Lady Aoi has been restored to her position as Lady-in-Waiting in the Imperial Court of Japan. When another lady of the court elopes with the victorious general of the northern country, Lady Aoi feels she must lend her aid. Soon a number of prominent ministers of the court who have defied the dictorial general begin dying mysteriously, and once again Lady Aoi must tread lightly to find truth behind the puzzling deaths. .
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Lady Loves a Mystery,
By
This review is from: Of Death and Black Rivers: A Mystery of Ancient Japan (Paperback)
The second in Woodward's Lady Aoi series set in 7th century Japan. Lady Aoi is primary lady-in-waiting to the royal princess; she has a knack for acute perception and has previously used her reasoning powers to solve crimes in the first book of the series, The Exile Way. This time around the mystery centers upon General Miura no Takamasa, Governor of Mutsu, Great Subduer of Barbarians. The general has returned to the capital after defeating an uprising in the north of Japan led by the native "barbarians," the Ezo. Being the son of the previous governor, he has spent a good share of his life in the north and has been influenced by many of its strange ways. His second in command, Kosha, is an equally enigmatic figure. The depth of their mysterious connections to northern culture (and to each other) makes them the talk of the court, if not the whole city. When two Ministers of the Treasury die after accompanying Miura on hunting parties, Lady Aoi is drawn to learn more about them. Why is the general wooing an inept lady-in-waiting to the princess? What is his real mission in the capital? Where does the money come from to enable him to do what he does? Woodward does a good job of introducing us to court life in 7th century Japan, a life and time undoubtedly foreign to most of her readers. The main plot and subplots are handled well, and the characters are effectively drawn. I like the way poetry is used to show the Japanese intimate connection with cultural tradition while furthering plot and characterization at the same time. I can't speak of Woodward's historical authenticity, but she seems to do a good job of showing how intelligent women can function effectively in an extremely male-dominated society.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Look at feudal Japan,
By A Customer
This review is from: Of Death and Black Rivers: A Mystery of Ancient Japan (Paperback)
In the tradition of Laura Joh Rowland, Ann Woodward makes fuedal Japan come alive for the average reader. The plot is well thought out, and definitely believable. A wonderful read!
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elegant Puzzling in Ancient Japan.,
By Denise Thea (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Of Death and Black Rivers: A Mystery of Ancient Japan (Paperback)
This one is fabulous. It takes the reader back to ancient Japan where the upper class hung out and recited poetry wrapped in clothing and customs completely unfamilar to the modern world. I can't wait to read her other one. Wish she'd come out with more.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
