Name: The Street of a Thousand Blossoms
Rating: 3 (3 reviews)
ISBN: 9780312274825

Gail Tsukiyama

The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

altlovesbooks

"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 (view spoiler)[the atomic bomb drops and the firestorm (hide spoiler)] 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 The Samurai's Garden by the same author, this book has the same feel.

Anyaconda

A family story with lots of grief, loss and regrets. I enjoyed learning more about sumo and I recommend watching some YouTube videos, especially of a sumo retirement ceremony. That was quite fascinating.

Jolanda Schobers

"Just remember," Yoshio said quietly to his grandsons. "Every day of your lives, you must always be sure what you're fighting for." It is Tokyo in 1939. On the Street of a Thousand Blossoms, two orphaned brothers are growing up with their loving grandparents, who inspire them to dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows unusual skill at the national obsession of sumo wrestling, while Kenji is fascinated by the art of creating hard-carved masks for actors in the Noh theater. Across town, a renowned sumo master, Sho Tanaka, lives with his wife and their two young daughters: the delicate, daydreaming Aki and her independent sister, Haru. Life seems full of promise as Kenji begins an informal apprenticeship with the most famous mask-maker in Japan and Hiroshi receives a coveted invitation to train with Tanaka. But then Pearl Harbor changes everything. As the ripples of war spread to both families' quiet neighborhoods, all of the generations must put their dreams on hold---and then find their way in a new Japan. In an exquisitely moving story that spans almost thirty years, Gail Tsukiyama draws us irresistibly into the world of the brothers and the women who love them. It is a world of tradition and change, of heartbreaking loss and surprising hope, and of the impact of events beyond their control on ordinary, decent men and women. Above all, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms is a masterpiece about love and family from a glorious storyteller at the height of her powers.

A Novel

brittany forks

Raised by loving and traditionally minded grandparents, Japanese youths Hiroshi and Kenji are forced to put their dreams on hold in the wake of World War II and find their destinies intertwining with those of a famous sumo master's daughters. 125,000 first printing.

The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

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