Summer of the Big Bachi

Rating:
Summary: Bad Writing
Review: A story about a japanese gardner in Southern California, but the craft of gardening is completely bautched. The protagonist is not believable and poorly developed, and the setting is incorrectly described. The plot is cliche and predictable, a formula novel.

Rating:
Summary: los angeles history with a mystery
Review: Having been born and living in Los Angeles for decades, I find this book a reflection of our culture in those times. The story of Mas is the story of many men. I am proud that he is a citizen of Los Angeles with us. (P.S....I know that he is a fictional character, but I count him among my friends, nonetheless.

Rating:
Summary: An Original Protagonist and Entertaining Read!
Review: Mas Arai is an aging Japanese gardener and Hiroshima survivor. He is also a flawed and closed man who finds himself dredging up his past against his will. I enjoyed being drawn into his world of old cronies and vengeful enemies. The writing is colorful and flowing and gives the reader a true flavor of Mas' life, his friends, and the Japanese subculture in California. I particularly enjoyed the skillful interweaving of Mas' distant past and recent past into his present thoughts and situation. Highly recommended; especially to those who appreciate originality.

Rating:
Summary: Bad Writing
Review: Over fifty years have passed since the Americans dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. During the subsequent five plus decades the world has dramatically changed as Japan and the United States are allies with an economic rivalry as two of the most powerful nations on the globe.

Numerous Japanese survivors of the Hiroshima debacle have lived and still reside in Los Angeles. This included until recently gardener Joji Haneda, who died less than a month ago in a Ventura County hospital. Two Japanese visitors were seeking out Joji. Shine magazine writer Yuki Kimura wanted to ask him about what happened to Yuki's vanished grandfather Riki Kimura just after the bomb fell, something he believed Joji had known. Working for a client, private eye Shuji Nakane wanted to question Joji for information on a stolen classic 1956 Ford pickup. However, Yuki will learn the stunning truth about 1945 and his lost grandfather, but also ends up arrested for murder.

The intrigue surrounding Hiroshima at the time of the bomb and the insightful look at the Japanese-American subculture in Southern California overwhelm the mystery. The cast is strong especially the two visitors and the three conspiratorial friends hiding the past including perceptions of Joji. Though the mystery behind what happened to Riki seems minor, fans of astute looks at subcultures within the so called American melting pot will appreciate Naomi Hirahara's delightful debut.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Well worth reading
Review: Over fifty years have passed since the Americans dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. During the subsequent five plus decades the world has dramatically changed as Japan and the United States are allies with an economic rivalry as two of the most powerful nations on the globe.

Numerous Japanese survivors of the Hiroshima debacle have lived and still reside in Los Angeles. This included until recently gardener Joji Haneda, who died less than a month ago in a Ventura County hospital. Two Japanese visitors were seeking out Joji. Shine magazine writer Yuki Kimura wanted to ask him about what happened to Yuki's vanished grandfather Riki Kimura just after the bomb fell, something he believed Joji had known. Working for a client, private eye Shuji Nakane wanted to question Joji for information on a stolen classic 1956 Ford pickup. However, Yuki will learn the stunning truth about 1945 and his lost grandfather, but also ends up arrested for murder.

The intrigue surrounding Hiroshima at the time of the bomb and the insightful look at the Japanese-American subculture in Southern California overwhelm the mystery. The cast is strong especially the two visitors and the three conspiratorial friends hiding the past including perceptions of Joji. Though the mystery behind what happened to Riki seems minor, fans of astute looks at subcultures within the so called American melting pot will appreciate Naomi Hirahara's delightful debut.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: window on Japanese American LA
Review: This book opens a window onto the lifeways and outlooks of an older generation of Japanese Americans in Los Angeles, told through the story of an unlikely protagonist, Mas Arai, a man of few words but strong convictions. Hirahara conveys a realistic, detailed sense of this subculture, giving the reader a sense of "being there." I enjoyed the rich descriptions of the "community hangout" (a rundown lawnmower shop), the seedy gambling joints, and the humble homes of Altadena, and getting a feel for how these folks related to each other and the world around them. I felt like I was eavesdropping on a community I knew little about, before this book. A great read, highly recommended.