‘The Samurai’s Garden’ was written by Gail Tsukiyama, who is the bestselling author of six novels; she was born to a Japanese father and a Chinese mother in San Francisco. She has written other books such as ‘Women of the Silk’, ‘Night of many dreams’, and ‘The Street of a thousand blossoms’.This book is so sweet! It is based in the 1930’s during WWII, and written from the Main characters point of view. The main Character, Stephen is a twenty year old boy, although he is from Hong Kong he came to a small quiet village in Japan called Tarumi to live in his grandfather’s house while he recovered from Tuberculosis. He was cared for by the keeper of the house, and master gardener, Matsu. Who in the beginning seems very impatient and sort of rude. “He seems the type of man who’s more comfortable alone, and it’s not hard to figure out that he must be annoyed at my disturbing his tranquil world.”(pg9) The first part of Stephen’s stay in Tarumi is very lonely for him. He misses his class mates back in Canton, and his three siblings in Hong Kong, especially his little sister Pie (Penelope). He finds tranquility in painting the garden through his grandfather’s study window. Throughout his stay in Tarumi Stephen faces many set-backs in his physical health, but through Matsu he learns how to overcome them and ultimately gains his strength back. Stephen even falls in love with a Japanese girl named Keiko. Their relationship is very short lived because of the war going on between China and Japan, her brother was killed in the war and her father forbids their relationship. “I won’t be able to see you anymore Stephen-san.”(pg187) Stephen meets another wonderful woman named Sachi, who is a longtime friend of Matsu’s. Her, and Stephen become friends. He frequently visits her at her house in a village called Yamaguchi, high in the mountains. This small village is filled with people affected by leprosy, including Sachi, but Stephen can see past her scars and see her inner beauty. They spend a lot of time in her garden that Matsu helped her build when she moved to Yamaguchi many years ago, the garden is beautiful, with white stones all different shapes. You can move them around and create patterns within the rocks with a rake. Stephen learns many things from these two people throughout the book. He learns that Matsu isn’t who he thought he was, but that he is a very caring man who despite seeing a lot of death throughout his life, even the death of his parents, sister, friends and only child he keeps on giving to the one he cares about (Sachi). The book is very slow until page 131 when Sachi starts telling stories to Stephen about who Matsu really is, and how he rescued her from herself and showed her a reason to live after she tried to end her life when she found out she had leprosy and shamed her family. At the end of the book when Stephen has to say goodbye to his friends, Matsu and Sachi, he tells them how much they mean to him, and how much he will miss them, not fully realizing what he has done for them until Sachi told him, “You have been the musuko we lost so many years ago”(pg205). Stephen boards a train back to Hong Kong to be with his family through the difficulties of the war and opens a package Matsu gave him while sitting on the train. ”I unwrapped the paper to find two black leather-bound books. There was no note. I let my hand run over the thick white pages. Then as the train rattled toward Kobe, taking me away from Tarumi, I took out my fountain pen, opened one of the books, and began to write.”(pg211) Throughout the book the feeling I kept getting was that this book was trying to say that life can be as beautiful as you make it, even through very hard times. It all depends on your attitude you have. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read!
3.5/5The jury's still out on this one, but frankly, I know myself too well to believe that they'll ever return with a definitive answer in hand.Relying simply on gut instinct, I enjoyed the book. I have never traveled outside the US, and the cosmopolitan feeling of having aspects of China, Japan, and vague traces of Western culture all wrapped into one story was appealing, to say the least. The appeal for me was strengthened by the majority of the story taking place in Japanese landscapes filled with calm and natural beauty, an aesthetic that the prose made an especial effort to convey. However, there were many things that increasingly bothered me as the pages progressed, and were never satisfactorily resolved enough for my taste.My biggest issue was with the main character, who as the sole first person narrator was entrusted with setting and maintaining the tone through the entirety of the novel. This tone is a very comforting, but ultimately placid one, and it is hard to believe someone would be so overwhelmingly lighthearted and good-naturedly accepting considering all the events swirling around him. Tuberculosis, being in a foreign country that is currently attacking your homeland, leprosy, suicide, parental issues, and so many other major events that seemed to only register for brief moments within the narrator's mind as a side note to an entry. However, I fully admit to being introspective in reaction to external conflicts to the point of neurotic anxiety, so I may be judging the character too harshly in terms of how he chooses to deal with all the chaos around him. It still seems odd, though, his ability to block out major concerns and focus on the smaller events of the much less chaotic everyday life. One event in particular makes me believe that the author used the epistolary form as a means to achieve exactly that, namely when the narrator (view spoiler)[receives a letter concerning the Nanjing Massacre. Just as he sits down to compose a letter to his family and friends back on the mainland, time skips forward more than two weeks, and there is little mention of what had to have resulted in huge amounts of mental conflict (hide spoiler)]
Do You like book The Samurai's Garden (1995)?
