Autumn Bridge [Paperback]

Takashi Matsuoka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 2005

In the year 1311, in the highest tower of Cloud of Sparrows Castle, a beautiful woman sits by the window, watching as enemies gather below and fires spread through the night. As she calmly awaits her fate, she begins to write, carefully setting down on a scroll the secret history of the Okumichi clan…of the gift of prophecy they share and the extraordinary destiny that awaits them.

For six centuries, these remarkable writings lay hidden—until they are uncovered by an American woman, a missionary named Emily Gibson, who arrived in Edo harbor in 1861, in flight from a tragic past. Soon an extraordinary man would enter her life: Lord Genji of the Okumichi clan, a nobleman with a gift of prophecy who must defend his embattled family—and confront forbidden feelings for an outsider in his midst. Emily, too, soon finds herself at a turning point; courted by two westerners, she knows her heart belongs to the one man she cannot have. But Emily has found a mission of her own: translating Genji’s ancestral history, losing herself in an epic tale of heroism and forbidden love.

For here is the story of Lady Shizuka, the beautiful witch-princess who has enchanted Okumichi men for generations…of Genji’s ancestors, Lord Hironobu and Lord Kiyori, and of the terrible betrayals that befell them…and of Genji’s parents: a wastrel father and his child bride whose tragic love has shaped Genji as a leader and as a man. As Emily sifts through the fragile scrolls, she begins to see threads of her own life woven into the ancient writings. And as past and present collide, a hidden history comes to life, and with it a secret prophecy that has been shrouded for centuries, and may now finally be revealed. Takashi Matsuoka’s spellbinding novel is infused with spectacle, intricately woven, magically told. Autumn Bridge is a feast for the senses, a work of truly dazzling storytelling.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

East collides with West in this complex, epic tale by Matsuoka (Cloud of Sparrows), in which the ability to see the future is transferred from generation to generation in a Japanese clan. The mid-19th-century inheritor of the clan's visionary powers is Lord Genji, a powerful samurai warlord who favors western style modernization for Japan but faces fierce opposition from the antiforeigner element. Compounding his political troubles is his peculiar love affair with a beautiful young American Christian missionary. Emily Gibson has been in Japan for six years, doing her missionary work, trying to hide her feelings for Genji and translating a series of mysterious scrolls recounting the history of the clan. As she reads the scrolls, she discovers inexplicable references to her own life and her association with Genji's family. Meanwhile, flashbacks describe centuries of tangled relationships and events that result in Genji's rise to power, focusing particularly on beautiful Shizuka, Genji's 14th-century forebear, who has the sharpest vision of the clan's future. The convoluted tale is bursting with too many characters and jumps around in time too much to be a smooth read—a 13th-century Mongol invasion, assassination, clan warfare, romantic rivalries and an estranged son and heir to Genji's rule round out the packed narrative—but Matsuoka's rich, authoritative storytelling makes this an engrossing read.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Matsuoka continues the chronicle of Japanese nobleman Lord Genji he began in Cloud of Sparrows (2002). In 1867, American missionary Emily Gibson finds herself increasingly drawn to Genji, her Japanese benefactor. For his part, Genji, the head of the beleaguered Okumichi clan, struggles to control his secret admiration for the entirely unsuitable foreigner as he attempts to reconcile the increasingly obsolete world of the shoguns and the samurai warriors with the inevitable encroachment of Western ways and customs into his homeland. Translating a series of secret scrolls containing the history and prophesies of the Okumichi clan, Emily is startled to realize that the past reflects the present when she uncovers an ancient tale of treachery, valor, and forbidden love that seems to both parallel and presage her own situation. Stretching back and forth through the centuries, Matsuoka weaves a timeless tale of intrigue and romance. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Delta (July 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385339119
• ISBN-13: 978-1863253673
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #583,853 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Elaboration on "Cloud of Sparrows", December 6, 2004

By 

Scott Schiefelbein (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Autumn Bridge (Hardcover)

Takashi Matsuoka is an author who tells tantalizingly original tales inspired by feudal Japan. His first novel, "Cloud of Sparrows," introduced the reader to the saga of the Okumichi clan, focusing primarily on its young Prince Hal, Lord Genji, in the early days following the reopening of Japan to the West.

Genji, a young lord whose attributes were unappreciated - thanks to his long campaign of deception - plays a critical role in the process of Japan's reawakening, in large part due to the Americans he meets. One is Matthew Stark, who arrives in Japan under the guise of a missionary but with a sole purpose of exacting vengeance for some grisly murders back in the States. The other is Emily Gibson, a beautiful American missionary who has fled to Japan to escape the horrible consequences of her beauty. These three characters, along with a wonderful supporting cast, have dazzling adventures that make "Cloud of Sparrows" a heck of a read.

