The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

by

audio cd

English language

Published Sept. 4, 2007 by Audio Renaissance.

ISBN:
978-1-4272-0204-8
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4 stars (2 reviews)

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.

3 editions

reviewed The street of a thousand blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama

Review of 'The street of a thousand blossoms' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is the tale of two brothers, orphaned and raised by their grandparents, coming of age during the Second World War and the subsequent occupation of Japan. One brother is artistic and the other is athletic. Their close bonds with their grandparents and with one another see them through much danger and difficulty.

I love historical fiction, and I enjoyed this book up until about the point at which the US occupation of Japan ends. After that, I felt the story fell apart. It seemed almost as if the author didn't know how to end it, so she kept on writing, heaping more and more tragedy on the characters, without adding any value to the story.

avatar for Seedling

rated it

4 stars

Subjects

  • American Historical Fiction
  • Fiction
  • Abridged Audio - Fiction/General
  • Historical - General
  • Fiction / Historical