Grass for His Pillow (Hearn, Lian. Tales of the Otori, Bk. 2.)

Rating:
Summary: Fun and light
Review: This book reads as light and easy as the first. I alternate between books that take effort to read and ones that just carry you along for the ride. This is of the second variety.

Two points:
1. The author relies too much on your memory of the first book. I read this one a little over a year after the first and was definitely a little lost, trying to remember specific characters and plot turns from the first book without any real refereshers.

2. This is definitely a second in a trilogy book. Just like the Empire strikes back or the Matrix Reloaded, this book felt like mostly set up for the final installment.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful but lacking in depth
Review: WHO SHOULD READ:

This is a no-brainer. People who really liked Across the Nightingale Floor will rush to this book and rightly so. Despite our mediocre rating, there's nothing wrong with this book and nothing embarrassing about liking it. There is an undeniable beauty to the prose and the storyline is satisfying enough. While it's not Great Literature it is certainly engaging and just as certainly a very brisk read. Despite some very adult moments, precocious readers ages 11-16, we feel, will particularly like this book and the others in the trilogy. Japanophiles will also like this book though we feel they'll have more fun pointing out inconsistencies with the "real Japan" once they find out that Hearn is actually named Rubinstein and was born in England. Those readers looking for succinct beauty should go buy--it can be dusted off in a weekend.

WHO SHOULD PASS:

Just as certainly, potential readers need to read its predecessor and be very prepared to purchase the final book. There is absolutely no closure here and if you want a self-contained story, go somewhere else. The book is at once both intensely introspective and romantic--these are the dominant themes and if you're not looking for that kind of material, then pass. No super action here! though there is a bit of martial arts. Adults who can get annoyed with books that may be said to overly celebrate youth will likely be pretty annoyed by this book and should pass.

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