The Hollow Reed vol. II: Dust Before the Wind
Contents:
You may recall several blogs over the past year that dealt with my difficulties of getting it on Kindle and of designing my own covers. The cover for Book 2 caused my to blow my entire advance for two Akitada novels on a painting. I love that picture, and I'm very glad that I persisted in my efforts to self-publish the work. Ideas for books may come from anywhere. When I began to write, I naturally chose historical mysteries.
The Hollow Reed vol. II: Dust Before the Wind - Kindle edition by I.J. Parker. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Dust Before the Wind (Hollow Reed series Book 3) - Kindle edition by I.J. Parker. Download it once and read it Read more. 2 people found this helpful. Helpful.
They happened to be about a young government official who lived a thousand years ago in Japan. Years later I was reading the Tale of the Heike, a prose epic commemorating the horrific wars of the late twelfth century that ended imperial rule and began the age of shoguns and samurai warriors. This work dates from the thirteenth century and was at first performed orally like the Illiad and Odyssey by biwa hoshi,wandering entertainers who rendered portions of the epic to the accompaniment of a biwa lute. I enjoy this new tale and looking forward to the second volume. I actually purchased the Hollow Reed Series when it was offered as a trilogy rather than two volumes.
Hollow Reed Series
Therefore, I can't be positive at exactly what point in the story this new first volume ends. The series provides insight into the lives of the Japanese people in the class system preceding the start of Shogun rule in Japan. We see an era where women didn't have much say about their future and watch the female protagonist, Toshiko Yamada, try to find love and happiness with the court physician, Sadahira Yamada, after fleeing the Emperor Go-Shirakawa's court. It isn't just Toshiko's story.
We also see a glimpse into what the son of a warrior, Sadahira Yamada, who chose another path for his life might have encountered.
We meet his adopted children, one of which is Hachiro who I understand is the protagonist in the author's novel The Sword Master. I have it but haven't yet read it. We also follow Sadahira into a war forced upon him. If a book is written well, I find myself with vivid mental images of the people and era I am reading about. This was the case with The Hollow Reed series. I could visualize the countryside, characters, events and cared about the people.
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I have now added additional works by the author to my Kindle library and look forward to immersing myself in them as well. Toshiko, the year old protagonist was not sympathetic or well-developed enough to compel me toward the next book in the series. She's basically sold by her family to the Emperor as part of her father's plan to better the family's rank. As part of his cunning plan, his father has Toshiko taught the songs and dances that are normally the specialty of courtesans, because he knows that's what the emperor likes.
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But her mother, in charge of teaching her what's required of women, apparently fails to mention anything about the bedroom arts, because Toshiko lays there like a fish and does not make the most of the emperor's interest in her. Toshiko is at turns rebellious and passive, but to me it seemed like inconsistent characterization rather than adolescent indecision.
Great Japanese milieu, but overall weak characters. Hollow Reed 1 A country noblewoman is taken into the Emperor's harem and finds intrigue and danger. I picked up this book free during an Amazon giveaway. Although I enjoy Parker's Akitada historical mystery series, this historical romance set in the same time period feudal Japan never grabbed me the same way.
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Toshiko's attitude change from dutiful daughter to looking out for herself did not feel real. The war and false reports have dispersed the Yamada family. Sadahira, devastated by the loss of his family, seeks refuge as a healer in Hiraizumi, a distant northern province. And Hachiro, who ha The war and false reports have dispersed the Yamada family.
And Hachiro, who has made his peace with his father, learns of his death and returns to his old life in the capital.
When their paths finally cross again, Toshiko, Hachiro, and Sadahira are must make the most difficult choices of all. The final book of the trilogy focuses on the helplessness of women in times of war, and on the complex characters of the two men, one who wants to preserves life at all cost, and the other whose fate it is to dispense death. Their conflicting desires and the turbulent times form a story that is both tragic and full of hope.
Dust Before the Wind
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Jan 15, Susan McDuffie rated it liked it. This conclusion to the Hollow Reed Trilogy wraps up the story threads of this tale of ancient Japan.
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The chaos of this turbulent era is well expressed. I enjoyed the trilogy and this excursion to the past. Jane rated it liked it Sep 20,