perfectly adequate book, and actually I think it's told really well up until the late World War II years. I feel like the book peaks early though, and I found myself losing a bit of interest following World War II. Nothing really changes, style-wise, but I felt less of a direction in where the story was heading. The writing is straightforward, not very lyrical, but the author does tell a good story. I felt like the leadup to the atomic bomb drops and the firestorm were the most interesting, but I sort of disliked Aki as a character later on. An adequate book, not exceptional, but also not terrible. Interesting for about the first 30-40%, and then afterwards it kind of meanders along with the family's story. If you've read [b:The Samurai's Garden 51113 The Samurai's Garden Gail Tsukiyama https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327876036l/51113.SY75.jpg 1019525] by the same author, this book has the same feel.
