The Ginger Tree [Paperback]

Oswald Wynd (Author)

Book Description

Series: Perennial Classics | Publication Date: May 28, 2002

In 1903, a young Scotswoman named Mary Mackenzie sets sail for China to marry her betrothed, a military attachÉ in Peking. But soon after her arrival, Mary falls into an adulterous affair with a young Japanese nobleman, scandalizing the British community. Casting her out of the European community, her compatriots tear her away from her small daughter. A woman abandoned and alone, Mary learns to survive over forty tumultuous years in Asia, including two world wars and the cataclysmic Tokyo earthquake of 1923.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Wonderful" (New York Times )

"Marvelous" (-- The Spectator (London) )

"Ripping Yarn" (-- Daily Record (Scotland) )

“One of the few contemporary novels to show Japan as it was and is.” (—Japan Times )

About the Author

Oswald Wynd (1913-1998) was born in Tokyo to Scottish missionaries and spent his formative years in Japan. He attended the University of Edinburgh and joined the Scots Guards in 1939. During World War II, Wynd spent three years as a Japanese prisoner of war; it was at this time that he began to write seriously. He is the author of many novels including The Blazing Air and Death the Red Flower. Under the pseudonym Gavin Black, Wynd wrote many well-received thrillers. He died in Scotland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (May 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060959673
• ISBN-13: 978-0060959678
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #172,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spellbound, January 28, 2004

By 

Rusty Chang (Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ginger Tree (Paperback)

This very fascinating book is a story written in the form of numerous letters and personal diary entries made by the principle character of the book. It chronicals the life of a young Scottish woman forced to live first in China then Japan. Well written and historically accurate, it's obvious the author is intimately familiar with the the culture, customs, history and life style of Japan. This makes the book that much more interesting and fascinating for those who enjoy realism and demand accuracy in a story. For all who've ever lived in Japan, it's a believable tale that literally makes you feel you've stepped back in a time machine to witness the birth of modern Japan. For those who haven't lived in Japan, believe that the author has done his homework and is not simply just creating a fictional setting in his mind. Because of this, he's able to focus on his character versus scene/setting development and thus creates a living breathing person in your mind. The timespan covers over 40 years as the story weaves through her trials and tribulations, and shows how her fortitude and strength serve her through tumultuous events in her life. A gripping tale that draws on your emotions and has you constantly rooting for her. When the last page is read it leaves you wishing the story would continue, but even good books must end. Be prepared to sit a spell. Once you start reading you'll find it hard to put down.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Very Believable, Fast Read, August 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ginger Tree (Paperback)

The Ginger Tree is a captivating, completely believable life story of a woman who grows from a sheltered childhood to wisdom and success in a foreign country. It is told entirely from her point of view through the device of letters and journal entries. Spanning two world wars and encompassing the upheaval experienced in Asia by European imperialism, the story is puntuated by many recognizable historical events viewed from a fascinating perspective.

This book is not the type of story I would normally have expected to like, my wife referring to it as a "triumph of the human spirit," which is her code for: "no car chases or explosions -- you won't like it." But once I started it, I could not stop, and now that I have finished, I wish there was more. I recommend it strongly.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My all time favorite book, August 1, 2005

By 

Kate I. Schaumann "isabel1130" (Cheyenne, WY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ginger Tree (Paperback)

I won't bore readers with recounting the plot which is adequatly covered in many of the other reviews here. What I want to add is that this is the most well written book that I have ever read. Mary's character is probably the most well drawn of any story. She is believeable because she is flawed, as we all are. If you want an understanding of the culture of pre war Japan from a western perspective, both the good and the bad,you can't beat this book. I have read it five times and will probably read it many more times in the next 20 years. There have been few other books that made such an impression on me. Maybe the Landbreaker series by John Ehle.