Of Nightingales That Weep [Library Binding]

Katherine Paterson (Author), Haru Wells (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 18, 2008

The daughter of a samurai never weeps. But Takiko, whose warrior father was killed in battle, finds this a hard rule, especially when her mother remarries a strange and ugly country potter. To get away from her miserable home, Takiko eagerly accepts a position at the imperial Japanese court. There, her beauty and nightingale voice captivate the handsome young warrior, Hideo -- who also turns out to be an enemy spy. As war breaks out, Takiko flees the court and is forced to choose between loyalty to her people and her love for Hideo. She painfully learns that whatever choice she makes, she cannot run away from her samurai honor.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A colorful and romantic story of feudal Japan. Unusual andstirring." -- -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A dramatic story, rich in emotion and in historical detail." -- -- The Horn Book --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Katherine Paterson was born in China, where she spent part of her childhood. After her education in China and the American South, she spent four years in Japan, the setting for her first three novels. Ms. Paterson has received numerous awards for her writing, including National Book Awards for The Master Puppeteer and The Great Gilly Hopkins, as well as Newbery Medals for Jacob Have I Loved and Bridge to Terabithia. Ms. Paterson lives with her husband in Vermont. They have four grown children.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 170 pages
• Publisher: Paw Prints 2008-04-18 (April 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1435245695
• ISBN-13: 978-1435245693
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,313,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars pretty good, i guess, but not outstanding...., May 5, 2004

By 

"ghettochinku" (GA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Of Nightingales That Weep (Paperback)

~This story is set in Japan during the Heiji War (also called the Gempei War) between the Heike and Genji clans. Takiko is an adolescent Japanese girl born to a noble samurai, Moriyuki. When Moriyuki dies in a battle, Takiko's mother, Chieko, decides to marry an ugly country potter named Goro to support herself and her daughter. While living in Goro's household, a visiting merchant decides to take Takiko to the Emperor's court to serve Princess Aoi. There, Takiko falls in love with a handsome~~ young enemy warrior named Hideo.
The rest of the book describes how Takiko has to choose between her lover and her family, and how she learns that beauty is not everything.
I thought this book was pretty good, because the characters were defined fairly well, and the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading. But I think that this book isn't exciting enough. I don't mean that there isn't enough action, but the plot isn't the kind that keeps people on the edge of their seats. A little more~~ background information on the Heiji War would be nice, too.
The one thing that I liked a lot about this book was its twist ending. I really wasn't expecting that!~

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not terrible, but not the author's best, February 22, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Of Nightingales That Weep (Paperback)

Let's be upfront here. I don't know a darned thing about imperial Japan in the 12th century. So I really don't know if author Katherine Paterson meticulously studied the history and language properly. And I don't know if this book is the very essence and spirit of all things Japanese. All that I know is what I read in this book. A portrait of a spoiled samurai's daughter, "Of Nightingales That Weep" traces her journey from potter's field to palace to exile with Japan's royal family.

The book doesn't begin particularly well. The kid who wants to read this book has first to stumble through a page describing the correct pronunciation of Japanese names and, following that, a long section dedicated to the historical figures presented in the book. Kids reading this must wade through sentences like, "This intense rivalry came to its first climax during the Hogen Insurrection (1156-1159), which found the two clans supporting opposing elements within the Imperial household". I myself had more than a little difficulty getting through this section, and I'm 25. When at last, however, I stumbled through I finally got to the story itself. I can't help but wonder if the Historical Note containing this information wouldn't have been better suited to exist at the end of the story. That way, kids wouldn't immediately be put off by a complicated set of rivalries and battles of which they do not care, yet. Once they've read the story, the notes would serve to give a little background. And you really don't need these notes to read the book. I read the notes first and I couldn't keep track of what was going on anyway. Lord help the ten-year-old who does the same.

The story itself is interesting. Protagonist Takiko is proud but also given a strong point of view. Readers will sympathize with her, even as she displays disgusting shows of self-interest. Her callous rejection of her step-father, her dismissal of all servants, etc. Takiko eventually finds herself supporting the royal family and fleeing with them from angry warlords. As she does, she finds herself falling in love with the enemy... a man as vain as herself. Paterson adeptly draws you to Takiko's point of view, but it's difficult not to despise her when her own wants overwhelm the needs of her family. In the end, the moral of the story is a bit askew. As far as I can tell it boils down to, "Be good or eventually you'll have to bear the child of your deformed step-father". Oog.

Sex and death opponents, beware. Though sex is never described in much detail (the most we get are suggestive poems about bird's nests and scenes that end right before the supposed act) but there are a couple moments where Takiko understands that she's being hit on (at fifteen) and must either lure the man on or find ways to break it off. And the violence is a little less harrowing that the sheer amount of death. Boy oh boy do a lot of people die in this puppy!

I love Katherine Paterson. I loved "The Great Gilly Hopkins" and "Road to Terebithia". I like her style and the pace she takes with her books. Quite frankly, however, I can't whole-heartedly recommend this one. Though it does give a new look at life within imperial Japan, the way in which it is written is not going to necessarily interest the kiddie set. Read it if it really interests you. You may like it quite a lot. But in the end its just a nice story set in an interesting place in uninteresting ways.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Of Nightingales That Weep, April 14, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Of Nightingales That Weep (Paperback)

I thought this was a pretty interesting book. In the beginning, it's about a preteen girl named Takiko who's father dies in a battle. Her mother decides to remarry to an ugly country potter. This story takes place in Japan during the Gempei War of 1180 - 1185.

While in the countryside with her mother and her new father, Goro, a merchant comes and decides to take Takiko to the imperial Japanese court to see if she can serve there. She is, and she meets a new friend, Mieko. Mieko goes almost everywhere with her and they trust each other very much.

During the war, Takiko waits for her love, Hideo, to return to her, but it always takes him a while and he doesn't exactly do what he says he is going to, only sometimes. She doesn't know if she should betray him by being loyal to the Heike or just keep it a secret. The war is between the Heike and the Genji who are fighting for control of Japan. It is a really gruesome war and a lot of blood and death is involved even though this story doesn't talk much about it.

My main point is that it is really interesting, and that you should read this book if you haven't already!