What makes "Cloud" such an amazing novel was its ability to jump from present to past to future and yet tell a cohesive, enthralling tale. Genji's clan, the Okumichi, is blessed (or cursed) with the ability to see the future, and in Japan, the future and the past are inter-related. One of the most tantalizing aspects of "Cloud" was the sense the reader had that "Cloud" was only telling part of a much deeper story, and several aspects of "Cloud" did not make a lot of sense, even after a second reading.

This was by design. "Autumn Bridge," while officially a "sequel" to "Cloud of Sparrows," is more of an elaboration of the earlier story, in which certain aspects of the past, the present, and the future of "Cloud" receive further treatment. And the results are no less harrowing or heart-rending.

While the "present" of "Cloud" and "Bridge" is the second half of the 19th century, much of the second novel takes place in the 1300s, as a beautiful woman - some say witch - sets in motion the events that would play out over 500 years later. Matsuoka's ability to interweave these various chronologies is astounding - while leaping from era to era and storyline to storyline, "Bridge" never deviates from its essential tale or its overall purpose, and one of the great delights of "Bridge" is to behold events that have been foretold . . . but that transpire in completely unexpected ways.

The budding romance between Genji and Emily continues to grow, as the misgivings of both are overcome by their love and desire. Matthew Stark, murderous hero from "Cloud," must watch as his son Makoto learns about his real history. The truth of the Mushindo Abbey continues to be revealed. And through it all, Genji battles treachery and intrigue as he gets ever closer to the day of his own assassination, which he has foreseen with startling clarity and tantalizing ambiguity.

More than a love story, more than a samurai-slashing-swords battle epic, "Bridge" builds on the amazing foundation set by "Cloud" to tell a riveting tale that is sure to keep readers up late at night, trying to eke out one more chapter before slumber. Beloved characters meet their end while new characters arise, and several stories grow deeper and more moving as events unfold.

Best of all, more than a few loose ends remain at the end of "Bridge," so it looks like another novel in this amazing series could be on the way!

For interested readers, you must read "Cloud" first - there is too much of a back story with these characters from "Cloud" that will be missed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, Great Sequel, January 21, 2005

By 

Brkat (Southeast, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Autumn Bridge (Hardcover)

Anyone who has enjoyed author Takashi Matsuoka's "Cloud of Sparrows" will be completely blown over by his second novel, "Autumn Bridge." It's not too often that an author creates a sequel that surpasses the first. "Autumn Bridge" does exactly that and will keep you `til the wee hours of the early morning reading it.

"Cloud of Sparrows" was largely the story of Lord Genji in the 1860's - his prophecy, his ascent to power and his relationship with a young American missionary, Emily Gibson. Intertwined was also the story of Matthew Stark, a vengeance seeking American gunslinger. Though the second novel continues with these characters, "Autumn Bridge" elaborates more on the history of the Okumichi clan and the prophecies that guided their destiny. And it is within this context that we are introduced into the hauntingly mysterious Lady Shizuka. Just a masterfully told tale woven in a past-with-present style.

In "Autumn Bridge", Matsuoka toned down some of the salaciousness and graphic violence (which some readers criticized) found in his earlier work. I thought this was an improvement since the focus was more on the intriguing storyline. Still evident, though, were the fast moving plot and ever mysterious far eastern feudal intrigue. Great read. "Autumn Bridge" will not disappoint.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A WELL READ GENERATION SPANNING TALE, November 17, 2004

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Autumn Bridge (Audio CD)

An intriguing generation spanning tale is a perfect platform for accomplished voice performer Jennifer Van Dyck. A veteran of both film and television (most notably Woody Allen' movie "Bullets Over Broadway" and the TV series "Law & Order"), she reads with clarity enabling listeners to keep track of a rather heft cast of characters and numerous confrontations.

Introduced in this author's "Cloud of Sparrows," Japanese noble Lord Genji again takes center stage along with a beautiful missionary, Emily Gibson. There's an undeniable attraction between the two, but theirs would be an impossible match.

Beginning in feudal Japan, listeners learn of a woman watching from a high tower in the Cloud of Sparrows Castle. It is 1311 and those who would harm her are gathering in the courtyard below. As the night hours pass she writes down a history of the Okumichi clan and notes the magic they posses, including the ability to foresee the future.

Over six centuries pass before these scrolls are translated by Emily Gibson who is puzzled and amazed to find the similarities between what she sees before her eyes and her own life.

The author's gift for detail serves to enrich his story, and the voice of Jennifer Van Dyck gives it vibrant life.

- Gail Cooke