The Samurai's Garden: A Novel [Paperback]

Gail Tsukiyama (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1996

The daughter of a Chinese mother and a Japanese father, Tsukiyama uses the Japanese invasion of China during the late 1930s as a somber backdrop for her unusual story about a 20-year-old Chinese painter named Stephen who is sent to his family's summer home in a Japanese coastal village to recover from a bout with tuberculosis. Here he is cared for by Matsu, a reticent housekeeper and a master gardener. Over the course of a remarkable year, Stephen learns Matsu's secret and gains not only physical strength, but also profound spiritual insight. Matsu is a samurai of the soul, a man devoted to doing good and finding beauty in a cruel and arbitrary world, and Stephen is a noble student, learning to appreciate Matsu's generous and nurturing way of life and to love Matsu's soulmate, gentle Sachi, a woman afflicted with leprosy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in Japan just before WWII, Tsukiyama's novel tells of a young Chinese man's encounters with four locals while he recuperates from tuberculosis.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Seventeen-year-old Stephen leaves his home in Hong Kong just as the Japanese are poised to invade China. He is sent to Tarumi, a small village in Japan, to recuperate from tuberculosis. His developing friendship with three adults and a young woman his own age brings him to the beginnings of wisdom about love, honor, and loss. Given the potentially interesting subplot (the story of a love triangle doomed by the outbreak of leprosy in the village) and the fascinating period in which the book is set, this second novel by the author of Women of the Silk (St. Martin's, 1991) has the potential to be a winner. Unfortunately, it is sunk by a flat, dull prose style, one-dimensional characters who fail to engage the reader's interest, and the author's tendency to tell rather than show. Libraries with comprehensive fiction collections might consider, but others can pass.
Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (April 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312144075
• ISBN-13: 978-0312144074
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (146 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gail Tsukiyama is the bestselling author of ?ve previous novels, including Women of the Silk and The Samurai's Garden, as well as the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Award and the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award. She divides her time between El Cerrito and Napa Valley, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

170 of 180 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rave reviews from the Heritage Greens Book Club, February 15, 2000

By 

Heritage Greens Book Club (Littleton, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Samurai's Garden: A Novel (Paperback)

The Samurai's Garden is a soothing, hypnotic, heartbreaking, evocative book we all enjoyed. Is it the story of Stephen, a young Chinese man recovering from tuberculosis in pre-war Japan while under the care of a loyal family servant, the "samurai" of the title. The book explores cultural differences and similarities as it portrays the development of friendship and respect in disparate characters.

With sparce and simple prose, Tsukiyama depicts her principals as humans who try to be good but not perfect; as people accepting their circumstances and finding inner peace despite their flaws and mistakes.

Appropriate for all age readers, particularly young adults, we found a number of themes especially appealing: relationships, isolation/alienation and subsequent reconciliation, and the appreciation of inner beauty over physical appearance. Matsu, the "samurai," was a perfect teacher/mentor for Stephen, as he avioded putting him under a microscope, but rather served as his guide to realizing his spiritual self.

We hope you enjoy this book as ,uch as we did!

70 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book to Be Savored, March 27, 2002

By 

Nancy R. Katz "NancyK18" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Samurai's Garden: A Novel (Paperback)

Towards the end of The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, Matsu one of the main characters says, "Beauty can be found in most places." And as I read this sentence, I thought no better words than beauty could be applied to this book. For sometime I have been told by many readers how much they enjoyed this book and now I wonder why it took me so long to pick up this title. Now I can only agree wholeheartedly with these readers and add my grateful appreciation to this author for writing such a wonderful book.

Beginning in prewar China, we travel with Stephen a 20 year old man recuperating from tuberculosis, to his grandfathers beach house in Japan. Isolated from his family and friends in Hong Kong and his studies at the University, Stephens sole companion in Japan is Matsu, caretaker and gardener of the beach house. At first there relationship is strained and they have little in common. But as Stephen begins to paint and Matsu works in the garden, they begin to interact with one another and eventually become the best of friends. As Matsu introduces Stephen to the surrounding villages of Tarumi and Yamaguchi, Stephen also becomes acquainted with Matsu's friends which include Sachi and Kenzo. And as Stephen becomes more familiar with them he also learns more about their lives and entanglements and we as readers are first intrigued by these three people and then become enchanted as their stories unfold. Ultimately we learn as Stephen does about life, loyalty to family and friends, betrayal, attachments but most of all unconditional love. We watch as Stephen becomes more and more ingrained in the daily lives surrounding the beach house while Japan begins to invade China and Stephen's own family is going through their own eprsoanl upheavals. All too soon, with his health restored, Stephen knows he will need to leave this solitary life at Tarumi. The approaching war and distance leaves both him and readers to wonder if he will ever see these people again.

Gail Tsukiyama has crafted a marvelous novel with layers placed upon layers to tell the story of extraordinary friendships. I found that when I read this book it was as if I was a next door neighbor to the beach hosue and priuvy to all that happened in these people's lives. And as I closed the book I had a profound sense of loneliness that my visit with them had come to an end. Although I seldom yearn for a sequel, I would love to know how life treated these characters in the future.

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful masterpiece with the power to change lives, October 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Samurai's Garden: A Novel (Paperback)

Gail Tsukiyama is a masterful and wondrous storyweaver. The tale of Stephen and Matsu-san is a wonderful story of life, love, acceptance, forgiveness, and the power of all living things. By the second section I was captivated by the strong and silent character Matsu-san. And as I heard the despair of Sachi-san's life, in the section of 'Spring', and the terror that she lived through, I could not keep the tears from falling. This book helped me realize so many things about myself. I find that it teaches so much as the legends of characters unfold. I will keep their stories close to my heart ALWAYS. I would reccommend this book to absolutely every person on the planet. It moved me soo much! It is not only my favorite book. It is like a sudden realization of life and what is most important in life.