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The Japanese Lover
From New York Times bestselling author Isabel Allende, “a magical and sweeping” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) love story and multigenerational epic that stretches from San Francisco in the present-day to Poland and the United States during World War II.
In 1939, as Poland falls under the shadow of the Nazis, young Alma Belasco’s parents send her away to live in safety with an aunt and uncle in their opulent mansion in San Francisco. There, as the rest of the world goes to war, she encounters Ichimei Fukuda, the quiet and gentle son of the family’s Japanese gardener. Unnoticed by those around them, a tender love affair begins to blossom. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the two are cruelly pulled apart as Ichimei and his family—like thousands of other Japanese Americans—are declared enemies and forcibly relocated to internment camps run by the United States government. Throughout their lifetimes, Alma and Ichimei reunite again and again, but theirs is a love that they are forever forced to hide from the world.
Decades later, Alma is nearing the end of her long and eventful life. Irina Bazili, a care worker struggling to come to terms with her own troubled past, meets the elderly woman and her grandson, Seth, at San Francisco’s charmingly eccentric Lark House nursing home. As Irina and Seth forge a friendship, they become intrigued by a series of mysterious gifts and letters sent to Alma, eventually learning about Ichimei and this extraordinary secret passion that has endured for nearly seventy years.
Sweeping through time and spanning generations and continents, The Japanese Lover is written with the same keen understanding of her characters that Isabel Allende has been known for since her landmark first novel The House of the Spirits. The Japanese Lover is a moving tribute to the constancy of the human heart in a world of unceasing change.
In 1939, as Poland falls under the shadow of the Nazis, young Alma Belasco’s parents send her away to live in safety with an aunt and uncle in their opulent mansion in San Francisco. There, as the rest of the world goes to war, she encounters Ichimei Fukuda, the quiet and gentle son of the family’s Japanese gardener. Unnoticed by those around them, a tender love affair begins to blossom. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the two are cruelly pulled apart as Ichimei and his family—like thousands of other Japanese Americans—are declared enemies and forcibly relocated to internment camps run by the United States government. Throughout their lifetimes, Alma and Ichimei reunite again and again, but theirs is a love that they are forever forced to hide from the world.
Decades later, Alma is nearing the end of her long and eventful life. Irina Bazili, a care worker struggling to come to terms with her own troubled past, meets the elderly woman and her grandson, Seth, at San Francisco’s charmingly eccentric Lark House nursing home. As Irina and Seth forge a friendship, they become intrigued by a series of mysterious gifts and letters sent to Alma, eventually learning about Ichimei and this extraordinary secret passion that has endured for nearly seventy years.
Sweeping through time and spanning generations and continents, The Japanese Lover is written with the same keen understanding of her characters that Isabel Allende has been known for since her landmark first novel The House of the Spirits. The Japanese Lover is a moving tribute to the constancy of the human heart in a world of unceasing change.
9 pages, Audio CD
First published May 28, 2015
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About the author
Isabel Allende
263 books45.3k followersIsabel Allende Llona is a Chilean-American novelist. Allende, who writes in the "magic realism" tradition, is considered one of the first successful women novelists in Latin America. She has written novels based in part on her own experiences, often focusing on the experiences of women, weaving myth and realism together. She has lectured and done extensive book tours and has taught literature at several US colleges. She currently resides in California with her husband. Allende adopted U.S. citizenship in 2003.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,651 reviews
June 18, 2017
I fell in love with Isabel Allende's writing when I was in high school. I still remember the first sentence of the first book I ever read of her's: "Barrabas came to us by sea". At the time Allende wrote sweeping historical novels that predominately took place in her native land Chile. Yet, her writing style changed in the many years she has been in the United States, branching out to write crime novels and even some books geared toward young adults. The passion she wrote with in books like House of the Spirits and Eva Luna had been lost.
With The Japanese Lover, for me the epic multigenerational passionate novel has been rekindled. Here we meet Alma Belasco nee Mendel an octogenarian who is living out the rest of her days in Lark House retirement center in San Francisco. Assigned to her is young Irina Bazili who becomes her personal aid and assistant. The parallels between the two women is that they are both immigrants who fled Eastern Europe as young children to escape horrid conditions, Alma from the ravages of the Holocaust and Irina from post communist Romania. Both women are somehow haunted by their past and it takes nearly the entire novel for them to trust each other enough to confide their secrets with one another.
In 1940s America interracial romance was taboo. Young Alma Mendel had been in love with Ichimei Fukada, the son of her family's gardener, from the time they were both eight years old. From that moment on, Alma wanted to marry Ichimei but knew that they shared a forbidden love. Allende also touches on this theme with two other couples: Ichimei's sister Mugami and Boyd as well as Irina and Alma's grandson Seth in present time. It is obvious to me that this is an issue that effects Allende strongly. In the end, Alma realizes that she and Ichimei would have to live apart in their various communities and ends up marrying her cousin Nathaniel Belasco. It is Ichimei, however, whose love endures for her entire life.
In present times Alma's grandson Seth has decided to write a book about his grandmother's life while she is still lucid enough to share her memories. He enlists Irina to share this task and falls in love with her immediately. Irina then has to confront her own grimy past, which becomes the novel's subplot.
When Alma finally decides to tell Seth and Irina about her and Ichimei's relationship one afternoon in Lark House, I realized that Allende has rekindled the magic that I grew to love with her first sweeping novels. Flashbacks interspersed with present times with the reader captivated until the end. This is the Allende that I fell in love with when I read House of the Spirits for the first time. The Japanese Lover is almost at that same level of magical realism. I hope as Allende enters the twilight of her own writing career that the magic spark is here to stay. I am looking forward to her next epic novel and highly recommend this one to all.
With The Japanese Lover, for me the epic multigenerational passionate novel has been rekindled. Here we meet Alma Belasco nee Mendel an octogenarian who is living out the rest of her days in Lark House retirement center in San Francisco. Assigned to her is young Irina Bazili who becomes her personal aid and assistant. The parallels between the two women is that they are both immigrants who fled Eastern Europe as young children to escape horrid conditions, Alma from the ravages of the Holocaust and Irina from post communist Romania. Both women are somehow haunted by their past and it takes nearly the entire novel for them to trust each other enough to confide their secrets with one another.
In 1940s America interracial romance was taboo. Young Alma Mendel had been in love with Ichimei Fukada, the son of her family's gardener, from the time they were both eight years old. From that moment on, Alma wanted to marry Ichimei but knew that they shared a forbidden love. Allende also touches on this theme with two other couples: Ichimei's sister Mugami and Boyd as well as Irina and Alma's grandson Seth in present time. It is obvious to me that this is an issue that effects Allende strongly. In the end, Alma realizes that she and Ichimei would have to live apart in their various communities and ends up marrying her cousin Nathaniel Belasco. It is Ichimei, however, whose love endures for her entire life.
In present times Alma's grandson Seth has decided to write a book about his grandmother's life while she is still lucid enough to share her memories. He enlists Irina to share this task and falls in love with her immediately. Irina then has to confront her own grimy past, which becomes the novel's subplot.
When Alma finally decides to tell Seth and Irina about her and Ichimei's relationship one afternoon in Lark House, I realized that Allende has rekindled the magic that I grew to love with her first sweeping novels. Flashbacks interspersed with present times with the reader captivated until the end. This is the Allende that I fell in love with when I read House of the Spirits for the first time. The Japanese Lover is almost at that same level of magical realism. I hope as Allende enters the twilight of her own writing career that the magic spark is here to stay. I am looking forward to her next epic novel and highly recommend this one to all.
February 21, 2024
Oh, I haven't so agonized over a review in such a long time.
Here's the thing. There is a part of me that wondered, "If this wasn't Isabel Allende, would this book ever have been published?" It's pages and pages and pages of exposition. A held-at-arm's-distance recitation of characters' histories, loves, lives, and losses, interspersed with patinated scenes of an assisted living center for geriatric WASP hippies in the woods a comfortable, but convenient, distance from San Francisco. There's little of the jagged edge, the edge of the cliff, the wild tear of passion, that so made me fall in love with Allende's writing twenty-plus years ago. I wondered about all the books by authors who write from raw and dangerous places that publishers might pass by for the sure sale of another Allende.
But. But. What held me to the sofa on a stormy near-winter's day, unable to set this aside until the end? Okay, so I had a fever, I was exhausted, I need to rest my body and my brain. I needed desperately to be swept away and The Japanese Lover was just what the doctor would have ordered. Had I sought a medical opinion, that is. This is comfort food, literary warm rice pudding, soothing, rich, sentimental.
Alma Belasco and Irina Bazili are both immigrants to the United States, but they arrived generations and tragedies apart. Alma was sent as a young girl to live out World War II with wealthy relatives, escaping the decimation of her native Poland and eradication of her family by Nazi Germany. Decades later, pre-teen Irina lands in Texas from Moldova, finally reunited with a mother who'd escaped sexual slavery in Turkey. Whereas Alma lives a silver-spoon life in a mansion overlooking San Francisco Bay, Irina's formative years are a horror show, a secret revealed deep into the book's narrative.
The two women find each other at Lark House, a retirement center and assisted living community for the patchouli-and-pranayama set. Irina is hired as a caregiver and after proving herself to be a model of patience and discretion, Alma hires her as a personal assistant. It is then, through the gentle prodding of Alma's grandson, Seth, who develops a patronizing crush on Irina, that the story of Alma's "Japanese Lover" takes shape.
Reading this novel, which is built around the flashback love story of Alma and Ichimei, the son of her uncle's gardener, at a time when Donald Trump is proclaiming we must refuse entry to Muslims and register those already on American soil, was heartrending. The novel wakes up and shake off its velvet glove when Allende takes us into the concentration camps where Americans of Japanese origin were held captive during the war.
Aging is naturally a significant theme in The Japanese Lover, presented with tenderness, humor, and grace. Clearly, Allende herself is grappling with the indignities of aging, the physical and emotional losses, the abandonment of ability, mind, friends and family, but she offers models of the elderly living with determination and vibrancy, albeit enormous privilege.
The Japanese Lover is a big-hearted, adorable, poignant read, filled with lovely images and vital themes. Three-and-a-half stars rounded up to four because life is too short to quibble.
Here's the thing. There is a part of me that wondered, "If this wasn't Isabel Allende, would this book ever have been published?" It's pages and pages and pages of exposition. A held-at-arm's-distance recitation of characters' histories, loves, lives, and losses, interspersed with patinated scenes of an assisted living center for geriatric WASP hippies in the woods a comfortable, but convenient, distance from San Francisco. There's little of the jagged edge, the edge of the cliff, the wild tear of passion, that so made me fall in love with Allende's writing twenty-plus years ago. I wondered about all the books by authors who write from raw and dangerous places that publishers might pass by for the sure sale of another Allende.
But. But. What held me to the sofa on a stormy near-winter's day, unable to set this aside until the end? Okay, so I had a fever, I was exhausted, I need to rest my body and my brain. I needed desperately to be swept away and The Japanese Lover was just what the doctor would have ordered. Had I sought a medical opinion, that is. This is comfort food, literary warm rice pudding, soothing, rich, sentimental.
Alma Belasco and Irina Bazili are both immigrants to the United States, but they arrived generations and tragedies apart. Alma was sent as a young girl to live out World War II with wealthy relatives, escaping the decimation of her native Poland and eradication of her family by Nazi Germany. Decades later, pre-teen Irina lands in Texas from Moldova, finally reunited with a mother who'd escaped sexual slavery in Turkey. Whereas Alma lives a silver-spoon life in a mansion overlooking San Francisco Bay, Irina's formative years are a horror show, a secret revealed deep into the book's narrative.
