The Heavenward Path [Hardcover]

Kara Dalkey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1998

Mitsuko is being haunted by ghosts and bad luck. An angry spirit commands her to keep a forgotten promise and assigns her a series of impossible tasks. She turns to the mischievous shape-shifter Goranu for help. Together they journey through a landscape of Japanese myths and legends made real. This sequel to Little Sister is a mythical tale of adventure and star-crossed love set in twelfth-century Japan.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9AFifteen-year-old Fujiwara no Mitsuko, the fourth daughter of a powerful noble family, is about to be betrothed to an 11-year-old prince whether she likes it or not. In 12th-century Heian Japan, Mitsuko is not free to follow her heart, either to pursue the study of Buddhism or her growing relationship with Goranu, a shape-shifting tengu who has come to her aid in time of need. Even as political forces are directing Mitsuko's future, supernatural forces affect her present life when an evil ghost demands retribution for an unkept promise. Although this novel is a sequel to Dalkey's Little Sister (Harcourt, 1996) and refers back to events in that story, it stands on its own as an interesting fantasy and an even more interesting glimpse into a long ago and far away time and place. It is embellished with characters and customs from Japanese history and folklore, from the Shinto and Buddhist religions, and from the lifestyles and events of the period. Haiku-like verses introduce each chapter and are interspersed appropriately in the text as well. Readers nurtured on folklore and fairy tales from around the world will enjoy this well-told tale, while romantics will appreciate the affection growing between Mitsuko and Goranu. The book ends with the possibility of several different futures for Mitsuko, and with definite room for yet another sequel.ASusan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Pulled in different directions by her heart and by family duty, a daughter of the noble Fujiwara clan also has an angry ghost to appease in this busy sequel to Little Sister (1996). Two years after Mitsuko entered the land of the dead in search of her sister's soul, ominous dreams remind her of her vow to repair a small shrine in which she once took refuge. At the same time, her father announces that Mitsuko is to marry an 11- year-old prince. She once again calls on Goranu, the mischievous, immortal shape-changer who fell in love with her. Exchanging insults and tart retorts, the two grow closer as Mitsuko faces a dragon, the shrine's vengeful kami (spirit), and a host of other supernatural beings. Under Goranu's tutelage, Mitsuko learns how to use her wits, and by the end has overcome the treacherous kami, helped engineer the prince's marriage to her sister, and even met Lord Emma-O in the Court of the Dead. More than most sequels, this story relies on knowledge of its predecessor. Dalkey supplies a glossary and historical postscript, but readers unfamiliar with the first book will miss nuances in characters and relationships, and have only a sketchy picture of the 12th- century locales and social patterns. Together, however, the two novels combine a courageous teenager's well-articulated escape from the limits and preconceptions forced on her by a rigid, highly structured upbringing with a colorful, not altogether earnest, series of encounters with powerful beings from Buddhist and Shinto lore. (Fiction. 11-13) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (March 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 015201652X
• ISBN-13: 978-0152016524
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #712,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Story, August 7, 2001

By 

irisheye (Las Vegas, NV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heavenward Path (Hardcover)

I picked this book up, along with "Little Sister" at the library a few days ago. I could not put eithe of these books down. The story line is compelling; it pulls at you to read more and more. The only thing I did not like about the book is the ending. It wasn't sad, but it left me feeling... well, read the book, and see. I strongly reccomend this book to anyone, even if you know nothing about Japanese culture. I knew nothing of Japanese culture, but after reading the two books, I have a little knowledge that has interested me to find more about it-- and it inspired my imagination in a way no ever book has. This is one of the best fantasy books of today.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thrown together, October 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Heavenward Path (Hardcover)

The continuation towards the first book LITTLE SISTER, this book simply wraps up mitsuko's relationship with goranu, the monk-teaser who has developed feelings for the human being. Not much of a book to read. THe author didn't write it out as well as it had been done in the first book, but worth reading if you want to know what happens to the heroine, the hero, and their future.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best books I have EVER read, May 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Heavenward Path (Hardcover)

The Heavenward Path is not only a very interesting book but it also gives its readers a good idea of what it was like in ancient Japan. This book gets you hooked from the beggining. I would recommend this book for everyone. It has romance, adventure, Japanese legends, and many other things in it. After I read this book it became one of my all time favorites!!!!!