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Summary: wonderfully inspiring!
Review: a must read! i am still in the process of reading it and i cannot put it down! love it!
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Summary: Going to be a great new triology
Review: This is the first book of three and it is a great book that will appeal to both guys and girls of all ages.It is mainly told from the first person view through the eyes of a boy named Takeo. Takeo is an orphan and is rescued by Lord Otori Shigeru, who basically becomes his teacher in many ways. Kaede is another character in this book. She is young and beautiful, but also has a horrible life. She is being held hostage and is set to marry Lord Otori simply to aide in the making of an allied force. This book includes many different elements to heighten the plot. There is magic, heroes, villians and of course love. It opens up your imagination to an era of Japan that is fictional, but appealing enough to be real.
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Summary: Great book! Must read!
Review: I was walking by the bookstore the other day when this book's cover caught my eye. Being the lover of Japanese culture that I am I picked the book up, skimmed through a few pages and thought "What the heck; it's been a while since I read something.2
Basically I read it all in one day. the book was quite good; it kept me glued to it from begining to end and still wanting more afterwards. I then lent it to my girlfriend and she simply loved it. I'm looking forward to the next instalmenent. If you like stories about ninjas, samurais, fuedal battles and the likes, you'll love this book!
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Summary: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon meets Harry Potter
Review: I loved this book which is set in ancient Japan. It combines the elements of fantasy, magic, martial arts and the Japanese culture to create a wholly engrossing read that is impossible to put down. Do yourself a favor and buy the second book too because you'll find yourself enjoying Lian Hearn's world too much to want to leave it behind.
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Summary: What amazing characters!
Review: I love character driven books with interesting , well-developed people, both good and bad. This book more than fills that requirement. The main are exposed gradually...you really get a sense of what's in their mind, their struggles, and their points of view. They seem real...you can become emotionally involved with them, really care what happens to them. Even the secondary characters are more than one-dimensional drafts of good and bad. If you like to read about people, and mystery and magic are appealing too, try this. Also, amazing descriptions of setting...you really feel like you are there.
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Summary: Perfectly written escapist fantasy
Review: Across the Nightingale Floor tells the story of a young boy's journey into manhood in the setting of a mythical feudal Japan. The story begins with the murder of Tomasu's peaceful tribe and his own escape, which in turns leads to Tomasu's evolution into Takeo, the adopted son of Lord Otori. Together Takeo and Lord Otori embark on a quest for revenge on the warlord who destroyed both of their peaceful and happy worlds. The story itself is smoothly written and a pleasure to read. Indeed, it's difficult to put the book down, and when you do your head is full of the lush imagery filling the book's pages. Once you finish the book, your first task will be getting your hands on the sequel, Grass for His Pillow. To quote the New York Times Book Review, "Lian Hearn has created a world I anticipate returning to with pleasure."
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Summary: Ultimate one for Japanophiles!!!
Review: Lian Hearn's work is certainly worth a read. I just finished "Across the Nightingale Floor," which is the first of a trilogy called "Tales of the Otori." I think that the freedom with the setting and inclusion of magic makes it fantastical . It has a setting in Imperial Japan, or something like it. There is enough in the book that will keep you engaged and interested. The writing is subtle, elegant, and concise. The author claims that the book was written to sound like it was translated from Japanese into English. This is what I would call a light epic -- the plot has grand scope, but the author seems to be more concerned with the development of characters than with major world-building. Even so, this is the sweet little novel that some of you have been looking for.
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Summary: A great alternative to the usual
Review: Although I usually read what can be classified as "Chick Lit," I decided to branch out this summer, and I picked up a copy of Across the Nightingale Floor. I'm glad I did. It was beautifully written, one of those books that helps you see the scenes in your mind. The story included everything from power struggles to growing up to a love story. The writing is not so complicated that a young adult would miss things, but it is sophisticated enough to keep adults captivated. I'm anxiously anticipating both the sequel (out in August) and the movie version.
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Summary: The next big thing?
Review: Across the Nightingale Floor is the first book in the fantastic Tales of The Otori trilogy by Lian Hearn. It is set in a time and place much like medieval Japan. Hearn borrows heavily from the geography and language of Japan, but the Three Countries is also unique, filled with magic and clans of families yielding supernatural powers. The main character, Takeo, part of one of these families. He is torn from his peaceful family life to learn that he possesses amazing powers, including supernaturally good hearing and the ability to become invisible. However, Takeo learns this only after his family is brutally murdered by the evil Lord Iida. Takeo is rescued by the arch-enemy Lord Iida, Lord Otori, who adopts him. Takeo is forced to choose between his adoptive father, the Lord Otori and his real family, the Tribe (who yield magical powers), although they are strangers to him. At the same time, Takeo falls dramatically in love for the first time. The themes of the book are quite mature, appropriate for the mid-to-late teens. Across the Nightingale Floor is fascinating and fast-paced. It's visual impact is so strong, it was just picked up by Universal Studios! At the same time the language is beautiful, poetic, and easy to read. The only drawback is that the second book Grass for His Pillow hasn't been released yet!
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Summary: Simple But Powerful
Review: Across the Nightingale Floor, by Lian Hearn, takes place in a fictional country that represents a feudal Japan of the past. The protagonist is Takeo, the adopted son of a feudal lord. As Takeo grows and learns, he dreams of seeking revenge on the lord who killed his family. These ambitions are fueled by his discovery and exploration of unusual physical gifts that make him well-suited to the life of an assassin (who are referred to as the Tribe in this novel). The story starts slowly, and is hindered by terse, flat writing at the beginning. However, as the story develops, and focuses on the strength of the characters, it becomes powerful and moving. The introduction of a second main character, Kaede, fuels dramatic improvement in the quality of the book. Kaede, a 15 year old girl coming into her adulthood as a political hostage in the hands of a powerful family, makes an immediate impact. Her character is believable and moving, and for a time is far stronger a character than Takeo. However, as the story progresses, both characters become powerful, and the story will suck the reader in and hold his attention. Overall, the book is quite well-conceived and well-written, especially later in the story. The writing is simple and approachable for all readers, and emphasizes the characters and their Eastern context ahead of strong prose. This is a good book; I rated it four stars for its simple but compelling approach and its strong characters.
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