The two women find each other at Lark House, a retirement center and assisted living community for the patchouli-and-pranayama set. Irina is hired as a caregiver and after proving herself to be a model of patience and discretion, Alma hires her as a personal assistant. It is then, through the gentle prodding of Alma's grandson, Seth, who develops a patronizing crush on Irina, that the story of Alma's "Japanese Lover" takes shape.
Reading this novel, which is built around the flashback love story of Alma and Ichimei, the son of her uncle's gardener, at a time when Donald Trump is proclaiming we must refuse entry to Muslims and register those already on American soil, was heartrending. The novel wakes up and shake off its velvet glove when Allende takes us into the concentration camps where Americans of Japanese origin were held captive during the war.
Aging is naturally a significant theme in The Japanese Lover, presented with tenderness, humor, and grace. Clearly, Allende herself is grappling with the indignities of aging, the physical and emotional losses, the abandonment of ability, mind, friends and family, but she offers models of the elderly living with determination and vibrancy, albeit enormous privilege.
The Japanese Lover is a big-hearted, adorable, poignant read, filled with lovely images and vital themes. Three-and-a-half stars rounded up to four because life is too short to quibble.
November 9, 2015
4.5 stars .
At its core , this is a love story that spans decades, but it is about so much more . It's about surviving, about aging, about forbidden love , about the depth of caring and friendship that allows loved ones to seek their own happiness without reproach . Jews fleeing the Nazi occupation of Poland, the war, Japanese internment camps in the United States are part of the unfolding story of an elderly woman coming to terms with and reliving her past . But in the present she is instrumental in helping a young woman who bears the emotional scars of a horrible childhood that keep her from moving forward with her life .
Life in Lark House , a home for the aging is both funny and sad with its unconventional residents . This is where Alma Balasco at eighty years old has chosen to live even though she is a woman of means with a large beautiful estate. It is here that she meets Irina . The story alternates between the present with Alma working on the Belasco family history with her grandson Seth and Irina, whom she has hired as her assistant and Alma's earlier life when she is first sent to America from Poland. As a young girl she meets Ichimei Fukuda , the son of her aunt's gardener and her life is forever changed . The novel also contains sections covering the Fukuda family's experience in a Japanese internment camp reflecting on this difficult time in our history for Japanese immigrants and their American born children. These are interspersed with letters from Ichimei to Alma through the years .
This might easily have been 5 stars for me . Allende's wonderful story telling mixed with a bit of the magical was reminiscent of her earlier writing . Even though I cared about the characters from the beginning, the sparse dialog between the characters made it difficult for me at first to feel their connections with each other . It took a while for that to happen , but it eventually did . This is a wonderful story that will move Allende fans and create new ones .
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley.
At its core , this is a love story that spans decades, but it is about so much more . It's about surviving, about aging, about forbidden love , about the depth of caring and friendship that allows loved ones to seek their own happiness without reproach . Jews fleeing the Nazi occupation of Poland, the war, Japanese internment camps in the United States are part of the unfolding story of an elderly woman coming to terms with and reliving her past . But in the present she is instrumental in helping a young woman who bears the emotional scars of a horrible childhood that keep her from moving forward with her life .
Life in Lark House , a home for the aging is both funny and sad with its unconventional residents . This is where Alma Balasco at eighty years old has chosen to live even though she is a woman of means with a large beautiful estate. It is here that she meets Irina . The story alternates between the present with Alma working on the Belasco family history with her grandson Seth and Irina, whom she has hired as her assistant and Alma's earlier life when she is first sent to America from Poland. As a young girl she meets Ichimei Fukuda , the son of her aunt's gardener and her life is forever changed . The novel also contains sections covering the Fukuda family's experience in a Japanese internment camp reflecting on this difficult time in our history for Japanese immigrants and their American born children. These are interspersed with letters from Ichimei to Alma through the years .
This might easily have been 5 stars for me . Allende's wonderful story telling mixed with a bit of the magical was reminiscent of her earlier writing . Even though I cared about the characters from the beginning, the sparse dialog between the characters made it difficult for me at first to feel their connections with each other . It took a while for that to happen , but it eventually did . This is a wonderful story that will move Allende fans and create new ones .
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley.
December 29, 2015
Was this novel really written by the same woman who thrilled me with "Island beneath the Sea," "Zorro," "Portrait in Sepia," "Daughter of Fortune," "House of the Spirits?"
Somehow I find that hard to believe.
Rather than putting her "beautifully drawn characters" into history, the book just throws every societal ill of the last 75 years at the reader. It reads like the writer was handed a catalog of things which must be included. First we start with the Nazi invasion of Poland and subsequent emigration of children (and of course, their parents were incarcerated in the Warsaw Ghetto and later taken to extermination). Parallel to that we have both the incarceration of Japanese Americans into camps in the American West and communism in Romania/Moldavia resulting in human sex trafficking. We have young girls being sold into slavery for the brothels of Turkey. And I guess, parallel to that we have the child porn industry in the US and Canada. Whew! Let's see, what else? Oh well, the requisite racial barriers between Japanese and Whites and if all that were not enough, we have homeless Romanian cats and dogs being brought [illegally?] into California for adoption.
Other "societal ills" that were covered included illegal abortion, assisted suicide, homosexuality, death from AIDS ... gosh, have I left anything out? Nothing was left out of this book, that's for sure!
"Beautifully drawn characters" as in the past novels? Absolutely not! The characters in this novel are mere caricatures. They are very much over-drawn to the point of the ridiculous. For example, our protagonist, Alma, is living in wealth and opulence. But when she and her Japanese lover decide to have regular meetings, where do they do it? In a run-down, rat and roach infested motel. And I guess the parallel to this is our 2nd leading lady, Irina, who holds down 3 responsible jobs, but yet lives in a rat infested rent-controlled hovel without bathing facilities. She showers at the geriatric facility where she works.
And then there is the all important timeline. The author (ghost writer?) skips back and forth constantly giving background information on absolutely everyone. This is very disconcerting. Just when you think the plot is actually going somewhere, you find yourself in a prison camp in Europe in 1943 (or in California) or with our protagonist in Boston in college.
The plot? The story? I didn't find one. This was simply a mish-mash of [mostly sordid] events thrown together between the covers of a book.
This is a very poorly written novel and is not worthy of Isabel Allende.
Somehow I find that hard to believe.
Rather than putting her "beautifully drawn characters" into history, the book just throws every societal ill of the last 75 years at the reader. It reads like the writer was handed a catalog of things which must be included. First we start with the Nazi invasion of Poland and subsequent emigration of children (and of course, their parents were incarcerated in the Warsaw Ghetto and later taken to extermination). Parallel to that we have both the incarceration of Japanese Americans into camps in the American West and communism in Romania/Moldavia resulting in human sex trafficking. We have young girls being sold into slavery for the brothels of Turkey. And I guess, parallel to that we have the child porn industry in the US and Canada. Whew! Let's see, what else? Oh well, the requisite racial barriers between Japanese and Whites and if all that were not enough, we have homeless Romanian cats and dogs being brought [illegally?] into California for adoption.
Other "societal ills" that were covered included illegal abortion, assisted suicide, homosexuality, death from AIDS ... gosh, have I left anything out? Nothing was left out of this book, that's for sure!
"Beautifully drawn characters" as in the past novels? Absolutely not! The characters in this novel are mere caricatures. They are very much over-drawn to the point of the ridiculous. For example, our protagonist, Alma, is living in wealth and opulence. But when she and her Japanese lover decide to have regular meetings, where do they do it? In a run-down, rat and roach infested motel. And I guess the parallel to this is our 2nd leading lady, Irina, who holds down 3 responsible jobs, but yet lives in a rat infested rent-controlled hovel without bathing facilities. She showers at the geriatric facility where she works.
And then there is the all important timeline. The author (ghost writer?) skips back and forth constantly giving background information on absolutely everyone. This is very disconcerting. Just when you think the plot is actually going somewhere, you find yourself in a prison camp in Europe in 1943 (or in California) or with our protagonist in Boston in college.
The plot? The story? I didn't find one. This was simply a mish-mash of [mostly sordid] events thrown together between the covers of a book.
This is a very poorly written novel and is not worthy of Isabel Allende.
February 9, 2022
Why I chose to read this book:
1. I have been a fan of Isabel Allende's writing style for many years; and,
2. my hold on this audiobook became available on Overdrive. 🎉
Positives:
1. Allende comes through again with her strong characters! They really come to life as their mysterious pasts become revealed;
2. the dual timeline works extremely well in that all of the characters' interactions are relevant to the overall story;
3. historical research into different events is well-detailed! The sections about the Japanese internment camps strongly reminded me of those written about in Daughter of Moloka'i;
4. narrator Joanna Gleason does a phenomenal job! She kept me entranced throughout: and,
5. the description of various seniors living in the nursing home (this really felt personal as my mom and mother-in-law live(d) in one), Irina's grandparents' demise and Alma's deathbed scene with Ichi all brought on the waterworks! 😭
I can understand why some readers may find the character of Alma unlikeable. Do I morally agree with some of her life choices? No. But Allende still created such a vibrant character to make me want to continue listening to this fine tale.
A MUST READ for Allende fans!
1. I have been a fan of Isabel Allende's writing style for many years; and,
2. my hold on this audiobook became available on Overdrive. 🎉
Positives:
1. Allende comes through again with her strong characters! They really come to life as their mysterious pasts become revealed;
2. the dual timeline works extremely well in that all of the characters' interactions are relevant to the overall story;
3. historical research into different events is well-detailed! The sections about the Japanese internment camps strongly reminded me of those written about in Daughter of Moloka'i;
4. narrator Joanna Gleason does a phenomenal job! She kept me entranced throughout: and,
5. the description of various seniors living in the nursing home (this really felt personal as my mom and mother-in-law live(d) in one), Irina's grandparents' demise and Alma's deathbed scene with Ichi all brought on the waterworks! 😭
I can understand why some readers may find the character of Alma unlikeable. Do I morally agree with some of her life choices? No. But Allende still created such a vibrant character to make me want to continue listening to this fine tale.
A MUST READ for Allende fans!
December 26, 2015
Imagine for a moment ......being 8 years old.
My 8 year old memory includes loss. My father and both grandparents were no longer living.
That 8 year old memory includes loss of the new custom home my parents built that we were about to move in a week before he died....then a week later a major flood & mud slide destroyed every house ( all new developments)...'except' ours. However, my mother backed out...and never moved us into that new home.
I remember feelings of fear when we first moved into an apartment complex.
Now imagine the loss for 8 year old, Alma Mendel, in Isabel Allende's book, "The Japanese Lover".
Alma remembers loss of her 'mother' and 'country'. Her mother was worried about invasion in Poland, and sends her to America to live with her sister.
Alma grows up in San Francisco in a wealthy family, 'the Belascos'. It was there - when she first met Ichimei Fukuda, also 8 years old. Ichimei was was the gardeners youngest son. They become young childhood friends.
The relationship between Alma and Ichimei is complicated - with years of changes and aging. Ichimei was sent to the Japanese internment camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor...while Alma lives with freedom. There are love letters between Alma and Ichimei. Alma reads them over and over. Yet... there are other friendships and interests... reminding me how the aging cycles are like squares of history on a quilt ...each square telling a different story.
Irina, also experienced loss at a young age...having immigrated from Soviet Moldavia.
Irina & Alma, both Jewish, both immigrants, may be separated by approx. 40 years in age...but they shared a similar story. "The Japanese Lover" is primarily Alma's story, yet both women had secrets & painful memories.
Alma's cousin Nathaniel and a friend Lenny will explain some of those secrets soon enough.
Irina becomes Alma's assistant ( with the help of Alma's grandson Seth), ...an unfolding of past history comes to the surface. While Irina and Seth work together, a relationship between them is growing......(a new love story emerging?)
Isabel Allende's new novel takes place - mostly-in an upscale - assisted living type complex in San Francisco, called 'The Lark House'. Flashback style storytelling. Alma is in her 80's ...is a talented artist, wealthy, and healthy. Isabel is is in her 20's, charming and popular attending to the elderly residents.
