Rating  - A Sense of Duty
Like Queen Elizabeth II, this book is based on a sense of duty. However, the two female characters, Haruko and Keiko, were commoners and gave up their educated, modern lives to become part of Japan's royal family. And I'm not sure why they did it.
Haruko was an athletic, bright girl absolutely adored by her father. She was not treated as inferior because she was a female. He was a successful businessman who gave his daughter freedom of choice. Nevertheless, when Haruko decides to accept the proposal from the Prince, her father is accepting but knows that he will never really see her again.
Haruko seems to love her husband but the confines and duties of her new life lead to despondency. Her mother-in-law, the Empress, represents the worst of all mother-in-laws with her constant criticism. This badgering and disapproval enhance her depression. Haruko luckily gives birth to the heir, a son. When it is time for the son to marry, he also falls in love with a modern, creative Japanese woman. Keiko also is persuaded to marry this Crown Prince. I cannot make any sense of why she would accept this future, except out of a sense of duty and a plea from Haruko.
Tragedy follows Keiko and she becomes more depressed and out of touch. She is trapped in the royal life which is the antithesis of her pre-marriage years when she traveled, made decisions and laughed. The end of the book is interesting and there is some triumph for these two commoners. However, it is difficult to grasp that these modern women would dedicate their lives to an ancient tradition.
Rating  - BORING
sixty pages in, and i'm bored out of my mind. i could take another story about a repressed asian woman, just not one that moves as slow as this one. i am putting it down, with some regret, but life's too short!
Rating  - Engrossing
I found this novel to be a fascinating look at the life of one Japanese woman, her early life, and the enclosed and constricted world of the royal family. It is very well-written and I found the story engrossing.
Rating - Disappointingly FLAT...
I agree with Japan Reader. I have been trying to complete this book for two months and I am one who can read a book in 3 days if I love it. I have read many novels based on Asian culture- this book never rises off the page. There seems to be a very contrived attempt to make the writing seem very "Japanese": poetic, sparse, elegant. I found that due to this, not one of the characters comes to life or breathes humanity. I am struggling to connect with anyone or even care about any of them. I know the real story well as I did live in Japan for a few years, but this version is so dull and tepid. I'll be lucky if I can finish it and I'll only do it out of duty.
Rating - Uncommonly Good
Schwartz's prose is careful and deliberate, and his depiction of Japanese royalty is just as careful and deliberate. Haruko is a charmingly loveable character, from a little girl to an old lady. Descriptions of post-war Japan were unlike anything I had read before, but certainly did not coast on cheap shock value. For me, the pace was a bit slow--as a reader, I kept waiting for something inject this book with some energy, which never really occured. Nonetheless, this is definetly a novel worth reading. Not astonishing, but very, very good.
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