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Star Sand
In 1958, a diary is found in a cave on the small Japanese island of Hatoma. Alongside it are the remains of three people.
The journal reveals the story of Hiromi, a sixteen-year-old girl who’d grown up in the United States before living in Japan in the midst of World War II. One day, while collecting star sand—tiny star-shaped fossils—Hiromi finds two army deserters hiding in the seaside cavern—one American, one Japanese. The soldiers don’t speak the same language, but they’ve reached an agreement based on a shared hope: to cause no more harm and survive. Hiromi resolves to care for the men—feeding them and nursing their ailments—despite the risk that, if caught, she’ll die alongside them as a traitor. But when a fourth person joins in on their secret, they must face a threat from within. The diary abruptly ends, leaving everyone’s fate a mystery.
Decades later, in 2011, a young female university student decides to finally determine who died in that cave and who lived. Her search will lead her to the lone survivor—and bring closure to a gripping tale of heroism at a time when committing to peace was the most dangerous act of all.
The journal reveals the story of Hiromi, a sixteen-year-old girl who’d grown up in the United States before living in Japan in the midst of World War II. One day, while collecting star sand—tiny star-shaped fossils—Hiromi finds two army deserters hiding in the seaside cavern—one American, one Japanese. The soldiers don’t speak the same language, but they’ve reached an agreement based on a shared hope: to cause no more harm and survive. Hiromi resolves to care for the men—feeding them and nursing their ailments—despite the risk that, if caught, she’ll die alongside them as a traitor. But when a fourth person joins in on their secret, they must face a threat from within. The diary abruptly ends, leaving everyone’s fate a mystery.
Decades later, in 2011, a young female university student decides to finally determine who died in that cave and who lived. Her search will lead her to the lone survivor—and bring closure to a gripping tale of heroism at a time when committing to peace was the most dangerous act of all.
206 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
721 people are currently reading
2561 people want to read
About the author
Roger Pulvers
61 books11 followersRoger Pulvers OAM (born 4 May 1944) is an Australian playwright, theatre director and translator. He has published more than 45 books in English and Japanese, from novels to essays, plays, poetry and translations. He has written prolifically for the stage and has seen his plays produced at major theatres in Japan, Australia and in the U.S.
Pulvers has also directed widely in Australia and Japan, both in English and Japanese. He has written original scripts for radio documentaries and dramas that have been produced by ABC (Australia), as well as television scripts for NHK (Japan) and screenplays for feature films. - Wikipedia bio
Pulvers has also directed widely in Australia and Japan, both in English and Japanese. He has written original scripts for radio documentaries and dramas that have been produced by ABC (Australia), as well as television scripts for NHK (Japan) and screenplays for feature films. - Wikipedia bio
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 379 reviews
April 18, 2016
2.5 stars - interesting but hard to believe and somewhat unsatisfying.
This book was an interesting concept of talking about WWII from the perspective of a Japanese-American girl that was living in Japan when the war broke out. The discovery of two AWOL soldiers (one Japanese and one American) promised to make this even more interesting. But the relationship between the two soldiers was weird and hard to believe, the dialogue was stiff (maybe because the book was translated from Japanese?). And this was supposed to be a diary - who would actually write a diary with all that dialogue and some of the other details? But still I had hope... the end, where a modern-day student investigAtes the mystery of the cave, it just seems rushed to come to conclusion. Why did she dress the brother in her clothes? What was the significance of throwing the cast in the ocean? And what was the point of the star sand? Definitely not the best book I've read this year, too bad because it had so much potential.
This book was an interesting concept of talking about WWII from the perspective of a Japanese-American girl that was living in Japan when the war broke out. The discovery of two AWOL soldiers (one Japanese and one American) promised to make this even more interesting. But the relationship between the two soldiers was weird and hard to believe, the dialogue was stiff (maybe because the book was translated from Japanese?). And this was supposed to be a diary - who would actually write a diary with all that dialogue and some of the other details? But still I had hope... the end, where a modern-day student investigAtes the mystery of the cave, it just seems rushed to come to conclusion. Why did she dress the brother in her clothes? What was the significance of throwing the cast in the ocean? And what was the point of the star sand? Definitely not the best book I've read this year, too bad because it had so much potential.
