Cloud of Sparrows.Takashi Matsuoka Takashi Matsuoka (born January 10, 1954) is a first-generation Japanese American writer. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, and worked at a Zen Buddhist temple before becoming a full-time writer. . 2002. Read by Grover Gardner. Books on Tape. 11-1.5 hour tapes. $88.00. 0-7366-8819-6. Vinyl; plot notes. SA When Japan was forcibly opened to the West in the mid-19th century, the ancient civilization rooted in the absolute rule of the competing warlords Warlords may refer to:
class structure - the organization of classes within a society were soon overturned. This story centers on Lord Genii of the powerful Okumichi clan. The shogun shogun (shō`gŭn'), title of the feudal military administrator who from the 12th cent. to the 19th cent. was, as the emperor's military deputy, the actual ruler of Japan. , to whom they all owe allegiance, is weak, and the head of his secret police is determined to tare tare (târ), name sometimes used as a synonym for any vetch, most frequently for the common vetch. The tare of the Scriptures, a weed of grainfields and considered a seed of evil, is thought to have been the unrelated darnel (see rye grass). control by destroying the Okumichis totally. When Lord Genji welcomes three Americans to Japan, one is immediately killed by a shot intended for Lord Genii. The remaining two are Emily, a young girl who has been abused by men, and Stark, a gunfighter who is seeking revenge for the vicious murder of his common-law wife by a man who has sought refuge in Japan. Genii attaches them protectively to his retinue. Gardner's semi-voiced narration is splendid. His resonant and dignified tones suit the powerful Japanese overlords and their proud samurai. But he easily switches to Stark's flat American tones, Emily's softness, the missionary Zephaniah's bombast, or the geisha geisha Member of a professional class of women in Japan whose traditional occupation is to entertain men. A geisha must be adept at singing, dancing, and playing traditional musical instruments (e.g., the samisen) in addition to being skilled at making conversation. Heiko's elegant precision. The action-filled plot, compelling characterization, and vivid setting of castles, cities, and countryside are so enhanced by the excellent reading that if the listener can handle the graphic details of appalling cruelty, utter ruthlessness, and immense bloodshed typical of the culture and period and occasional coarse language, the audiobook is memorable. Pat Dole, Richmond, VA |
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