As in a past recent novel, , "Ripper", we see the terrific sense of humor Isabel Allende has. Her 'very' contemporary novel, "Ripper", also took place in SF with very quirky-hysterical characters. In 'The Lark House'... we see a little of 'the hippie' generation again ... and enjoy some quirky old geezers.
Not to fear, though....
... for traditional 'oldie' fans of Allende...this book is not "Ripper", ( probably her most controversial book....with many negative reviews - yet I gave it a 'very high' review, as I thought it was kick-ass-FUN)... This novel has plenty of scrumptious details with strong complex characters, staggering storytelling, 'family separation/abandonment', love, loss, death, a love story, and themes of aging, ....( not for the weak).
Long time Isabel Allende fans often forget... "The Bay Area" has been Isabel's home for most of her adult years. She hasn't been primarily a Chilean novelist for many years. I've enjoyed her varied books. From New Orleans to a lost teenager in Berkeley, etc... I'm ready for just about anything this tiny powerhouse woman throws my way.
The biggest change in Isabel's writing was after her daughter Paula died.
In that autobiography, "Paula", - which she wrote 'while' her daughter was ill... was the most amazing story - packed filled with childhood memories of Isabel growing up in her country. History about her families political roles, etc. Plus, Isabel has always been a letter writer from way back ...beginning with years of correspondence with her own mother.
Another autobiography ...( maybe my favorite), is "The Sums of Our Days". This book was the biggest treat after having read most of her fiction books - old & new...
because we 'really' get to know Isabel like 'no' other book she has written!
I love this lady ...( a little shorter than me - a little older than me)...3 times I've gone to hear her speak. Always a packed filled room -- bursting at the seams. She's a 'true' international 'novelist-star'. Much to be admired about this woman's humanity.
In "The Japanese Lover"... You'll find: ( for your a minimum daily reading requirement enjoyment) .....
Rich characters....a reflective historical journey....with luscious language. What's not to like?
My 8 year old memory includes loss. My father and both grandparents were no longer living.
That 8 year old memory includes loss of the new custom home my parents built that we were about to move in a week before he died....then a week later a major flood & mud slide destroyed every house ( all new developments)...'except' ours. However, my mother backed out...and never moved us into that new home.
I remember feelings of fear when we first moved into an apartment complex.
Now imagine the loss for 8 year old, Alma Mendel, in Isabel Allende's book, "The Japanese Lover".
Alma remembers loss of her 'mother' and 'country'. Her mother was worried about invasion in Poland, and sends her to America to live with her sister.
Alma grows up in San Francisco in a wealthy family, 'the Belascos'. It was there - when she first met Ichimei Fukuda, also 8 years old. Ichimei was was the gardeners youngest son. They become young childhood friends.
The relationship between Alma and Ichimei is complicated - with years of changes and aging. Ichimei was sent to the Japanese internment camp after the attack on Pearl Harbor...while Alma lives with freedom. There are love letters between Alma and Ichimei. Alma reads them over and over. Yet... there are other friendships and interests... reminding me how the aging cycles are like squares of history on a quilt ...each square telling a different story.
Irina, also experienced loss at a young age...having immigrated from Soviet Moldavia.
Irina & Alma, both Jewish, both immigrants, may be separated by approx. 40 years in age...but they shared a similar story. "The Japanese Lover" is primarily Alma's story, yet both women had secrets & painful memories.
Alma's cousin Nathaniel and a friend Lenny will explain some of those secrets soon enough.
Irina becomes Alma's assistant ( with the help of Alma's grandson Seth), ...an unfolding of past history comes to the surface. While Irina and Seth work together, a relationship between them is growing......(a new love story emerging?)
Isabel Allende's new novel takes place - mostly-in an upscale - assisted living type complex in San Francisco, called 'The Lark House'. Flashback style storytelling. Alma is in her 80's ...is a talented artist, wealthy, and healthy. Isabel is is in her 20's, charming and popular attending to the elderly residents.
As in a past recent novel, , "Ripper", we see the terrific sense of humor Isabel Allende has. Her 'very' contemporary novel, "Ripper", also took place in SF with very quirky-hysterical characters. In 'The Lark House'... we see a little of 'the hippie' generation again ... and enjoy some quirky old geezers.
Not to fear, though....
... for traditional 'oldie' fans of Allende...this book is not "Ripper", ( probably her most controversial book....with many negative reviews - yet I gave it a 'very high' review, as I thought it was kick-ass-FUN)... This novel has plenty of scrumptious details with strong complex characters, staggering storytelling, 'family separation/abandonment', love, loss, death, a love story, and themes of aging, ....( not for the weak).
Long time Isabel Allende fans often forget... "The Bay Area" has been Isabel's home for most of her adult years. She hasn't been primarily a Chilean novelist for many years. I've enjoyed her varied books. From New Orleans to a lost teenager in Berkeley, etc... I'm ready for just about anything this tiny powerhouse woman throws my way.
The biggest change in Isabel's writing was after her daughter Paula died.
In that autobiography, "Paula", - which she wrote 'while' her daughter was ill... was the most amazing story - packed filled with childhood memories of Isabel growing up in her country. History about her families political roles, etc. Plus, Isabel has always been a letter writer from way back ...beginning with years of correspondence with her own mother.
Another autobiography ...( maybe my favorite), is "The Sums of Our Days". This book was the biggest treat after having read most of her fiction books - old & new...
because we 'really' get to know Isabel like 'no' other book she has written!
I love this lady ...( a little shorter than me - a little older than me)...3 times I've gone to hear her speak. Always a packed filled room -- bursting at the seams. She's a 'true' international 'novelist-star'. Much to be admired about this woman's humanity.
In "The Japanese Lover"... You'll find: ( for your a minimum daily reading requirement enjoyment) .....
Rich characters....a reflective historical journey....with luscious language. What's not to like?
November 21, 2015
Interesting story idea, but too many disjointed and melodramatic plot lines, too much telling vs. showing, and totally lacking in the lyrical prose of some of her earlier books. This one felt formulaic and thrown together.
July 7, 2025
Al principio del libro, pensé que la protagonista era Irina, pero me equivoqué, ya que era Alma. Un libro mezclado entre novela histórica y sentimental. El odio de Estados Unidos hacia Japón en contexto de guerra, lo que familias totalmente inocentes tienen que vivir por algo tan absurdo como la guerra. Sentimental por otro lado, por algo como es llegar a la vejez.
Se habla mucho de la cultura japonesa, sus modales, su diario vivir, la diferencia que tienen con nosotros los occidentales; las tradiciones, el poder de la familia. Lo que Takao tuvo que vivir fue sencillamente insoportable, nadie aguantaría semejante vida.
Alma, una persona ya en la última etapa de su vida bastante cómoda económicamente hablando. Siempre tuvo todo lo material, pudo hacer y deshacer, con una excepción: Ichimei. Cargando una pesada mochila de moralidad y cosas que no hizo por culpa del qué dirán.... Vida llena de arrepentimientos y dedicada más al pasado que al presente. Quizás una vez llegando a esa etapa de la vida es normal vivir del pasado, no lo sé.
Por otro lado, Irina también tiene su historia, una horrible infancia, donde pasan esas cosas que no puedes olvidar y te penan de por vida, donde necesitas ayuda para salir adelante, ya que hacerlo sola es sencillamente imposible. El nieto de Alma, Seth, la ayudó con eso. Llegó como soporte para componer a una Irina casi acabada emocionalmente.
La historia se enredó un poco durante el libro, saltaban al presente y al pasado quizás demasiado rápidamente. A veces costaba seguirle el hilo, pero nada para reclamar con fuerza.
Debo rescatar que los últimos 2 capítulos fueron geniales. Allende supo cómo escribir el final, genial. Crédito también a Nathaniel, quien tomó un protagonismo inesperado, según yo.
Se habla mucho de la cultura japonesa, sus modales, su diario vivir, la diferencia que tienen con nosotros los occidentales; las tradiciones, el poder de la familia. Lo que Takao tuvo que vivir fue sencillamente insoportable, nadie aguantaría semejante vida.
Alma, una persona ya en la última etapa de su vida bastante cómoda económicamente hablando. Siempre tuvo todo lo material, pudo hacer y deshacer, con una excepción: Ichimei. Cargando una pesada mochila de moralidad y cosas que no hizo por culpa del qué dirán.... Vida llena de arrepentimientos y dedicada más al pasado que al presente. Quizás una vez llegando a esa etapa de la vida es normal vivir del pasado, no lo sé.
Por otro lado, Irina también tiene su historia, una horrible infancia, donde pasan esas cosas que no puedes olvidar y te penan de por vida, donde necesitas ayuda para salir adelante, ya que hacerlo sola es sencillamente imposible. El nieto de Alma, Seth, la ayudó con eso. Llegó como soporte para componer a una Irina casi acabada emocionalmente.
La historia se enredó un poco durante el libro, saltaban al presente y al pasado quizás demasiado rápidamente. A veces costaba seguirle el hilo, pero nada para reclamar con fuerza.
Debo rescatar que los últimos 2 capítulos fueron geniales. Allende supo cómo escribir el final, genial. Crédito también a Nathaniel, quien tomó un protagonismo inesperado, según yo.
February 19, 2025
بجد القراءة لايزابيل الليندى بالنسبالى متعة🤩
بحب اسلوبها وطريقتها و بتدخلى معلومات وتعرفني حاجات بطريقة غير مباشرة وفى نفس الوقت بالشكل اللى يهمنى اعرفه وهو تأثير الاحداث على البشر . فى الرواية دى كانت اقلهم في الجانب ده بس لازالت بتعرفني بحاجات . هنا مثلا اضطهاد اليهود مع هتلر ، و اللى اتعرض ليه اليابانين فى امريكا وقت الحرب العالمية الثانية .و العنصرية ضد اليابانيين بعد الحرب .
ده غير الامور اللى بتدخلها وبتتعرض ليها شخصياتها . وهنا كمان قصص الحب فى الرواية مش بس قصة ألما وايشيمى . العاشق في الرواية مش بس العاشق الياباني فى عشاق كتير ، وقصص حب مختلفة وعلاقات غير تقليدية ، وصداقات جميلة .
ايرينا وسيث كانوا يسعون لمعرفة سر ألما ومن يرسل لها تلك الرسائل وزهور الغاردينيا ؟؟ وأين تختفي ألما ؟
لنتعرف على قصة حب ألما و إيشيمي الحب الذي بدأ فى غرس جذوره بداخلهم منذ الطفولة ، الحب المرفوض من المجتمع والعائلة ، الحب الذى لن يتقبل احد وجوده . الحب الذي يحتاج لحرب وقوة ليستمر وليظهر للعلن خصوصا في ذلك التوقيت ، قوة قليلون من يمتلكونها .
علاقة من هذا الطراز كانت مستحيلة ، كنت ستجرين أذيال الندم ،
من المؤكد ان الأحكام الجاهزة كانت ستطولكما لتدمركما وتقتل هذا الحب .
لو انني سأموت في غضون الايام الثلاثة المقبلة . ماعساي أفعل هذه الأيام؟ لا شئ . سأفرغ روحي من كل شئ ، ماعدا الحب
و ليست الما فقط هى البطلة وليست قصة الحب الوحيدة فهناك ايرينا و نبدأ بعلاقتها مع ألما
انغمست إيرينا في حياة ألما ، وكأنهما شخصيتان في رواية فيكتورية : سيدة أرستقراطية ووصيفتها تقاومان الملل الحاد باحتساء الشاي في منزل في البادية
ثم التساؤل وراء قصة حياتها و هل ستقبل حب سيث ام ترفضه ؟
هذه الفتاة التى اجتثت من قصة نرويجية، فانبعثت في مكان غير متوقع : في دار للمسنين
اما ناتانيل فكان حالة خاصة في صداقته وحبه ، كان الفتي الذى ألما امسكت بتلابيبه منذ الوهلة الاولى ، فعزمت على ان تجعل من ابن الخالة الخجول هذا خير خلف لأخيها العزيز صامويل لتكون بذلك بداية علاقة مميزة .
