I really wanted to love this book....
...but it just wasn't my "cup of tea." Perhaps I was expecting something more akin to "Memoirs of a Geisha" or "Distant Land of My Father," etc., but I just could not get into this novel. I enjoyed the first hundred or so pages and found myself somewhat interested in the characters, learning about the art (for lack of a better word) of the tea ceremony and the political situation in Japan in the mid-eighteen hundreds. However, that is pretty much where it ended for me. It became too drawn out, slow and rather boring. I felt at times that certain details I needed to know were missing and thus found myself somewhat confused with the way the story was being told and its flow. Perhaps it would have been better if written as a young girl, as opposed to being written as an older woman looking back on her young years? Essentially, it became a chore to pick it up and read, which for someone like me who devours at least a book or two a week, is usually not a problem. Therefore, I gave up and never got past page 162. While its rare for me to put down a book, I just couldn't read it anymore and realize that I don't even care to even know how it ends. I'm not sure if this review will be helpful to others. As I said, I really came into it wanting and expecting to love it and it just missed the mark with me, however there are many other reviewers who loved it. While I don't personally recommend this book, I think it would be of value to those with a particular interest in Japan, this particular time period, or the tea ceremony.
