Author:Takashi Matsuoka
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 trying 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.
'Stretching back and forth through the centuries, Matsuoka weaves a timeless tale of intrigue and romance'
—— Booklist'Matsuoka's rich, authoritative storytelling makes this an engrossing read'
—— Publisher’s Weekly'Offers one of the most impressive feats of storytelling to come along in years.... told in all the rich and exotic detail that made [Cloud of Sparrows] such a delight'
—— San Francisco Chronicle BooksA novel with an unconscious mind. The deeper you dig, the more disturbing it becomes
—— Lucasta Miller , IndependentCharlotte Bronte's most profound achievement
—— IndependentSensitive and timeless in the descriptions of a young woman's emotions as she copes with the pain of unrequited love
—— The TimesRomantic but refreshingly witty
—— Sunday MirrorA comic and creepy debut novel...Park transforms the banal into the eerie
—— New Yorkersketches so expertly; if you like this genre, he gets the tone just right
—— William Leith , Evening StandardPark's eye for the minutiae of office life is sharp... This is as funny as Seinfeld
—— Brandon Robshaw , The Independent on SundayChilling, compulsive, and hilarious
—— Elle, 'Read of the Month'P.G. Wodehouse wrote the best English comic novels of the century
—— Sebastian FaulksSublime comic genius
—— Ben EltonQuite simply, the master of comic writing at work
—— Jane MooreTo pick up a Wodehouse novel is to find oneself in the presence of genius - no writer has ever given me so much pure enjoyment
—— John Julius NorwichCompulsory reading for anyone who has a pig, an aunt - or a sense of humour!
—— Lindsey DavisThe Wodehouse wit should be registered at Police HQ as a chemical weapon
—— Kathy LetteWitty and effortlessly fluid. His books are laugh-out-loud funny
—— Arabella WeirThe funniest writer ever to put words to paper
—— Hugh LaurieThe greatest comic writer ever
—— Douglas AdamsP.G. Wodehouse wrote the best English comic novels of the century
—— Sebastian FaulksSublime comic genius
—— Ben EltonYou don't analyse such sunlit perfection, you just bask in its warmth and splendour
—— Stephen FryA virtuoso performance...This is a collection of stories that will be re-reading exceptionally well, like an album of brilliant songs you keep wanting to hear again
—— Brandom Robshaw , Independent on SundayFunny and furious, Kennedy's tales of floundering marriages and domestic disappointment follow an anarchic path of their own
—— IndependentKennedy's superlative work always attracts admiration
—— Lesley McDowell , Herald