February 10, 2017
This was an odd short story, the idea was promising and I found some descriptions of life on a remote Japanese Island during WW2 interesting, however it seems to me the author run out of ideas on how to end it and spoilt it with a silly character introduced towards the end.
April 6, 2016
What a disappointment.
Not that I had super high hopes for this in the first place, but I was expecting it to be an interesting read. And it was, in parts. At other times, it was a chore to get through. And that’s saying something for a book that takes less than two hours to read.
It went steadily downhill, until I just didn’t care at the end. For that reason, I’m breaking my review into three parts, following the way that the book is divided:
Part One
I liked the idea of Part One. It focuses on the people in the cave: Bob (the American deserter), Iwabuchi (the Japanese deserter), and Hiromi, the girl who stumbles across the both of them and brings them food and supplies. It follows their unlikely friendship and even had some insightful moments:
The first part out of three was thought-provoking – if not as deep and revealing as it could have been – and for that it earns three stars.
Part Two
There isn’t actually much to say about this part, really…it felt detached but not actually detached enough to be representative of a true field report. Does that make sense? I felt that it was there purely for the author to explain the bare facts of the situation. That was certainly its purpose, but I wish that it had been used in a more subtle way.
Part Three
Part Three is where I really lost any good feelings I had toward this novel and just got angry. From Hiroma’s diary and the field report, we are thrust into the head of Hosaka, a girl – I say girl because she certainly does not conduct herself like a young woman – who is supposedly a rising senior in college and yet expresses herself like a 12-year-old.
Take this, for example:
Reflecting on that makes me irritated and so I’ll move on, but let me give you some more examples of our new narrator’s immaturity, such as that time she got something in the mail:
I know, that’s absolutely mind-blowing to learn, isn’t it?
I get that some college students do behave in this way, but I have a hard time believing that such a person would choose to write a thesis on a topic as serious as WWII.
Part Three completely ruined the book for me due to the inexcusably childish narrator and wiped out any good things that Part One may have set up.
Final Rating: 2 stars (because Part One deserves more than 1)
Not that I had super high hopes for this in the first place, but I was expecting it to be an interesting read. And it was, in parts. At other times, it was a chore to get through. And that’s saying something for a book that takes less than two hours to read.
It went steadily downhill, until I just didn’t care at the end. For that reason, I’m breaking my review into three parts, following the way that the book is divided:
Part One
I liked the idea of Part One. It focuses on the people in the cave: Bob (the American deserter), Iwabuchi (the Japanese deserter), and Hiromi, the girl who stumbles across the both of them and brings them food and supplies. It follows their unlikely friendship and even had some insightful moments:
“There was no past, present, or future; there was only beforewar time, duringwar time, and afterwar time, and the three melded together like differently colored metals in an intense fire, taking a shape when the fire cooled down until the heat rose once again and a new form of the same thing was created…the making and remaking of time itself.”The book is very character driven, with little exciting plot. And that’s okay! I like that this is a WWII novel that doesn’t spotlight the fighting or the actual war itself. Rather, it centers on the side effects of the war, on the little bits and pieces that may go unnoticed in other novels. This is a little cave, on a small, nearly uninhabited island, and yet this cave holds two soldiers who are told they should be enemies and nevertheless find themselves bonding over shared experiences. They’re aided by a girl who is Japanese in heritage but American in birth; there is no black and white here. There’s a lot of grey area, and I like that this book showcases the emotional conflict that comes out of war, rather than the physical.
The first part out of three was thought-provoking – if not as deep and revealing as it could have been – and for that it earns three stars.
Part Two
There isn’t actually much to say about this part, really…it felt detached but not actually detached enough to be representative of a true field report. Does that make sense? I felt that it was there purely for the author to explain the bare facts of the situation. That was certainly its purpose, but I wish that it had been used in a more subtle way.