وابيه إسحاق وزوجته ليليان وحبهما 😊 حاجة كده رومانسية جميلة برغم ان ايزابيل مركزتش كتير معاهم بس لما كانت بتذكر شكل العلاقة بينهم ومشاعرهم حتى وفاتهم كانت جمييلة 💓 هو ده الحب اللى يستمر لنهاية العمر .
كان اسحاق حقا رجلا فريدا من نوعه منذ ضمه ألما لعائلته ، وحبه لعائلته ومعاملاته مع مختلف البشر
كان رجلا طيبا ، ومسالما ، ومستعدا دائما للعطاء .
الحب في عائلة بيلاسكو كان حالة خاصة 😍💓
ان حبنا هو قدرنا . لقد تحاببنا في حياة خلت ، وسنتحاب في حياة مستقبلية ، او ربما لاوجود للماضى والمستقبل ، وكل شئ يحدث في الآن نفسه ، في أبعاد هذا الكون اللامتناهية ! في هذه الحالة ، نحن دائما معا ، وإلى الأبد
فى نقطة لفتت نظرى بعد قرائتي ما بعد الشتاء والرواية دى ايزابيل بتحب قصص حب الناس الكبار والشخصيات ما بعد الستين والسبعين ويعيشون حالات حب و رومانسية ، و شخصياتها فى الغالب فيها حيوية وشغف وقوة وبتكره الاستسلام للسن والمرض .كانها تشجع ان حتى مع مرور السن لازم نحافظ على حيويتنا ومنستسلمش .
كانت ستتم عامها الثاني والثمانين، وقد اضحت امرأة مسنة ، الا انها كانت ترفض بقوة عبور عتبة الكهولة . كانت تشمئز من الجلوس تحت ظل تقدم العمر بعينين نائمتين ، وعقل مشدود الى الماضى . لقد سبق ان هوت علي الارض مرات عديدة ، وأصيبت بتورمات ، وحان الوقت لتتقبل المساعدة ، فكانوا يمسكونها من مرفقها لتستطيع المشي ، إلا انها لم تتوقف يوما عن المقاومة وكانت تحارب بشدة فكرة الاستسلام للوهن السهل
نحن نشيخ من ساعة الولادة ما الحياة الا صيرورة متتالية . نحن نكبر . الشئ الوحيد المغاير هو أننا أصبحنا قاب قوسين أو أدني من الموت. وما العيب في ذلك ؟ الحب والصداقة لا يشيخان
منعا للالتباس انا مش قصدى ان الرواية بتركز على كبار السم هى الرواية مش بتدور حواليهم لان ايزابيل بترجع لماضيهم وطفولتهم وشبابهم فبنشوف كل مراحلهم العمرية وفى شباب فى الرواية ايرينا وسيث .
عزيزتي ايزابيل لقد اصبحتي بلاشك واحدة من الروائيين الذين سعدت بالتعرف عليهم وانوى قراءة باقى اعمالك ليس بسبب هذه الرواية بشكل خاص لكن لانك لم تخذلينى حتى الان كلما لجأت لكى 🤩😍
فى النهاية الرواية لطيفة وخفيفة وسلسة . انا احب اسلوب ايزابيل واحب كتاباتها وإلى لقاء آخر ايزاييل 💓💓
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بحب اسلوبها وطريقتها و بتدخلى معلومات وتعرفني حاجات بطريقة غير مباشرة وفى نفس الوقت بالشكل اللى يهمنى اعرفه وهو تأثير الاحداث على البشر . فى الرواية دى كانت اقلهم في الجانب ده بس لازالت بتعرفني بحاجات . هنا مثلا اضطهاد اليهود مع هتلر ، و اللى اتعرض ليه اليابانين فى امريكا وقت الحرب العالمية الثانية .و العنصرية ضد اليابانيين بعد الحرب .
ده غير الامور اللى بتدخلها وبتتعرض ليها شخصياتها . وهنا كمان قصص الحب فى الرواية مش بس قصة ألما وايشيمى . العاشق في الرواية مش بس العاشق الياباني فى عشاق كتير ، وقصص حب مختلفة وعلاقات غير تقليدية ، وصداقات جميلة .
ايرينا وسيث كانوا يسعون لمعرفة سر ألما ومن يرسل لها تلك الرسائل وزهور الغاردينيا ؟؟ وأين تختفي ألما ؟
لنتعرف على قصة حب ألما و إيشيمي الحب الذي بدأ فى غرس جذوره بداخلهم منذ الطفولة ، الحب المرفوض من المجتمع والعائلة ، الحب الذى لن يتقبل احد وجوده . الحب الذي يحتاج لحرب وقوة ليستمر وليظهر للعلن خصوصا في ذلك التوقيت ، قوة قليلون من يمتلكونها .
علاقة من هذا الطراز كانت مستحيلة ، كنت ستجرين أذيال الندم ،
من المؤكد ان الأحكام الجاهزة كانت ستطولكما لتدمركما وتقتل هذا الحب .
لو انني سأموت في غضون الايام الثلاثة المقبلة . ماعساي أفعل هذه الأيام؟ لا شئ . سأفرغ روحي من كل شئ ، ماعدا الحب
و ليست الما فقط هى البطلة وليست قصة الحب الوحيدة فهناك ايرينا و نبدأ بعلاقتها مع ألما
انغمست إيرينا في حياة ألما ، وكأنهما شخصيتان في رواية فيكتورية : سيدة أرستقراطية ووصيفتها تقاومان الملل الحاد باحتساء الشاي في منزل في البادية
ثم التساؤل وراء قصة حياتها و هل ستقبل حب سيث ام ترفضه ؟
هذه الفتاة التى اجتثت من قصة نرويجية، فانبعثت في مكان غير متوقع : في دار للمسنين
اما ناتانيل فكان حالة خاصة في صداقته وحبه ، كان الفتي الذى ألما امسكت بتلابيبه منذ الوهلة الاولى ، فعزمت على ان تجعل من ابن الخالة الخجول هذا خير خلف لأخيها العزيز صامويل لتكون بذلك بداية علاقة مميزة .
وابيه إسحاق وزوجته ليليان وحبهما 😊 حاجة كده رومانسية جميلة برغم ان ايزابيل مركزتش كتير معاهم بس لما كانت بتذكر شكل العلاقة بينهم ومشاعرهم حتى وفاتهم كانت جمييلة 💓 هو ده الحب اللى يستمر لنهاية العمر .
كان اسحاق حقا رجلا فريدا من نوعه منذ ضمه ألما لعائلته ، وحبه لعائلته ومعاملاته مع مختلف البشر
كان رجلا طيبا ، ومسالما ، ومستعدا دائما للعطاء .
الحب في عائلة بيلاسكو كان حالة خاصة 😍💓
ان حبنا هو قدرنا . لقد تحاببنا في حياة خلت ، وسنتحاب في حياة مستقبلية ، او ربما لاوجود للماضى والمستقبل ، وكل شئ يحدث في الآن نفسه ، في أبعاد هذا الكون اللامتناهية ! في هذه الحالة ، نحن دائما معا ، وإلى الأبد
فى نقطة لفتت نظرى بعد قرائتي ما بعد الشتاء والرواية دى ايزابيل بتحب قصص حب الناس الكبار والشخصيات ما بعد الستين والسبعين ويعيشون حالات حب و رومانسية ، و شخصياتها فى الغالب فيها حيوية وشغف وقوة وبتكره الاستسلام للسن والمرض .كانها تشجع ان حتى مع مرور السن لازم نحافظ على حيويتنا ومنستسلمش .
كانت ستتم عامها الثاني والثمانين، وقد اضحت امرأة مسنة ، الا انها كانت ترفض بقوة عبور عتبة الكهولة . كانت تشمئز من الجلوس تحت ظل تقدم العمر بعينين نائمتين ، وعقل مشدود الى الماضى . لقد سبق ان هوت علي الارض مرات عديدة ، وأصيبت بتورمات ، وحان الوقت لتتقبل المساعدة ، فكانوا يمسكونها من مرفقها لتستطيع المشي ، إلا انها لم تتوقف يوما عن المقاومة وكانت تحارب بشدة فكرة الاستسلام للوهن السهل
نحن نشيخ من ساعة الولادة ما الحياة الا صيرورة متتالية . نحن نكبر . الشئ الوحيد المغاير هو أننا أصبحنا قاب قوسين أو أدني من الموت. وما العيب في ذلك ؟ الحب والصداقة لا يشيخان
منعا للالتباس انا مش قصدى ان الرواية بتركز على كبار السم هى الرواية مش بتدور حواليهم لان ايزابيل بترجع لماضيهم وطفولتهم وشبابهم فبنشوف كل مراحلهم العمرية وفى شباب فى الرواية ايرينا وسيث .
عزيزتي ايزابيل لقد اصبحتي بلاشك واحدة من الروائيين الذين سعدت بالتعرف عليهم وانوى قراءة باقى اعمالك ليس بسبب هذه الرواية بشكل خاص لكن لانك لم تخذلينى حتى الان كلما لجأت لكى 🤩😍
فى النهاية الرواية لطيفة وخفيفة وسلسة . انا احب اسلوب ايزابيل واحب كتاباتها وإلى لقاء آخر ايزاييل 💓💓
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November 24, 2015
I really liked this book. It's about friendship, love, and aging with many touching relationships.
(I also learned about how the Japenese Americans were sent away to interment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, I had never known this happened).
(I also learned about how the Japenese Americans were sent away to interment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, I had never known this happened).
October 24, 2015
When I started reading Isabel Allende's The Japanese Lover, I liked it well enough but I wasn't feeling anything special. I think I was suffering a bit from the high expectations that come with reading a book by Allende. But as I got deeper into it, I found myself really drawn in by the story and characters. It doesn't have the intense richness of The House of Spirits or some of Allende's other books set in Latin America, but Allende's particular ability to weave characters and their stories and history together is very recognizable. The Japanese Lover deals with the parallel stories of Irina and Alma. Irina is in her 20s, and works in a retirement home in San Francisco. She grew up in Moravia with her grandparents until age 12 after which she was sent to live in Texas with her mother and stepfather, and as the story develops you realize that she has a difficult complicated past. Alma is in her 80s and a resident in the retirement home, and was sent by her parents to San Francisco from Poland just before WWII, and she too has a complicated past. The book is about the stories of these two women and their friendship. For Alma, this is a story about coming to terms with her past at the end of her life, and for Irina it is about overcoming her past so she can move one. The story moves back and forth in time, and true to Allende's engagement with politics and history, she effectively uses a few significant historical events around the globe as a backdrop. Alma and Irina's stories are complex, and at times verge on being disjointed and scattered, but this is a minor criticism. What I really liked most about the book is that Alma and Irina are great characters. They are strong, flawed, scarred, recognizable, kind and ultimately defy stereotypes. If you have read and loved earlier books by Allende, don't read this one looking for the richness of those books because you might be disappointed. But if you read The Japanese Lover on its own terms, taking the story as it comes, hopefully you have the same experience I did of being drawn in by Irina and Alma and their stories. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
March 7, 2016
Anyone who has read Allende recognizes her talent for narratives that transcend time, love and cultures across generations.
In this novel, there are two stories entwined: one of eternal love told by Alma, an 80 year old woman as she reflects back on her life to her assistant Irina, from the walls of her retirement room; and Irina's own difficult, sad life journey. Themes of friendship, loss, family, love and forgiveness abound.