I read this almost a decade ago and again in 2014 for a reading group and surprisingly enjoyed it even more the second time. The quote "Even if you walk the same road a hundred times, you'll find something different each time" (210) is true for me in rereading this novel. Tsukiyama's novel is gentle and subtly crafted as we move through the seasons with Stephen, a 17-year-old Chinese adolescent who is sent from his home in Hong Kong to recover from tuberculosis at the family beach house in Japan. It is the eve of WWII and the Japanese have invaded China. As the two nations struggle, Stephen and the other major characters in the novel each go through their own struggles to find healing. For me, the book is like a Japanese brush painting, "I can still see the colors of Keiko; the black of her hair against creamy pale skin, her dark blue kimono with white circles, the deep orange persimmons falling from the brown basket she carried." (189) Beautiful.
—Sirpa Grierson
A gracefully illuminating novel that is tender and as delicate as a first blooming blossom in Spring. There is so much to discuss in this story, perfect for book clubs. At first it appears so simple, a story of a young Chinese-Japanese young man named Stephen leaving his family house in Hong Kong so his younger sister may not get exposed his sickness. So he travels to stay at his family's Summer shore side home in Tarumi, Japan to recoup from a battle with tuberculosis. He stays with Matsu a master gardener and the home's caretaker. As soon as I encountered Matsu a quite man with little to say and so much inner goodness I wished to be Stephen recovering and learning so much from a humble mentor with so much integrity it brings tears to my eyes. Matsu slowly unveils and shares his life, customs, friends and secrets to Stephen and embraces Stephen as one of his own. I realized there were so many lessons and metaphors I adored about this writing like nature, time, aging, health, balance, love, humanity and so much more. I could study and tear apart this book in sections but I just simply enjoyed it. A powerfully moving comfort read to encounter once again one day as I mature and find myself needing enlightened once again.
—Karla
This book is the perfect example of why I love PBT. I am not a huge fan of Asian literature. I have read some books and generally enjoy them, but rarely do I pick one up without a firm push. I am extremely glad that PBT pushed me this month to read the beautifully written The Samurai's Garden.Stephen is a young, attractive man living and attending college in Hong Kong in the late 1930's when he is diagnosed with tuberculosis. His family decides he must leave his college and home to travel to their summer home in Tarumi, Japan in hopes that the dry climate will help him regain his strength. Stephen finds himself living in a small seaside town with the older caretaker, Matsu, as the second Sino-Japanese War escalates. Stephan is insulated from the atrocities of the war as he learns to live a quieter life, regains his strength, and finds a second home during his year in Tarumi. He slowly builds a friendship with the reserved Matsu and, as they build trust, learns of Matsu's friendships with Sachi, a beautiful woman who has suffered numerous heardships, and Kenzo, a childhood acquaintance who grew into a lifelong friend despite a hidden secret. As Stephen meets these people and learns of their struggles, he also has a budding relationship with a local woman, Keiko.This is an amazingly beautiful story. Ms. Tsukiyama deftly builds a story that quietly reveals the past of Matsu, Sachi, and Kenzo. While Stephen is the main character, it is these three people you keep reading to learn more about. The near-overwhelming sadness that has defined their lives and the subtle will power they have to overcome the most insurmountable obstacles. The characters are richly complex and realistic.This was a lovely read from start to finish and I will not hesitate to read more by Ms. Tsukiyama.
—Nicole
