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The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

A Novel

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The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

By: Gail Tsukiyama
Narrated by: Stephen Park
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Gail Tsukiyama's The Street of a Thousand Blossoms is a powerfully moving masterpiece about tradition and change, loss and renewal, and love and family from a glorious storyteller at the height of her powers.

It is Tokyo in 1939. On the Street of a Thousand Blossoms, two orphaned brothers dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows early signs of promise at the national obsession of sumo wrestling, while Kenji is fascinated by the art of Noh theater masks.

But as the ripples of war spread to their quiet neighborhood, the brothers must put their dreams on hold—and forge their own paths in a new Japan. Meanwhile, the two young daughters of a renowned sumo master find their lives increasingly intertwined with the fortunes of their father's star pupil, Hiroshi.

 20th Century Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Dream Imperial Japan Tradition
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Critic reviews

“Gail Tsukiyama expertly and beautifully weaves together the lives of a sumo wrestler and his family, and a Noh Mask Maker through World War II and into the 1960's. She has always been a wonderful story-teller but in The Street of a Thousand Blossoms she proves herself to be a master story-teller.” —Jane Hamilton, bestselling author of The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World

“Gail Tsukiyama is a writer of astonishing grace, delicacy, and feeling. Her lyric precision serves not only to leave the reader breathless, but to illuminate human suffering and redemption with clarity and power.” —Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
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Beautifully written and narrated wonderfully, I felt I'd been transported into the lives of the characters. Very sad at times, so sad in fact that I had to leave the story and return to it a little later on a couple of occasions. I've only just finished but miss it already.

Can't recommend this enough!

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A beautiful story. The characters are so rich with history and so vivid in description. If you are searching for a gripping slice of life story give this one a try.

Loved it

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The idea of the book is very good but ultimately fails to deliver. The first part of the book is good and enjoyable but it soon becomes more and more elaborate and fanciful. I listened through to the end but ultimately was barely engaged with the storyline and it became far too ridiculous. I wouldn’t waste your time on this.

Good start but ultimately a waste of time

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