I've read some harsh reviews and perhaps I didn't feel the same emotional connection as I would have preferred - this is only my 2nd following House of Spirits which I loved - I still felt she skillfully spun a captivating and memorable read. For that, I remain an adoring Allende fan and bestow a 4★ rating.
In this novel, there are two stories entwined: one of eternal love told by Alma, an 80 year old woman as she reflects back on her life to her assistant Irina, from the walls of her retirement room; and Irina's own difficult, sad life journey. Themes of friendship, loss, family, love and forgiveness abound.
I've read some harsh reviews and perhaps I didn't feel the same emotional connection as I would have preferred - this is only my 2nd following House of Spirits which I loved - I still felt she skillfully spun a captivating and memorable read. For that, I remain an adoring Allende fan and bestow a 4★ rating.
January 20, 2016
3 stars
"We are all born happy. Life gets us dirty along the way, but we can clean it up. Happiness is not exuberant or noisy, like pleasure or joy; it's silent, tranquil, and gentle; it's a feeling of satisfaction inside that begins with self-love."
Alma Belasco knows that happiness is not an easy achievement. After years of learning and growing and forgiving herself for choices she has made, the aging Alma knows a thing or two about living life and feeling fulfilled. Separated from her parents during the Nazi occupation of Poland, Alma was raised by a caring and prosperous aunt and uncle in San Francisco. Here she makes a lifelong connection with two men – her devoted cousin, Nathaniel, and Ichimei, the love of her life. However, war, the internment of the Japanese-Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and economic and cultural differences are all seemingly insurmountable barriers to Alma and Ichimei's relationship throughout their lives.
Caretaker Irina Bazili has faced adversity and heartache of her own. Alma, now a resident at Lark House where this young, Moldavian immigrant is employed, is perhaps the one person who can teach the haunted Irina how to find peace with herself and seek happiness. Alma shares the wisdom that comes with age and experience and establishes a trust and a bond of friendship that Irina clearly needs at this time.
Isabel Allende has long been one of my favorite authors. So, needless to say, I was quite excited to read this book. While I can certainly say that I enjoyed The Japanese Lover, I also have to admit it is not one of my favorite Allende novels. I wanted to get a bit closer to these characters of many layers. While I caught a glimpse of their dimensions, I still felt a bit estranged. Perhaps it was the jumping between timelines as well as characters that seemed to impose a barrier in my mind. Maybe it was the dialogue itself that left me feeling a little let down. I can't quite pinpoint what was lacking for me personally. I would have loved to get a better perspective of Ichimei himself. "They called him Ichimei, meaning 'life', 'light', 'brilliance', or 'star'…" He truly was the light in Alma's life and I wanted to get a more intimate look at this admirable and genuine man.
There is a wealth of themes running through this novel that certainly speak to Allende's ability to present her readers with food for thought. This would be a great book for a club - I think it would definitely generate much discussion on a wide range of topics. On my end, I will make sure I catch any of her earlier novels that I may have missed along the way.
"We are all born happy. Life gets us dirty along the way, but we can clean it up. Happiness is not exuberant or noisy, like pleasure or joy; it's silent, tranquil, and gentle; it's a feeling of satisfaction inside that begins with self-love."
Alma Belasco knows that happiness is not an easy achievement. After years of learning and growing and forgiving herself for choices she has made, the aging Alma knows a thing or two about living life and feeling fulfilled. Separated from her parents during the Nazi occupation of Poland, Alma was raised by a caring and prosperous aunt and uncle in San Francisco. Here she makes a lifelong connection with two men – her devoted cousin, Nathaniel, and Ichimei, the love of her life. However, war, the internment of the Japanese-Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and economic and cultural differences are all seemingly insurmountable barriers to Alma and Ichimei's relationship throughout their lives.
Caretaker Irina Bazili has faced adversity and heartache of her own. Alma, now a resident at Lark House where this young, Moldavian immigrant is employed, is perhaps the one person who can teach the haunted Irina how to find peace with herself and seek happiness. Alma shares the wisdom that comes with age and experience and establishes a trust and a bond of friendship that Irina clearly needs at this time.
Isabel Allende has long been one of my favorite authors. So, needless to say, I was quite excited to read this book. While I can certainly say that I enjoyed The Japanese Lover, I also have to admit it is not one of my favorite Allende novels. I wanted to get a bit closer to these characters of many layers. While I caught a glimpse of their dimensions, I still felt a bit estranged. Perhaps it was the jumping between timelines as well as characters that seemed to impose a barrier in my mind. Maybe it was the dialogue itself that left me feeling a little let down. I can't quite pinpoint what was lacking for me personally. I would have loved to get a better perspective of Ichimei himself. "They called him Ichimei, meaning 'life', 'light', 'brilliance', or 'star'…" He truly was the light in Alma's life and I wanted to get a more intimate look at this admirable and genuine man.
There is a wealth of themes running through this novel that certainly speak to Allende's ability to present her readers with food for thought. This would be a great book for a club - I think it would definitely generate much discussion on a wide range of topics. On my end, I will make sure I catch any of her earlier novels that I may have missed along the way.
July 7, 2022
Beautiful
This is my second visit with this author, Isabel Allende. Her writing is wonderful and her characters come to life. Nevertheless, this story was not as intriguing as the other work I've read. Its the story of a young, damaged woman finding her place among the residents of an assisted living facility. The overarching message is of love and compassion. Well done!
This is my second visit with this author, Isabel Allende. Her writing is wonderful and her characters come to life. Nevertheless, this story was not as intriguing as the other work I've read. Its the story of a young, damaged woman finding her place among the residents of an assisted living facility. The overarching message is of love and compassion. Well done!
May 19, 2024
At its core, Isabel Allende’s The Japanese Lover is a love story that spans decades. But, it is about so much more.
It's about surviving, about aging, about forbidden love, about the depth of caring and friendship that allows loved ones to seek their own happiness.
Even if some other reviewers were critical of her story telling, I felt the author skillfully spun a captivating and memorable read.
It's about surviving, about aging, about forbidden love, about the depth of caring and friendship that allows loved ones to seek their own happiness.
Even if some other reviewers were critical of her story telling, I felt the author skillfully spun a captivating and memorable read.
June 29, 2018
Contrary to just about everybody else, I enjoyed this book more than I did The House of the Spirits. I was fascinated by the information about the Japanese internment camps and was equally intrigued by life, as this author sees it anyway, in a retirement home.
The story bounced around in time, backwards and forwards, but Allende is a skilful writer and I was always able to keep up. She also uses a deceitful little trick at the end, aided and abetted by her main character, which confuses everyone about the ending of the love affair. Speaking of love affairs, this book is not a romance. The romance does occur, in fact it is ticking over the whole time, but it is always quiet and in the background just like Ichimei, the Japanese lover, himself.
I enjoyed the Belasco family dynasty especially Nathaniel and Seth but felt a little short changed on Irina who had plenty of prominence in the story, plus an appalling back story, and yet I still felt I did not know her at all. Actually although Allende writes absolutely beautiful prose she is always detached from her characters and they suffer a little from that.
But I do not intend to criticise. It is a beautifully written book, frequently very moving and covering almost all of one very interesting person's life time. I enjoyed it very much'
The story bounced around in time, backwards and forwards, but Allende is a skilful writer and I was always able to keep up. She also uses a deceitful little trick at the end, aided and abetted by her main character, which confuses everyone about the ending of the love affair. Speaking of love affairs, this book is not a romance. The romance does occur, in fact it is ticking over the whole time, but it is always quiet and in the background just like Ichimei, the Japanese lover, himself.
I enjoyed the Belasco family dynasty especially Nathaniel and Seth but felt a little short changed on Irina who had plenty of prominence in the story, plus an appalling back story, and yet I still felt I did not know her at all. Actually although Allende writes absolutely beautiful prose she is always detached from her characters and they suffer a little from that.
But I do not intend to criticise. It is a beautifully written book, frequently very moving and covering almost all of one very interesting person's life time. I enjoyed it very much'
October 30, 2024
بدأتها منبهرة كعادتي مع كتابات ألليندي، ولكن وصلت إلى ثلث الرواية مقررة عدم استكمالها.
وجدت وقتها أن ألليندي وقع منها ايقاعها الساحر المحكم في هذا الجزء. فقدت الحكاية حميميتها. كان السرد تقريريا بلا عاطفة، وفقدت اهتمامي بالأحداث الدرامية المؤسفة التي تحدث للشخصيات.
لأول مرة اعرف عن معسكرات العزل التي أقامتها الولايات المتحدة للجالية اليابانية وقت الحرب العالمية الثانية. ولكن ألليندي روته بشكل لم يستدر داخلي أي تعاطف-وياللغرابة-مع ما يحدث لهم.
أشعر أن هذا الجزء لم يأخد حظه جيدا في الكتابة، فخرج باردا وبلا روح على الرغم من زخمه الدرامي.
لكن بعد النصف الثاني، عادت إلى ايزابيل الحاكية الخارقة التي أعرفها. أمسكت الرواية وكنت أتركها من يدي بصعوبة.
قصص حب بأشكال مختلفة وغير تقليدية. كان الإخلاص هو القاسم المشترك بينهم. أو "التقبل" الذي يأتي إلينا في مرحلة متأخرة من العمر بأننا لا نملك الطرف الأخر بشكل كامل. وأن لهذا الطرف الأخر قصة أخرى لا نعلمها. وإن عرفناها، فيجب أن نؤمن بأن تلك القصة هى جزء أصيل من هذا الشخص الذي أحببناه.
أبطال قصص الحب هنا كل منهم لم يستطع أن يمتلك حبيبه بشكل كامل، كان هناك من يشاركه فيه بشكل أو بأخر. والمفاجئ أن تلك وجود "الشريك" كان بمثابة دعم للعلاقة وليس هادما لها.
بالتأكيد نوع من العلاقات ليس من السهولة تقبله أو حتى إنجاحه.
تناولت ألليندي هنا أيضا "العجز" أو الشيخوخة والتقدم في العمر بشكل كاشف وإن كانت مكاشفة رقيقة. نجد صراع من يصل إلى النهاية. هل يجب أن نحارب إلى النفس الأخير، أم نرفع راية الاستسلام ونرحل بكرامة؟
كنت اتمنى أن اعطي هذه الرواية خمس نجوم، ولكن جفاف الجزء الأول هو ما نقص تقييمي لها
وجدت وقتها أن ألليندي وقع منها ايقاعها الساحر المحكم في هذا الجزء. فقدت الحكاية حميميتها. كان السرد تقريريا بلا عاطفة، وفقدت اهتمامي بالأحداث الدرامية المؤسفة التي تحدث للشخصيات.
لأول مرة اعرف عن معسكرات العزل التي أقامتها الولايات المتحدة للجالية اليابانية وقت الحرب العالمية الثانية. ولكن ألليندي روته بشكل لم يستدر داخلي أي تعاطف-وياللغرابة-مع ما يحدث لهم.
أشعر أن هذا الجزء لم يأخد حظه جيدا في الكتابة، فخرج باردا وبلا روح على الرغم من زخمه الدرامي.
لكن بعد النصف الثاني، عادت إلى ايزابيل الحاكية الخارقة التي أعرفها. أمسكت الرواية وكنت أتركها من يدي بصعوبة.
قصص حب بأشكال مختلفة وغير تقليدية. كان الإخلاص هو القاسم المشترك بينهم. أو "التقبل" الذي يأتي إلينا في مرحلة متأخرة من العمر بأننا لا نملك الطرف الأخر بشكل كامل. وأن لهذا الطرف الأخر قصة أخرى لا نعلمها. وإن عرفناها، فيجب أن نؤمن بأن تلك القصة هى جزء أصيل من هذا الشخص الذي أحببناه.
أبطال قصص الحب هنا كل منهم لم يستطع أن يمتلك حبيبه بشكل كامل، كان هناك من يشاركه فيه بشكل أو بأخر. والمفاجئ أن تلك وجود "الشريك" كان بمثابة دعم للعلاقة وليس هادما لها.
