If you find the glossary in the front of the book overwhelming, ignore it and just read the book - chances are you will not need the glossary. The book keeps a mostly clear narrative through Pom/Camilla/Kamala's life as she changes identities to survive and ultimately overcomes the caste system, ...
**Some spoilers**i'm torn on this one. I generally love historical fiction in foreign settings. And I was really enjoying this until about the last quarter. I started getting really annoyed with how naive and self centered Kamala was, particularly where it involved her daughter. And it all wrappe...
A cross between a Bronte novel and Cinderella, but without a richness of language and description. There was a very engaging storyline with a thin but interesting backdrop about Indian political history and independence. In reading novels set in other countries, I like to understand more about th...
This mystery is one of a series which features a Japanese-American antiques dealer, Rei Shimura. I loved the concept, but the execution was a little rough. Rei took too many risks and found clues a little too easily.The story starts in San Francisco where she is staying with her family and resear...
Die Halbjapanerin Rei Shimura bringt als Kurierin wertvolle Kimono von Tokyo nach Washington. Kurz nach der Ankunft verschwindet eines der kostbarsten Stücke und wenig später wird Reis Sitznachbarin im Flugzeug, die im selben Hotel nächtigte, tot aufgefunden. Doch nicht genug der Komplikationen: ...
Set in the early 2000s, the series is about Rei Shimura, an antique dealer, who finds herself involving in various mysteries having emigrated to Tokyo. The novel was introduced to me by a friend as dealing with the manga industry in Japan and it piqued my interest. It is told in an outsider narra...
Another enjoyable book from the Rei Shimura mysteries.The main problem I have with this book is that it's not set in Japan like in previous books, which is one of the chief reasons I began reading this series in the first place. It isn't fair to say this book is bad for that reason, but it is jus...
It's an interesting, but ultimately condescending and stereotypical mystery set partly in the Japanese Alps, and partly in Tokyo. The main character, Rei Shimura, comes from a wealthy Japanese-American family, and for reasons I couldn't really comprehend, leads a pretty miserable life in Tokyo as...
This is a later book in the series of Rei, a Japanese American, antique buyer and dealer, who has on and off again affairs with Hugh, a Scotsman, and Takei, a independently wealthy Japanese flower arranger, both highly attractive. The plot is a bit improbable; the CIA wants Rei to go to Japan, wh...