Part Three
Part Three is where I really lost any good feelings I had toward this novel and just got angry. From Hiroma’s diary and the field report, we are thrust into the head of Hosaka, a girl – I say girl because she certainly does not conduct herself like a young woman – who is supposedly a rising senior in college and yet expresses herself like a 12-year-old.
Take this, for example:
“I wasn’t interested much in the war thing before I took Professor Shiroma’s class, and now he’s going to be my supervisor next year. That is just so cool.”The “war thing”? Really?! As if it’s a passing fad, rather than a big event in which millions of lives were lost and millions more were irrevocably changed.
Reflecting on that makes me irritated and so I’ll move on, but let me give you some more examples of our new narrator’s immaturity, such as that time she got something in the mail:
“It was the first time ever that someone sent me a special-delivery letter!”Or that time that one exclamation point just wasn’t enough:
“That’s all okay for him, but I hate economics!!!”Or that time that she threw a hissy fit about her boyfriend:
“Who wants to go out with a TOTAL NERD LIKE YUTAKA!”As a 20-year-old woman myself, I cannot help but be extremely offended that this is how the author thinks we view things. Contrary to his belief, we do not feel the need to scream and shout about every little thing that happens, and we are capable of feeling emotions and having complex thoughts like any other human being.
I know, that’s absolutely mind-blowing to learn, isn’t it?
I get that some college students do behave in this way, but I have a hard time believing that such a person would choose to write a thesis on a topic as serious as WWII.
Part Three completely ruined the book for me due to the inexcusably childish narrator and wiped out any good things that Part One may have set up.
Final Rating: 2 stars (because Part One deserves more than 1)
April 25, 2016
I was prepared to give this a "meh, nothing special but fine" 3 stars, until the end. Part 3 (which is probably only 15-20 pages) was just terrible. The narration jumps to a caricature of a moronic girl, supposedly in college but the author seemed to be channeling an 11 year old, and it was just awful. Ruined the whole thing for me.
April 4, 2016
Star Sand by Roger Pulvers is a beautifully crafted novel that I had the pleasure of discovering as one of Amazon's Kindle First selections for this month. The book's setting on the Japanese island of Hatoma was so atmospheric and painted pictures in my head of a beautiful young woman collecting sand underneath a starry sky while the ocean thrashed against the beach. There was something about even just the descriptions of how Umeno would wrap food into banana leaves and place it in a furoshiki that I found to be captivating.
While I found many aspects of Pulvers' writing in Star Sand to be beautiful, I must say that the true power of this book lies within its message of peace, love, and kindness in a time of war and hatred. The idea of two enemy soldiers finding themselves at the mercy of each other as they both fight for survival is poetic and moving. Their hunger for peace and compassion towards each other hit me right in the heart and made this book a memorable one. I also enjoyed how the book skipped forward to 2011 as it made Umeno, Bob, and Takayasu that much more tangible to me. Sometimes it's easy to forget that so many of the brave men and women who survived the war are still alive, and often times under my care as their nurse.
"He was such a gentle soul. All he wanted in life was to live it without hurting another person. He said that if a person could do that, then that person would find true happiness in life. He accomplished that at a time when it was nearly an impossible thing to do."
Beautiful book!
☆☆☆☆
While I found many aspects of Pulvers' writing in Star Sand to be beautiful, I must say that the true power of this book lies within its message of peace, love, and kindness in a time of war and hatred. The idea of two enemy soldiers finding themselves at the mercy of each other as they both fight for survival is poetic and moving. Their hunger for peace and compassion towards each other hit me right in the heart and made this book a memorable one. I also enjoyed how the book skipped forward to 2011 as it made Umeno, Bob, and Takayasu that much more tangible to me. Sometimes it's easy to forget that so many of the brave men and women who survived the war are still alive, and often times under my care as their nurse.
"He was such a gentle soul. All he wanted in life was to live it without hurting another person. He said that if a person could do that, then that person would find true happiness in life. He accomplished that at a time when it was nearly an impossible thing to do."