بالتأكيد نوع من العلاقات ليس من السهولة تقبله أو حتى إنجاحه.
تناولت ألليندي هنا أيضا "العجز" أو الشيخوخة والتقدم في العمر بشكل كاشف وإن كانت مكاشفة رقيقة. نجد صراع من يصل إلى النهاية. هل يجب أن نحارب إلى النفس الأخير، أم نرفع راية الاستسلام ونرحل بكرامة؟
كنت اتمنى أن اعطي هذه الرواية خمس نجوم، ولكن جفاف الجزء الأول هو ما نقص تقييمي لها
February 22, 2017
Very good book. A story told throughout several decades. And some stories told were "gasp" worthy.
November 16, 2018
EXCERPT: In Lark House, where there was a depressing majority of women, Jacques Devine was considered the star attraction,the only heart-throb among the twenty-eight male residents. He was known as Frenchie, not because he had been born in France, but because of his exquisite manners - he held the doors open for the ladies, pulled their chairsback for them, and never went around with his fly unzipped - and because he could dance, despite his fossilized spine. At the age of ninety he walked with a straight back thanks to the rods and screws that had been surgically attached to it. He still sported some of his curly head of hair and knew how to play cards, at which he cheated shamelessly. He was sound in body, apart from the usual arthritis, high blood pressure, and deafness, inevitable in the winter of life, and quite lucid, although not sufficiently to recall whether he had had lunch or not. That was why he was on the second level, where he received all the help he needed. He had arrived in Lark House with his third wife, but she had only survived for a few weeks before being run over in the street by an absent minded cyclist.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: In 1939, as Poland falls under the shadow of the Nazis, young Alma Belasco's parents send her away to live in safety with an aunt and uncle in their opulent mansion in San Francisco. There, as the rest of the world goes to war, she encounters Ichimei Fukuda, the quiet and gentle son of the family's Japanese gardener. Unnoticed by those around them, a tender love affair begins to blossom. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the two are cruelly pulled apart as Ichimei and his family, like thousands of other Japanese Americans are declared enemies and forcibly relocated to internment camps run by the United States government. Throughout their lifetimes, Alma and Ichimei reunite again and again, but theirs is a love that they are forever forced to hide from the world.
Decades later, Alma is nearing the end of her long and eventful life. Irina Bazili, a care worker struggling to come to terms with her own troubled past, meets the elderly woman and her grandson, Seth, at San Francisco's charmingly eccentric Lark House nursing home. As Irina and Seth forge a friendship, they become intrigued by a series of mysterious gifts and letters sent to Alma, eventually learning about Ichimei and this extraordinary secret passion that has endured for nearly seventy years.
MY THOUGHTS: Allende is an author I have come to late in life, and one whom I have come to love.
She writes sweepingly majestic tales full of human frailty, and passion, and deceit and love. Her characters are so very human; they are people we know and love. By the end of this book, they felt like family and friends to me.
The Japanese Lover swings from present day to Alma's, Irina's and Ichimai's pasts and back again, but does so seamlessly and to great effect. Allende's writing is, as always, beautiful, evocative and haunting.
Although I listened to it on audio (and the narrator Joanna Gleeson was superb), this is a book I will be buying to keep, one I will return to time and again.
THE AUTHOR: Isabel Allende Llona is a Chilean-American novelist. Allende, who writes in the "magic realism" tradition, is considered one of the first successful women novelists in Latin America. She has written novels based in part on her own experiences, often focusing on the experiences of women, weaving myth and realism together. She has lectured and done extensive book tours and has taught literature at several US colleges. She currently resides in California with her husband. Allende adopted U.S. citizenship in 2003.
DISCLOSURE: I listened to the audiobook of The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende, narrated by Joanna Gleeson, published by Simon and Schuster Audio via OverDrive. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
ABOUT THIS BOOK: In 1939, as Poland falls under the shadow of the Nazis, young Alma Belasco's parents send her away to live in safety with an aunt and uncle in their opulent mansion in San Francisco. There, as the rest of the world goes to war, she encounters Ichimei Fukuda, the quiet and gentle son of the family's Japanese gardener. Unnoticed by those around them, a tender love affair begins to blossom. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the two are cruelly pulled apart as Ichimei and his family, like thousands of other Japanese Americans are declared enemies and forcibly relocated to internment camps run by the United States government. Throughout their lifetimes, Alma and Ichimei reunite again and again, but theirs is a love that they are forever forced to hide from the world.
Decades later, Alma is nearing the end of her long and eventful life. Irina Bazili, a care worker struggling to come to terms with her own troubled past, meets the elderly woman and her grandson, Seth, at San Francisco's charmingly eccentric Lark House nursing home. As Irina and Seth forge a friendship, they become intrigued by a series of mysterious gifts and letters sent to Alma, eventually learning about Ichimei and this extraordinary secret passion that has endured for nearly seventy years.
MY THOUGHTS: Allende is an author I have come to late in life, and one whom I have come to love.
She writes sweepingly majestic tales full of human frailty, and passion, and deceit and love. Her characters are so very human; they are people we know and love. By the end of this book, they felt like family and friends to me.
The Japanese Lover swings from present day to Alma's, Irina's and Ichimai's pasts and back again, but does so seamlessly and to great effect. Allende's writing is, as always, beautiful, evocative and haunting.
Although I listened to it on audio (and the narrator Joanna Gleeson was superb), this is a book I will be buying to keep, one I will return to time and again.
THE AUTHOR: Isabel Allende Llona is a Chilean-American novelist. Allende, who writes in the "magic realism" tradition, is considered one of the first successful women novelists in Latin America. She has written novels based in part on her own experiences, often focusing on the experiences of women, weaving myth and realism together. She has lectured and done extensive book tours and has taught literature at several US colleges. She currently resides in California with her husband. Allende adopted U.S. citizenship in 2003.
DISCLOSURE: I listened to the audiobook of The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende, narrated by Joanna Gleeson, published by Simon and Schuster Audio via OverDrive. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
November 14, 2015
3.5 After overcoming my initial reaction that this novel would not have the depth which Allende was noted for in her earlier novels (and it did not)I realized that this was a very good story. It touched on some very important historical events: the Nazis, the attack on Pearl harbor and its resulting Japanese interment camps, cultural differences and expectations, aids and homosexuality as well as child pornography and sexual abuse. I did, however, have a problem with Ada throughout much of this novel, liked her much better as an elderly lady than her portrayal in her backstory. My favorites were Daniel and Irina. Would have liked Irina to have a larger part.
Yet it did have its problems for me. I had trouble connecting to the characters. Did not feel the emotional pull behind the words. I read them but did not feel them. Still this is good commercial fiction, the story is interesting and flows well. Yet I miss the Allende of old.
Yet it did have its problems for me. I had trouble connecting to the characters. Did not feel the emotional pull behind the words. I read them but did not feel them. Still this is good commercial fiction, the story is interesting and flows well. Yet I miss the Allende of old.
July 9, 2016
Omg, 'The Japanese Lover' is such an emotionally flat read! The title is the only grouping of words with a hint of a living heartbeat for what seemed to me like thousands of pages. However, unlike 'Ripper', which Isabel Allende also wrote, this book is coherent.
Reader, if gelded literary reads are the kind of books which you recommend to your book club because it helped you pass the hours between arranging the flowers into a delicate expression of beauty and checking the work of the servants, or you wish you had a quiet, but socially-responsible, elevated life of wealth and 'the mind', may I then recommend this book. The novel IS certainly written well enough for a particular upper-crust soulful audience I've noticed exists, especially patron-of-the-Art wannabes whether actually wealthy or not (fans of Paula McLain will adore this book).
This book is kind of a gentrified Romance novel for an excruciatingly sensitive, necessarily protected audience of liberal rich upper-class blue bloods who must live life speaking in quieted soft whispers because the few emotions they allow to flow around them must be wrapped in thick cotton to mute the intensities of ugly life. Too much? Sorry. I apologize. Don't want to offend...so if I am, stop reading this review.
The tone of the novel is close to the same feeling I have drinking a soda which was opened and left out for a week, which is surprising because the subjects are death, dying, racism, child abuse, war atrocities and aging - which come up off-screen in the memories and present time of many forgettable characters involved with an assisted-living senior facility in California. Old Alma Belasco, a pampered wealthy artist, her married secret lover Ichimei Fukuda, likewise very old but also a member of a social class forbidden to her - a son of a gardener, and Irina Bazili, a young refugee and an elderly-care worker, are the primary personalities we follow throughout the story. Their introduced but quickly marginalized friends, families, and fellow patients are mentioned for some reason and the brief flattened description of their lives apparently outline the secret sufferings people undergo all around us. Aah, the quiet desperation and hidden heroism!
These people should have been engaging and long-lived in our minds long after we, gentle reader, have put this kind light-stepping book down on our highly polished coffee tables, and probably they will be for some readers. Perhaps one day I too will like books which discuss searing issues in a manner that does not tread too hard on our hearts.
Reader, if gelded literary reads are the kind of books which you recommend to your book club because it helped you pass the hours between arranging the flowers into a delicate expression of beauty and checking the work of the servants, or you wish you had a quiet, but socially-responsible, elevated life of wealth and 'the mind', may I then recommend this book. The novel IS certainly written well enough for a particular upper-crust soulful audience I've noticed exists, especially patron-of-the-Art wannabes whether actually wealthy or not (fans of Paula McLain will adore this book).
This book is kind of a gentrified Romance novel for an excruciatingly sensitive, necessarily protected audience of liberal rich upper-class blue bloods who must live life speaking in quieted soft whispers because the few emotions they allow to flow around them must be wrapped in thick cotton to mute the intensities of ugly life. Too much? Sorry. I apologize. Don't want to offend...so if I am, stop reading this review.
The tone of the novel is close to the same feeling I have drinking a soda which was opened and left out for a week, which is surprising because the subjects are death, dying, racism, child abuse, war atrocities and aging - which come up off-screen in the memories and present time of many forgettable characters involved with an assisted-living senior facility in California. Old Alma Belasco, a pampered wealthy artist, her married secret lover Ichimei Fukuda, likewise very old but also a member of a social class forbidden to her - a son of a gardener, and Irina Bazili, a young refugee and an elderly-care worker, are the primary personalities we follow throughout the story. Their introduced but quickly marginalized friends, families, and fellow patients are mentioned for some reason and the brief flattened description of their lives apparently outline the secret sufferings people undergo all around us. Aah, the quiet desperation and hidden heroism!
These people should have been engaging and long-lived in our minds long after we, gentle reader, have put this kind light-stepping book down on our highly polished coffee tables, and probably they will be for some readers. Perhaps one day I too will like books which discuss searing issues in a manner that does not tread too hard on our hearts.
December 7, 2015
From reading the book blurb, I was wary that this novel would be emotionally overwrought. :
Sweeping through time and spanning generations and continents, The Japanese Lover explores questions of identity, abandonment, redemption, and the unknowable impact of fate on our lives..
I found it to be one of those big-hearted tales that pluck your heartstrings while you root for the main characters to find the love of others that they deserve. It wasn’t quite sappy, but came close. We watch a friendship develop between an elderly Jewish society woman, Alma Blasco, and her young assistant, Irina Bazili, and in the process they begin to overcome emotionally debilitating barriers arising from their secrets. Alma we soon learn has had a periodic Japanese lover in her long life, a gardener’s son whom she didn’t have the courage to love openly in defiance of the barriers of class and racism. Irina is beloved by many, including Alma’s grandson, but for some reason cannot seem to trust herself to love. From the first introduction of these characters I needed to know the wellsprings of their character and how that plays into their chances to break out of their patterns.
