The Gardens of Kyoto: A Novel

· Sold by Simon and Schuster
3 reviews
Ebook
288
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

From the National Book Award nominated, New York Times bestselling author of A Short History of Women and The Sunken Cathedral, Walbert’s beautiful and heartbreaking novel about a young woman coming of age in the long shadow of World War II—“An intricately plotted, thrillingly imagined ­narrative...A masterpiece” (The New York Times Book Review).

Forty years after enduring the Second World War as a young woman, Ellen relates the events of this turbulent period, beginning with the death of her favorite cousin, Randall, with whom she shared Easter Sundays, childhood secrets, and, perhaps, the first taste of love. When he dies on Iwo Jima, she turns to the legacy he left her: his diary and a book called The Gardens of Kyoto. Each one subtly influences her perception of her place in the world, the nature of her memories.

Moving back and forth through time and place, Kate Walbert recreates a world touched by the shadows of war and a society in which women fit their desires into prescribed roles. Unfolding in lyrical, seductive prose, The Gardens of Kyoto becomes a mesmerizing exploration of the interplay of love and loss.
From the National Book Award nominated, New York Times bestselling author of A Short History of Women and The Sunken Cathedral, Walbert’s beautiful and heartbreaking novel about a young woman coming of age in the long shadow of World War II—“An intricately plotted, thrillingly imagined ­narrative...

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Ratings and reviews

3 reviews

About the author

Kate Walbert is the author of seven works of fiction, including the critically acclaimed story collection, She Was Like That; A Short History of Women (a New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of the Year); Our Kind (finalist for the National Book Award); and The Gardens of Kyoto. Her plays include Genius, First, and A Short History, an adaptation of her novel with music. She lives with her family in New York City.
Kate Walbert is the author of seven works of fiction, including the critically acclaimed story collection, She Was Like That; A Short History of Women (a New York Times Book Review 10 Best Books of the Year); Our Kind (finalist for the National Book Award); and The Gardens of Kyoto. Her plays inc...

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