Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #196765 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 576 pages

Synopsis
The year is 1311, in the highest tower of Cloud of Sparrows Castle, a beautiful woman watches from the window as the city is set alight and a mob runs riot destroying everything they can lay their hands on. She begins to write down the events unfolding around her and the secret history of the Okumichi Clan. Six centuries later the lost scrolls fall into the hands of American missionary Emily Gibson, a new arrival at Edo Harbour and racing from her tragic past. Emily quickly finds herself translating the text, caught up in the gripping tale of ancestry, heroism and forbidden love. At the same time Emily is desperately traying to unravel the complexities in her own life as two men fight for her love. As Emily sifts through the fragile scrolls, she begins to see threads of her own life woven into the ancient writings. As past and present collide, a hidden history comes to life, and with it a secret prophecy that has been shrouded for centuries and may now finally be revealed.

About the Author
Takashi Matsuoka:
Takashi Matsuoka grew up in Hawaii. He lives in Honolulu, where he was employed at a Zen Buddist temple before becoming a full-time writer. He is the author of the acclaimed novel, Cloud of Sparrows.

Customer Reviews

A subtle yet very readable novel
This is a subtle, complex yet very readable novel. The characters are well described, and the conservations between them well written. It is set in Japan, and unlike the first novel go's back in time, to the 13th century and the character Lady Shuzuka. It has many of the same characters such as Lord Genji and Matthew Stark. It is humorous in parts, and I would reccomend it to anyone that likes to read a good novel, and one with more to it than the average piece of fiction.

the sequel is as good as the first...another japanese work of art
I immediately looked for this book after having finished The Cloud of Sparrows, and it didn't disappoint. The style of writing that Matsuoka used in the first book is the same here, although with emphasis on detail, in order to explain a lot of the mysteries in the first book (yes, reader, read the first one first, to fully enjoy the 2 books!!!). As I was nearing the last pages, I was wishing that the story didn't have to end--it was that good! Once more, we are allowed to take a peek into the Japanese culture, and this time it spans almost 7 centuries, and across continents. What I really like about this book is that heroes and anti-heroes are mostly well-defined, there are no mid-story character shifts, and this allows me to get into the characters properly and love OR hate them until the end.

Despite the difference in cultures and beliefs, the premise of love and honour being better than greed and selfish ambition is there in both east AND west. Not all things that SEEM different ARE different after all.

READ THE BOOK! It is very entertaining AND thought-provoking.

Brilliant books
What can I say? Read both cloud of sparrows and autumn bridge in less than 3days. If you enjoyed Shogun - get it, if you enjoyed Last Samurai - get it. If you've come here by mistake -still get it!
An excellent riveting pair of books. Explores the human psyche, love, honour, betrayal, friendship. Epsisodes of high suspence and tension. Plus samurai, ninja, gunslingers, mongol hordes, zen priests all whilst spanning Japan's history from 1281 to 1953. I can only hope there will be more to come from this exemplary author!