I was captivated by the mystery behind the characters. We start with Irina’s perspective as she comes to love her new job as a sort of social director for residents at an upscale assisted living complex in San Francisco. She is amused by the shenanigans and humor of these aging hippies and quirky ex-professionals residing at Lark House. This community is close to idyllic compared to the institutions most aged in America are subject to, but there are unfortunate levels of care set by disability. Irina is inspired by their passions and courage and thrives on their emotional honesty. In turn she becomes popular among them for the same qualities. But at a certain point we become aware how she has trouble with deeper levels of trust.
Taking outside work with Alma in the independent living part of Lark House puts her in the middle of two streams that erode her barriers. Like her, Alma doesn’t let her hair down very far. But the immediate affinity between them leads to a process of self-revelation in stages that I found satisfying to experience. Alma is about 80 but still pretty fit, making it a mystery why she largely retires to a senior living community from an active career in fashion art and managing the family charitable foundation. Alma’s lawyer grandson Seth provides some yeast for Alma and Irina’s friendship by engaging them both in his project to write Alma’s biography. Irina begins to collude with Seth in uncovering Alma’s mysteries. They soon suspect the hidden relationship with Ichimei Fukuda, but don’t understand its importance in her life. Meanwhile, Seth’s unrequited love for Irina whets him to gently assail her secrets.
As an initial doorway to their bonding Alma and Irina share a disruption of their childhoods by immigration to live with relatives in the U.S—Alma from Poland before Hitler’s invasion and Irina from post-Soviet Moldavia. There is some overkill to the range of issues that come out in the novel’s plot. Beyond death and dying from aging we get historical elements of the Holocaust and the Japanese internment in World War 2 and delving into racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, and child abuse. Because of the focus on a few characters in their present, a lot of this material is subjugated to the background like an envelope that is up to the reader to open and let play in the imagination.
Overall, this is a paean to the persistence of love against long odds, which could easily be a wallow in melodrama, but I didn’t feel that way. In the end I liked it the same way I did for Ford’s “Hotel and the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” and appreciated its stretch in the direction of the stories told by Marquez in “Love in the Time of Cholera” and Krauss in “The History of Love.”
Sweeping through time and spanning generations and continents, The Japanese Lover explores questions of identity, abandonment, redemption, and the unknowable impact of fate on our lives..
I found it to be one of those big-hearted tales that pluck your heartstrings while you root for the main characters to find the love of others that they deserve. It wasn’t quite sappy, but came close. We watch a friendship develop between an elderly Jewish society woman, Alma Blasco, and her young assistant, Irina Bazili, and in the process they begin to overcome emotionally debilitating barriers arising from their secrets. Alma we soon learn has had a periodic Japanese lover in her long life, a gardener’s son whom she didn’t have the courage to love openly in defiance of the barriers of class and racism. Irina is beloved by many, including Alma’s grandson, but for some reason cannot seem to trust herself to love. From the first introduction of these characters I needed to know the wellsprings of their character and how that plays into their chances to break out of their patterns.
I was captivated by the mystery behind the characters. We start with Irina’s perspective as she comes to love her new job as a sort of social director for residents at an upscale assisted living complex in San Francisco. She is amused by the shenanigans and humor of these aging hippies and quirky ex-professionals residing at Lark House. This community is close to idyllic compared to the institutions most aged in America are subject to, but there are unfortunate levels of care set by disability. Irina is inspired by their passions and courage and thrives on their emotional honesty. In turn she becomes popular among them for the same qualities. But at a certain point we become aware how she has trouble with deeper levels of trust.
Taking outside work with Alma in the independent living part of Lark House puts her in the middle of two streams that erode her barriers. Like her, Alma doesn’t let her hair down very far. But the immediate affinity between them leads to a process of self-revelation in stages that I found satisfying to experience. Alma is about 80 but still pretty fit, making it a mystery why she largely retires to a senior living community from an active career in fashion art and managing the family charitable foundation. Alma’s lawyer grandson Seth provides some yeast for Alma and Irina’s friendship by engaging them both in his project to write Alma’s biography. Irina begins to collude with Seth in uncovering Alma’s mysteries. They soon suspect the hidden relationship with Ichimei Fukuda, but don’t understand its importance in her life. Meanwhile, Seth’s unrequited love for Irina whets him to gently assail her secrets.
As an initial doorway to their bonding Alma and Irina share a disruption of their childhoods by immigration to live with relatives in the U.S—Alma from Poland before Hitler’s invasion and Irina from post-Soviet Moldavia. There is some overkill to the range of issues that come out in the novel’s plot. Beyond death and dying from aging we get historical elements of the Holocaust and the Japanese internment in World War 2 and delving into racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, and child abuse. Because of the focus on a few characters in their present, a lot of this material is subjugated to the background like an envelope that is up to the reader to open and let play in the imagination.
Overall, this is a paean to the persistence of love against long odds, which could easily be a wallow in melodrama, but I didn’t feel that way. In the end I liked it the same way I did for Ford’s “Hotel and the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” and appreciated its stretch in the direction of the stories told by Marquez in “Love in the Time of Cholera” and Krauss in “The History of Love.”
December 7, 2021
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this read definitely not your typical love story. The main character Alma Belasco and Ichimei Fukuda take us through their life span right from childhood to their life’s end. I am still asking myself did Alma make the right choses or were they the wrong choses regarding their happiness in life’s journey?
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this read definitely not your typical love story. The main character Alma Belasco and Ichimei Fukuda take us through their life span right from childhood to their life’s end. I am still asking myself did Alma make the right choses or were they the wrong choses regarding their happiness in life’s journey?
February 12, 2019
Alma Belasco, now an octogenarian living in a retirement residence, is telling the story of her life to her grandson Seth and her immigrant care worker Irina. Alma met Ichimei Fukuda, the son of her family's Japanese gardener, when they were children. Their instant connection eventually turned into a lifelong love affair which is recounted through letters and flashbacks. The Fukuda family was sent to an internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II, and lived under terrible conditions in the Utah desert. Ichimei and Alma started corresponding at that time. Alma was a Jew from Poland who had been sent to relatives in the United States as the Nazis invaded her country, so she had also been a victim of prejudice.
The book has a large number of characters and covers many social problems, tragedies, and important events in the 20th Century. There were humorous passages about growing old, and the romance was a sweet story. But it seemed that we got to know a lot of characters in a superficial way. I would have cared more about their outcomes if the book had gone deeper into the emotions of the main characters, and found it took a while to warm up to them. 3.5 stars.
The book has a large number of characters and covers many social problems, tragedies, and important events in the 20th Century. There were humorous passages about growing old, and the romance was a sweet story. But it seemed that we got to know a lot of characters in a superficial way. I would have cared more about their outcomes if the book had gone deeper into the emotions of the main characters, and found it took a while to warm up to them. 3.5 stars.
March 17, 2021
This read was very interesting. The plot and the story is different and stunning.
May 4, 2016
3☆
“Why do you ask, Aunt Lillian?”
”Because...marriage without passion is like food without salt.”
Such was the issue for me with this one. It was like a well prepared meal without salt. Or perhaps, not the seasoning I prefer. I kept putting my fork down after each bite to sip my wine only to experience a disconnect. I was hoping for a nice dessert at the end that made it worthwhile. Instead I had more wine. A Dianthus Rosé from Tablas Creek. That put a smile on my face.
“Why do you ask, Aunt Lillian?”
”Because...marriage without passion is like food without salt.”
Such was the issue for me with this one. It was like a well prepared meal without salt. Or perhaps, not the seasoning I prefer. I kept putting my fork down after each bite to sip my wine only to experience a disconnect. I was hoping for a nice dessert at the end that made it worthwhile. Instead I had more wine. A Dianthus Rosé from Tablas Creek. That put a smile on my face.
November 16, 2015
At a very young age, Alma Mendel’s family was torn apart – first her beloved brother Samuel was shipped off overseas then not too much later, her parents informed Alma that she would be journeying from her home in Poland to San Francisco to live with an Aunt and Uncle she had never met. It was 1939 and the Mendels wanted their children to be safe – they were determined to stay in Poland themselves but have their children returned to them after the war…
Alma’s journey to her new life took seventeen days – she was accompanied only by an English governess whom Alma disliked intensely. On her arrival at Sea Cliff, the home of the Belasco family which comprised her Aunt, Uncle and three cousins, she was distraught. Her grief was hard to watch, and she took to hiding in the wardrobe in her bedroom where she cried as if her heart would break. And indeed, to Alma, it was broken.
The gardener for Sea Cliff was a man named Takao Fukuda. His hands were magic; his skills such that the surrounding gardens were healthy and beautiful. Alma took to wandering through the plants, taking some measure of happiness from the smells and colours. It was there she met for the first time Takao’s son Ichimei. He was following in his father’s footsteps – the two children became playmates.
Many years later, an elderly Alma moved into Lark House, a residence for the aged – Alma was housed independently as she was still a fit and active woman. When Irina Bazili became Alma’s caretaker an unlikely friendship began. Irina was a young woman, but had an affinity with the elderly. She also held a secret deep inside herself – she had never told a soul, and it would always remain that way. As Irina came to know Alma, she realized that she too had a secret; had the years been kind to Alma? Would her past be something they could talk about together?
I absolutely loved The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende. It is a profound and deeply moving account of love, loyalty, and the confusion of race plus the atrocities of war. The internment camps which were dotted around the country – situated in vast, hot and dry deserts – the fear of imprisonment, but also the human nature which caused people to come together while in terrible circumstances. The writing is gentle; beautiful – nothing graphic disturbs the flowing prose. This is my first by this author, and I’m hugely impressed. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Simon & Schuster for my copy to read and review.
Alma’s journey to her new life took seventeen days – she was accompanied only by an English governess whom Alma disliked intensely. On her arrival at Sea Cliff, the home of the Belasco family which comprised her Aunt, Uncle and three cousins, she was distraught. Her grief was hard to watch, and she took to hiding in the wardrobe in her bedroom where she cried as if her heart would break. And indeed, to Alma, it was broken.
The gardener for Sea Cliff was a man named Takao Fukuda. His hands were magic; his skills such that the surrounding gardens were healthy and beautiful. Alma took to wandering through the plants, taking some measure of happiness from the smells and colours. It was there she met for the first time Takao’s son Ichimei. He was following in his father’s footsteps – the two children became playmates.
Many years later, an elderly Alma moved into Lark House, a residence for the aged – Alma was housed independently as she was still a fit and active woman. When Irina Bazili became Alma’s caretaker an unlikely friendship began. Irina was a young woman, but had an affinity with the elderly. She also held a secret deep inside herself – she had never told a soul, and it would always remain that way. As Irina came to know Alma, she realized that she too had a secret; had the years been kind to Alma? Would her past be something they could talk about together?
I absolutely loved The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende. It is a profound and deeply moving account of love, loyalty, and the confusion of race plus the atrocities of war. The internment camps which were dotted around the country – situated in vast, hot and dry deserts – the fear of imprisonment, but also the human nature which caused people to come together while in terrible circumstances. The writing is gentle; beautiful – nothing graphic disturbs the flowing prose. This is my first by this author, and I’m hugely impressed. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Simon & Schuster for my copy to read and review.
July 30, 2022
I loved this gentle love story, which transcends many difficulties over several decades, including separation, war and marriage to other partners.
We meet Alma as an octagenerian in an apartment at a home for the elderly. As a young child, with war looming in 1939, she was sent from Poland by her Jewish parents to live with her wealthy Aunt and Uncle in San Francisco. There she met Ichimei, the youngest son of the Japanese gardener and as the two children grew up together so did their gentle love for each other. However, they were torn apart when the gardener and his family were interred for the duration of the war and sent to a horrendous camp in the Utah desert. Although they would meet again later years later and embark on an affair, they both realised marriage was impossible not only because of the difference in their social status but also because of the post war racism against the Japanese. Over time Alma would marry her cousin Nathaniel, become an artist making designing clothing and enjoy a life of privilege while Ichimei would also marry and establish a successful business growing flowers with his family.
