The Gardens of Kyoto (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780684869490)

From the National Book Award nominated, New York Times bestselling author of A Short History of Women and The Sunken Cathedral, Walbert's beautiful and heartbreaking novel about a young woman coming of age in the long shadow of World War II--"An intricately plotted, thrillingly imagined -narrative...A masterpiece" (The New York Times Book Review).

Forty years after enduring the Second World War as a young woman, Ellen relates the events of this turbulent period, beginning with the death of her favorite cousin, Randall, with whom she shared Easter Sundays, childhood secrets, and, perhaps, the first taste of love. When he dies on Iwo Jima, she turns to the legacy he left her: his diary and a book called The Gardens of Kyoto. Each one subtly influences her perception of her place in the world, the nature of her memories.

Moving back and forth through time and place, Kate Walbert recreates a world touched by the shadows of war and a society in which women fit their desires into prescribed roles. Unfolding in lyrical, seductive prose, The Gardens of Kyoto becomes a mesmerizing exploration of the interplay of love and loss.

Author: Kate Walbert
ISBN-10: 0684869497
ISBN-13: 9780684869490
Publisher: Scribner Book Company
Language: English
Published: 03/05/2002
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.20w x 0.80d

Review Citation(s):
Booksense '76 Mar/Apr 2002 03/01/2002 pg. 1
New York Times 03/24/2002 pg. 20
Entertainment Weekly 02/14/2003 pg. 77