Beautiful book!
☆☆☆☆
February 7, 2017
This book has left me with very mixed feelings; I've put 3 stars on here but really it's a 3.5.
The first chapter totally pulled me in and I was hooked on the story pretty quickly. I'm a bit obsessed with books set in Asia at the moment, and I've always wanted to learn more about World War 1 and 2, so this seemed like a perfect read.
I absolutely loved part 1, Bob annoyed me a little but I still enjoyed his character, just as I did the rest of the cast. I loved the idea of the story; 3 unlikely people being pushed together in an awful time, and I was really starting to get into it! Then it suddenly stopped and parts 2 and 3 just confused me - I don't understand why Pulvers ruined a really deep, interesting story with a ridiculously crap ending! If he had continued Hiromi's story further and then ended it on a cliff-hanger that would have been fine... but it didn't finish at a point that made sense to me, and I just didn't see the point of adding in the last 2 parts! It sort of feels like he got bored of writing the story and wrote parts 2 and 3 just so the book had an ending. I'm devastated because I had been really pulled into the story. I've been left feeling very unsatisfied, and incredibly disappointed.
The first chapter totally pulled me in and I was hooked on the story pretty quickly. I'm a bit obsessed with books set in Asia at the moment, and I've always wanted to learn more about World War 1 and 2, so this seemed like a perfect read.
I absolutely loved part 1, Bob annoyed me a little but I still enjoyed his character, just as I did the rest of the cast. I loved the idea of the story; 3 unlikely people being pushed together in an awful time, and I was really starting to get into it! Then it suddenly stopped and parts 2 and 3 just confused me - I don't understand why Pulvers ruined a really deep, interesting story with a ridiculously crap ending! If he had continued Hiromi's story further and then ended it on a cliff-hanger that would have been fine... but it didn't finish at a point that made sense to me, and I just didn't see the point of adding in the last 2 parts! It sort of feels like he got bored of writing the story and wrote parts 2 and 3 just so the book had an ending. I'm devastated because I had been really pulled into the story. I've been left feeling very unsatisfied, and incredibly disappointed.
August 3, 2016
Source: I downloaded this book via Kindle Unlimited.
Cost: Free
Title: Star Sand
Author: Roger Pulvers
Genre: Realistic fiction, historical
Overall Rating: 3 stars
I wanted to rate this book higher, but because I found myself getting bored at parts through this book, I just couldn't. This book follows Hiromi, a 16 year old Japanese girl in WWII as she makes her way through the war with no family, and barely any friends and she comes across a Japanese army deserter and an American soldier who have become unlikely allies. She journals her adventures with them, then after the war, the diary is found along with three bodies, but not Hiromi's herself.
This had such an brilliant premise, unlikely to happen, but it sounded so good but parts of the diary came across as tedious and unnecessary. I finished the book a tad disappointed.
Cost: Free
Title: Star Sand
Author: Roger Pulvers
Genre: Realistic fiction, historical
Overall Rating: 3 stars
I wanted to rate this book higher, but because I found myself getting bored at parts through this book, I just couldn't. This book follows Hiromi, a 16 year old Japanese girl in WWII as she makes her way through the war with no family, and barely any friends and she comes across a Japanese army deserter and an American soldier who have become unlikely allies. She journals her adventures with them, then after the war, the diary is found along with three bodies, but not Hiromi's herself.
This had such an brilliant premise, unlikely to happen, but it sounded so good but parts of the diary came across as tedious and unnecessary. I finished the book a tad disappointed.
April 5, 2016
This is a lovely book about a girl on a small Japanese island in WWII. She takes care of two soldiers, one American and one Japanese who have deserted and are hiding in a cave on the island. It was well written, kept me captivated, and I still wonder if it's a true story or not! It's a quick read and very worth it!!
April 2, 2016
Star Sand, By Roger Pulvers was my Kindle First pick for the month. It was originally released last year in Japanese and will be out in English on 5/01/2016.
