Genre:
Historical Fiction/Coming of Age
Description:
“The
gap between the old Japan and the new is never so wide as when it
tears open a young girl’s heart…
It's
1952 Japan, seven years since the war was lost to the Americans,
seven years since Miyoko lost her father and the home of her birth.
Now she must earn a living caring for the children of an American
family at the nearby air base.
When
tragedy strikes, sixteen-year-old Miyoko is ordered to obey her
family's wishes or disgrace the memory of her father and bring
hardship upon her family. Tradition says she must obey, but her
secret heart whispers that the new laws can free her.
As the
earth trembles and splits beneath her, Miyoko must jump forward—or
back.”
Author:
“Candace
Williams lives with her husband and beloved rescued Iggys (Italian
Greyhounds) in Texas. Her first novel, The
Earthquake Doll, was
inspired by her early experiences in post-war Japan while her father
was serving in the Korean Conflict. She is hard at work on her next
book, a contemporary mystery.”
For
more, visit her website or follow her on Facebook.
Appraisal:
“Those
who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” George
Santayana – Philosopher and Poet
You’ve
probably heard or seen this quote or a variation of it at some point.
For me at least, when I’m reading historical fiction, in the back
of my mind I’m comparing the world as it was then to now. It’s a
way to “remember,” either reminding me of a time I lived through
or giving me a perspective of an era, like this one, that I didn’t
experience. The Earthquake
Doll triggered plenty of
those thoughts, mainly related to the life of the American family
Miyoko works for and the aftermath of war.
However,
even more interesting was the Japanese culture which at the time was
going through some major upheavals with young people rebelling
against tradition that no longer made sense. Miyoko is torn as she
struggles with the conflict between the old and new ways and is
forced to make a life changing decision between two options, each one
with its price. The result is a gripping coming of age story set
against a unique backdrop of time and place.
FYI:
Added
for Reprise Review: The
Earthquake Doll was a
nominee in the Contemporary/Literary/General category for B&P
2015 Readers' Choice Awards.
Original review ran March 19, 2014.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No
significant issues.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 50-55,000
words
1 comment:
Wow - thank you very much for posting this! ::happy dancing::
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