The Ginger Tree

Rating:
Summary: Oriental odyssey
Review: In 1903, a naive, inexperienced Scottish girl, Mary Mckenzie, sails to Peking to marry her fiance, British military attache, Richard Collingsworth, younger son of an upper class family. After a long and trying voyage, she is befriended by a sophisticated older Frenchwoman, who introduces her to a Japanese soldier, Count Kurihama.
Her marriage is not successful and after giving birth to a daughter, she horrifies the community by having an affair with the Count. Her husband literally throws her out with no means of support and denies her any access to her daughter. When she becomes pregnant with the Counts' child, he sets her up in a modest house but only until the birth of her son. Very soon afterwards, the child is removed by his father and put out for adoption by a prestigious Japanese family who make him their heir. Poor, stupid Mary...dumped by her lover and discarded by her husband, begins to make a life for herself, realising that her future lies in Japan as she would be ostracised in the European world... talks her way into running a European dress salon within a large Japanese department store. She eventually forms her own retail company, designing clothes for the wives of wealthy men, but always mourning the loss of her son..her daughter doesn't seem to figure as a major loss! Apparently a tv series was made of this book by the BBC which could possibly portray her as a more sympathetic character than I've painted her. The 4 stars I've awarded the book was for the way it was written, in the form of letters to her friends and entries in her journal and also for the insightful look into life in Japan from early in the 20th century until WW2.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Very Believable, Fast Read
Review: The Ginger Tree is a captivating, completely believable life story of a woman who grows from a sheltered childhood to wisdom and success in a foreign country. It is told entirely from her point of view through the device of letters and journal entries. Spanning two world wars and encompassing the upheaval experienced in Asia by European imperialism, the story is puntuated by many recognizable historical events viewed from a fascinating perspective.

This book is not the type of story I would normally have expected to like, my wife referring to it as a "triumph of the human spirit," which is her code for: "no car chases or explosions -- you won't like it." But once I started it, I could not stop, and now that I have finished, I wish there was more. I recommend it strongly.

Rating:
Summary: A tragic tale of a woman beautifully written...
Review: The story's ending fascinated me. Until towards the end of the story, Mary Mackenzie had maintained her strength rather well. She forced herself onward solely because she believed someday she would find her child again. The time Mary lived was pre and during the WW II Japan, one of the darkest, most violent periods in the country's history, and in the human history as well. Count Kurihama was a married military officer, Mary's lover, and the father of her only child. He was a pre-War man who was brought up to believe that women need to be led, protected, and managed. He conducted himself accordingly to what he learned growing up and as a result he hurt Mary terribly by removing her baby from her without consulting her at all. Though having considered the circumstances and the time they lived in, it was as a matter fact the best decision for the child, sadly enough. Kurihama risked his relationship with Mary and almost lost her as a result. In the pre-war Japan, a marriage was arranged between two families from the same or similar social background. Kurihama coming from the upper class family most likely had to marry a girl whom his parents had arranged for him in advance. So, when he met Mary Mackenzie in China and fell in love, it was perhaps a fresh and startling experience for him, despite of his age at the time. And losing her would most certainly hurt him and he did not wish to lose her. But Mary pushed him away when she realized what he had done to her and their baby. Kurihama patiently waited for her and hoped someday she would understand why he did so. Even after many years had passed and Kurihama's wife died, Mary kept the emotional distance with Kurihama and refused his proposal in marriage because he could no longer return their son to her. However, they stayed together all these years; their relationship was based on mutual respect, patience, and trust. They were not only lovers but also grown to become soul mates. Mary learned in time what kind of a person Kurihama really was and realized nothing he had done was malicious or selfish but it was rather out of love for her and their child. A child growing up as a bastard and furthermore being a Eurasian in Japan at the time would certainly cause the child enormous pain and damage due to discrimination. Kurihama wanted to protect his child by providing him a proper status in the society and a stable, loving environment which his trusted, wealthy friend could provide for his child. Kurihama was sure that since his friend and the wife were desperate to have a baby boy for many years, adapting Kurihama's baby son, they would not only take good care of the child but also love him like their own. And Kurihama was sure that Mary just having her first child would not and could not accept his idea for the child. 'On the way back to Europe, being forced out of Japan by the military government, Mary meant it when she told Kurihama that she would return 'home' to Japan as soon as the war was over. She did not want to leave Japan where her only child lived. But all this was changed when she finally met her son, a handsome military officer. The son was all grown up in the Japanese Imperial Army uniform. Towards the end of their meeting, Mary realized this meeting would not be repeated ever again. Her son was chosen to become a Kamikaze pilot'I do not know whether Mary knew what that meant'a suicide mission and there was no way of escaping such a fate for a young man of that period' This ending broke my heart and I could almost feel Mary's pain as a parent who had to let go of the child again only to fight in the war, after all these years of searching for him... Oswald Wynd's story of Japan, its culture, and the people was well studied. It is sometimes even difficult for one to imagine how it was like back then to live in Japan or Europe for that matter. This book tells you in the most sensitive way how people had to live and think about life.

