The Japanese Lover - Gatti Ninja

336 pages

English language

Published May 21, 2015 by Scribner.

ISBN:: 978-1-4711-5217-7
OCLC Number:: 920786477

(1 review)

From internationally bestselling author Isabel Allende comes an exquisitely crafted love story and multigenerational epic that sweeps from present-day San Francisco to Poland and the United States during WWII. In 1939, as Poland falls under the shadow of the Nazis and the world goes to war, young Alma Belasco's parents send her away to live in safety with an aunt and uncle in their opulent mansion in San Francisco. There she meets Ichimei Fukuda, the son of the family's Japanese gardener, and between them a tender love blossoms. Following Pearl Harbor, the two are cruelly pulled apart when Ichimei and his family - like thousands of Japanese Americans - are declared enemies by the US government and relocated to internment camps. Throughout their lifetimes, Alma and Ichimei reunite again and again, but theirs is a love they are forever forced to hide from the world. Decades later, Alma is nearing …

From internationally bestselling author Isabel Allende comes an exquisitely crafted love story and multigenerational epic that sweeps from present-day San Francisco to Poland and the United States during WWII. In 1939, as Poland falls under the shadow of the Nazis and the world goes to war, young Alma Belasco's parents send her away to live in safety with an aunt and uncle in their opulent mansion in San Francisco. There she meets Ichimei Fukuda, the son of the family's Japanese gardener, and between them a tender love blossoms. Following Pearl Harbor, the two are cruelly pulled apart when Ichimei and his family - like thousands of Japanese Americans - are declared enemies by the US government and relocated to internment camps. Throughout their lifetimes, Alma and Ichimei reunite again and again, but theirs is a love they are forever forced to hide from the world. Decades later, Alma is nearing the end of her long and eventful life.

11 editions

Heather reviewed The Japanese lover by Isabel Allende

Review of 'The Japanese lover' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I always hear about Allende as a magical realism author but the two books I've read by her (Ines of My Soul, The Japanese Lover) have both been historical fiction.Alma has lead a life of privilege so it is surprising when she suddenly gives it all up and moves into an assisted living community. She hires a popular employee, Irina, to work after hours for her as a personal assistant. Both women have secrets that they are keeping from the world that gradually come to light as their lives become intertwined.This book covers the interment of Japanese people following Pearl Harbor and how it affected the people who were forced into the camps. Each member of the Fukada family responds in a different way. Some are broken and some find strength that they didn't know they had.I found it interesting to see how Alma and Ichimei's lives intersected …

I always hear about Allende as a magical realism author but the two books I've read by her (Ines of My Soul, The Japanese Lover) have both been historical fiction.Alma has lead a life of privilege so it is surprising when she suddenly gives it all up and moves into an assisted living community. She hires a popular employee, Irina, to work after hours for her as a personal assistant. Both women have secrets that they are keeping from the world that gradually come to light as their lives become intertwined.This book covers the interment of Japanese people following Pearl Harbor and how it affected the people who were forced into the camps. Each member of the Fukada family responds in a different way. Some are broken and some find strength that they didn't know they had.I found it interesting to see how Alma and Ichimei's lives intersected at different points. I don't think that you get a strong read on either of them as people. This isn't a book that makes you really like any of the characters but the slowly unfolding mysteries are intriguing.I could have done without Irina's story. It seemed very superficial to me. It either needed to be gotten into more deeply or left out.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

Subjects

Love in old age
Family secrets
World War, 1939-1945
Japanese Americans
Fiction

Places

San Francisco (Calif.)
California
San Francisco