Now in her old age, Alma’s grandson Seth is helping her put her memoirs together, aided by Irina, an assistant at the care home who Alma hires to help her sort her papers. Irina is trying to put her own painful past behind her and is intrigued by Alma’s life. Threaded through the narrative are Alma’s memories of the past as well as tender letters to her from Ichimei over the decades.
I enjoyed all the characters, but like many reviewers did feel that they were kept at a distance as we didn’t fully get to know them. However, in some ways that was in keeping with their characters. Alma was quite a private woman, who enjoyed her independence, while Seth was quiet and gentle and Irina, although bright and bubbly with her elderly clients at the home, was still cautiously finding her way in the world outside. Beautifully written, it is a tender and moving story of love, loss and overcoming adversity.
We meet Alma as an octagenerian in an apartment at a home for the elderly. As a young child, with war looming in 1939, she was sent from Poland by her Jewish parents to live with her wealthy Aunt and Uncle in San Francisco. There she met Ichimei, the youngest son of the Japanese gardener and as the two children grew up together so did their gentle love for each other. However, they were torn apart when the gardener and his family were interred for the duration of the war and sent to a horrendous camp in the Utah desert. Although they would meet again later years later and embark on an affair, they both realised marriage was impossible not only because of the difference in their social status but also because of the post war racism against the Japanese. Over time Alma would marry her cousin Nathaniel, become an artist making designing clothing and enjoy a life of privilege while Ichimei would also marry and establish a successful business growing flowers with his family.
Now in her old age, Alma’s grandson Seth is helping her put her memoirs together, aided by Irina, an assistant at the care home who Alma hires to help her sort her papers. Irina is trying to put her own painful past behind her and is intrigued by Alma’s life. Threaded through the narrative are Alma’s memories of the past as well as tender letters to her from Ichimei over the decades.
I enjoyed all the characters, but like many reviewers did feel that they were kept at a distance as we didn’t fully get to know them. However, in some ways that was in keeping with their characters. Alma was quite a private woman, who enjoyed her independence, while Seth was quiet and gentle and Irina, although bright and bubbly with her elderly clients at the home, was still cautiously finding her way in the world outside. Beautifully written, it is a tender and moving story of love, loss and overcoming adversity.
August 27, 2018
Una storia improbabile
Se la morte che avanza viene raffigurata con la falce, non stupiamoci se gli ultimi palpiti della vecchia protagonista sono rivolti a un giardiniere.
California, in questi ultimi anni.
Una residenza per anziani piuttosto particolare, in cui inspiegabilmente si è ritirata Alma Belasco, ricchissima, di atteggiamento aristocratico e supponente. E' affezionata a poche persone, fra cui l'infermiera Irina. L'intesa fra le due donne svelerà i segreti delle loro rispettive vite.
Una storia punteggiata di drammi e tragedie, anche se l'atmosfera che si respira è melodrammatica, per il sentore agrodolce che impregna tante pagine.
Questo libro dal titolo ottocentesco, lezioso fin dalla copertina, mi ha dato l'impressione di un brutto romanzone d'intrattenimento presumibilmente rivolto ad un pubblico femminile affezionato spettatore di telenovele .
La mentalità di fondo che percorre le improbabili vicende narrate è quella di certi salotti televisivi, cioè basata sui diffusi stereotipi dell'edonismo-laicismo modaiolo spruzzato di femminismo alla panna montata, che intravede nel consumismo volto a soddisfare vanità e desideri, il convenzionale orizzonte valoriale ed estetico. Tant'è che la parte più autentica del testo, quasi collaterale, riguarda la descrizione di un doloroso momento della Storia americana. Il resto mi è parso soprattutto una crema pasticcera inacidita.
La nostra romanziera fa incetta, con superficialità, di tutto ciò di cui si parla in questi anni, per cui gli ingredienti vanno dalla droga all'Aids, dall'ossessione erotica senile al mondo gay; toccando temi come l'eutanasia, gli orrori della pedo-pornografia ... in una trama troppo incalzante, con giravolte e colpi di scena poco credibili. Una storia 'costruita a tavolino' in cui l'autenticità è latitante.
La scrittura tende alla scorrevolezza, ma sovente 'posa', diventa banale, da romanzetto rosa. Infatti troviamo "confidenze sussurrate tra un abbraccio e l'altro", "baci interminabili", poi "la passione", "desideri e segreti", "scaramucce amorose" ; insomma espressioni di quella peste del linguaggio di cui , secondo I. Calvino, la letteratura dovrebbe creare anticorpi.
D'altronde qui le cadute linguistiche sono solo la veste calzante che ricopre una mentalità ormai diffusa e convenzionale che, purtroppo, permea anche questo libro, in cui troppo viene detto in un profluvio di parole che travolge il povero lettore e gli toglie spazi di immaginazione.
"Temo che sia proprio la cattiva letteratura a riempire la testa di sentimenti falsi" (da Marai).
Se la morte che avanza viene raffigurata con la falce, non stupiamoci se gli ultimi palpiti della vecchia protagonista sono rivolti a un giardiniere.
California, in questi ultimi anni.
Una residenza per anziani piuttosto particolare, in cui inspiegabilmente si è ritirata Alma Belasco, ricchissima, di atteggiamento aristocratico e supponente. E' affezionata a poche persone, fra cui l'infermiera Irina. L'intesa fra le due donne svelerà i segreti delle loro rispettive vite.
Una storia punteggiata di drammi e tragedie, anche se l'atmosfera che si respira è melodrammatica, per il sentore agrodolce che impregna tante pagine.
Questo libro dal titolo ottocentesco, lezioso fin dalla copertina, mi ha dato l'impressione di un brutto romanzone d'intrattenimento presumibilmente rivolto ad un pubblico femminile affezionato spettatore di telenovele .
La mentalità di fondo che percorre le improbabili vicende narrate è quella di certi salotti televisivi, cioè basata sui diffusi stereotipi dell'edonismo-laicismo modaiolo spruzzato di femminismo alla panna montata, che intravede nel consumismo volto a soddisfare vanità e desideri, il convenzionale orizzonte valoriale ed estetico. Tant'è che la parte più autentica del testo, quasi collaterale, riguarda la descrizione di un doloroso momento della Storia americana. Il resto mi è parso soprattutto una crema pasticcera inacidita.
La nostra romanziera fa incetta, con superficialità, di tutto ciò di cui si parla in questi anni, per cui gli ingredienti vanno dalla droga all'Aids, dall'ossessione erotica senile al mondo gay; toccando temi come l'eutanasia, gli orrori della pedo-pornografia ... in una trama troppo incalzante, con giravolte e colpi di scena poco credibili. Una storia 'costruita a tavolino' in cui l'autenticità è latitante.
La scrittura tende alla scorrevolezza, ma sovente 'posa', diventa banale, da romanzetto rosa. Infatti troviamo "confidenze sussurrate tra un abbraccio e l'altro", "baci interminabili", poi "la passione", "desideri e segreti", "scaramucce amorose" ; insomma espressioni di quella peste del linguaggio di cui , secondo I. Calvino, la letteratura dovrebbe creare anticorpi.
D'altronde qui le cadute linguistiche sono solo la veste calzante che ricopre una mentalità ormai diffusa e convenzionale che, purtroppo, permea anche questo libro, in cui troppo viene detto in un profluvio di parole che travolge il povero lettore e gli toglie spazi di immaginazione.
"Temo che sia proprio la cattiva letteratura a riempire la testa di sentimenti falsi" (da Marai).
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July 8, 2021الكاتبة "إيزابيل" حكاءة بارعة تختطفك بسحر كلماتها ، تذعن لها حتى النهاية، فالسرد الرشيق يتناغم في حبكة محكمة مشوقة تتنقل عبر الزمن فيما بين أماكن عديدة..
كما لو كانت تصطحبك في رحلة لعوالم تضم طوائف مختلفة من البشر بأختلاف اعمارهم ..طبائعهم ،عقائدهم، و نوازعهم... وتباين مسالكهم في دروب الحياة...
ولكن لم يرق لي الحب هنا ...الذي يقتات على الخيانة والأنانية....
هنا امرأة لامبالية تنساق وراء رغباتها ، لم تكن لتتنازل عن حياة الترف والبذخ التي تحياها لتنتقل للعيش مع رجل يعيش حياة زهيدة بسيطة ...
لم تتمكن رصانته واتزانه من التغلب على خفتها واندفاعها ...
امرأة لطالما التجأت دوماً لمن يكفل لها الأمان والحماية وينتشلها من سقطاتها التي لم تكن تنتهي ابداً...
بعدما تبلغ سن الشيخوخة تدعي بأنها لم تقف في مواجهة الأعراف ولم تكسر التقاليد بالزواج ممن تحب لكنها فى حقيقة الأمر لم تقف في مواجهة نزواتها الجامحة ورغبتها في التمسك بالحياة الرغدة التي كانت تتمتع بها...
وبالرغم من أن الحياة تستمر سيرورتها وتتقلب الأحوال ...يتهدل الجسد وتغزوه التجاعيد...يترنح العقل ما بين الماضى والحاضر ...تتباطأ الخطى ..تنزلق الأشياء من بين الأيادي المرتعشة ..ويتربص الموت بالأرواح ينتظر اجل القبض عليها ...
يتلفت القلب للوراء ما بين لحظة وأخرى للماضي البعيد ..يتجول في أروقته ويقتطف أعذب ذكرياته...يثريها بالحكايات التي لا تنتهي ..والتي يكررها دون ملل فهو لا يعي أنه يفعل ذلك مراراً...فالمرء يشيخ ولكن القلب المُحب لا يشيخ....
وبالرغم من ذلك لم استطع تقبل شاكلة الحب هنا...عذراً ايزابيل....
كما لو كانت تصطحبك في رحلة لعوالم تضم طوائف مختلفة من البشر بأختلاف اعمارهم ..طبائعهم ،عقائدهم، و نوازعهم... وتباين مسالكهم في دروب الحياة...
ولكن لم يرق لي الحب هنا ...الذي يقتات على الخيانة والأنانية....
هنا امرأة لامبالية تنساق وراء رغباتها ، لم تكن لتتنازل عن حياة الترف والبذخ التي تحياها لتنتقل للعيش مع رجل يعيش حياة زهيدة بسيطة ...
لم تتمكن رصانته واتزانه من التغلب على خفتها واندفاعها ...
امرأة لطالما التجأت دوماً لمن يكفل لها الأمان والحماية وينتشلها من سقطاتها التي لم تكن تنتهي ابداً...
بعدما تبلغ سن الشيخوخة تدعي بأنها لم تقف في مواجهة الأعراف ولم تكسر التقاليد بالزواج ممن تحب لكنها فى حقيقة الأمر لم تقف في مواجهة نزواتها الجامحة ورغبتها في التمسك بالحياة الرغدة التي كانت تتمتع بها...
وبالرغم من أن الحياة تستمر سيرورتها وتتقلب الأحوال ...يتهدل الجسد وتغزوه التجاعيد...يترنح العقل ما بين الماضى والحاضر ...تتباطأ الخطى ..تنزلق الأشياء من بين الأيادي المرتعشة ..ويتربص الموت بالأرواح ينتظر اجل القبض عليها ...
يتلفت القلب للوراء ما بين لحظة وأخرى للماضي البعيد ..يتجول في أروقته ويقتطف أعذب ذكرياته...يثريها بالحكايات التي لا تنتهي ..والتي يكررها دون ملل فهو لا يعي أنه يفعل ذلك مراراً...فالمرء يشيخ ولكن القلب المُحب لا يشيخ....
وبالرغم من ذلك لم استطع تقبل شاكلة الحب هنا...عذراً ايزابيل....
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