Rating:
Summary: very enlightening.
Review: This is a little known book and I was very pleasantly surprised to find it very well written with an engaging story. The main character might have been based on the author's grandmother who also went to japan and spent some years there.
Mary Mackenzie is brought out beautifully and despite her transgressions, you never judge her. She is an extremely strong woman and its very inspiring to read of her struggles and her victories.
The descriptions of China and Japan are breathtaking, making the reader long to visit the same places. Great read all in all.

Rating:
Summary: Implausible
Review: This is a wonderful story of how a woman becomes dependant on a man and then learns to become independant. It is about a woman who has an affair with an asian man and ends up getting divorced from her husband. She has a child with the asian man, and he adopts it out to another family. She decides to break away from her lover and ends up opening up her own business. I liked this book, but some people may see it as a tough read and give up on it too soon. Don't give up on this book; I feel if you give it a chance you will end up liking the story.

Rating:
Summary: A tragic tale of a woman beautifully written...
Review: This very fascinating book is a story written in the form of numerous letters and personal diary entries made by the principle character of the book. It chronicals the life of a young Scottish woman forced to live first in China then Japan. Well written and historically accurate, it's obvious the author is intimately familiar with the the culture, customs, history and life style of Japan. This makes the book that much more interesting and fascinating for those who enjoy realism and demand accuracy in a story. For all who've ever lived in Japan, it's a believable tale that literally makes you feel you've stepped back in a time machine to witness the birth of modern Japan. For those who haven't lived in Japan, believe that the author has done his homework and is not simply just creating a fictional setting in his mind. Because of this, he's able to focus on his character versus scene/setting development and thus creates a living breathing person in your mind. The timespan covers over 40 years as the story weaves through her trials and tribulations, and shows how her fortitude and strength serve her through tumultuous events in her life. A gripping tale that draws on your emotions and has you constantly rooting for her. When the last page is read it leaves you wishing the story would continue, but even good books must end. Be prepared to sit a spell. Once you start reading you'll find it hard to put down.

Rating:
Summary: Spellbound
Review: This very fascinating book is a story written in the form of numerous letters and personal diary entries made by the principle character of the book. It chronicals the life of a young Scottish woman forced to live first in China then Japan. Well written and historically accurate, it's obvious the author is intimately familiar with the the culture, customs, history and life style of Japan. This makes the book that much more interesting and fascinating for those who enjoy realism and demand accuracy in a story. For all who've ever lived in Japan, it's a believable tale that literally makes you feel you've stepped back in a time machine to witness the birth of modern Japan. For those who haven't lived in Japan, believe that the author has done his homework and is not simply just creating a fictional setting in his mind. Because of this, he's able to focus on his character versus scene/setting development and thus creates a living breathing person in your mind. The timespan covers over 40 years as the story weaves through her trials and tribulations, and shows how her fortitude and strength serve her through tumultuous events in her life. A gripping tale that draws on your emotions and has you constantly rooting for her. When the last page is read it leaves you wishing the story would continue, but even good books must end. Be prepared to sit a spell. Once you start reading you'll find it hard to put down.