For me, this was a beautiful novella, flowing seamlessly over the timespan of the story. The chapters went together fluidly, just the right pace to make a perfect story. My one complaint is that it felt so very short. I worked an eight hour shift today and still read the whole thing in one day! I could not let it go!
It begins April, 02, 1945 on Hatoma Isle in Japan. Umeno Hiromi is half Japanese, half American. Having followed her father back to Japan while her mother and brother stayed in Los Angeles, she feels even more torn apart by the war than others. In the first part we view the world through her diary. She is alone on the island, unsure where her father is or if he is alive. One day while collecting Star Sand from the beach she sees a man going toward the entrance of the cave with a gun pointed at his own head. This is to be her first meeting with two men that will be everything to her in this part of her life: Iwabuchi Takayasu, a Japanese deserter, and an American deserter named Bob. Both are weak and sick, though Bob more than Takayasu. Both are gentle spirits that are disgusted with the war. Hidden in a cave on Hatoma Isle, they rely on Takayasu’s uncle and Hiromi to bring supplies and keep their secret.
When Uncle is in danger of being taken prisoner on minor charges (keeping livestock he should have given up) he leaves the trio alone to fend for themselves-but not before throwing in one large complication. Iwabuchi Hajime is Takayasu’s older brother and completely different from the gentle soul. He hates Takayasu and Hiromi for what he perceives as their crimes against Japan. In gentle Bob, he can only see the American enemy. The four cannot exist together and it ends explosively with three bodies and a diary in a cave.
Part two is a post-war report on the finding on Hatoma Isle. By part three the date is December 12th, 2011. A young college student is working on what she calls her Okinawa project. Basically, about how much was still unknown about Okinawa and how the war ravaged the lives of the people there. Hosaka Shiho delves deep into the libraries and surfaces with the diary of a young girl. Finding inconsistencies, she brings them back to the experts and they find that The diary was written years after the incidents in the cave took place. Shiho can’t let these things go- the diary was found in the cave with the bodies! She has to find out what happened and how it got there! The truth is unbelievable- you have to read it to see!
Again, this book isn’t out in English until 05/01/2016, but you can have it now through Kindle First for $1.99 or preorder it for $5.99. Don’t let this one pass you by!
On the adult content scale, I give it a two. There is violence, but this is a book I would hand anyone ten and above. I don’t feel it was meant to be a young adult novel, but it works for both that genre and adult fiction.
For me, this was a beautiful novella, flowing seamlessly over the timespan of the story. The chapters went together fluidly, just the right pace to make a perfect story. My one complaint is that it felt so very short. I worked an eight hour shift today and still read the whole thing in one day! I could not let it go!
It begins April, 02, 1945 on Hatoma Isle in Japan. Umeno Hiromi is half Japanese, half American. Having followed her father back to Japan while her mother and brother stayed in Los Angeles, she feels even more torn apart by the war than others. In the first part we view the world through her diary. She is alone on the island, unsure where her father is or if he is alive. One day while collecting Star Sand from the beach she sees a man going toward the entrance of the cave with a gun pointed at his own head. This is to be her first meeting with two men that will be everything to her in this part of her life: Iwabuchi Takayasu, a Japanese deserter, and an American deserter named Bob. Both are weak and sick, though Bob more than Takayasu. Both are gentle spirits that are disgusted with the war. Hidden in a cave on Hatoma Isle, they rely on Takayasu’s uncle and Hiromi to bring supplies and keep their secret.
When Uncle is in danger of being taken prisoner on minor charges (keeping livestock he should have given up) he leaves the trio alone to fend for themselves-but not before throwing in one large complication. Iwabuchi Hajime is Takayasu’s older brother and completely different from the gentle soul. He hates Takayasu and Hiromi for what he perceives as their crimes against Japan. In gentle Bob, he can only see the American enemy. The four cannot exist together and it ends explosively with three bodies and a diary in a cave.
Part two is a post-war report on the finding on Hatoma Isle. By part three the date is December 12th, 2011. A young college student is working on what she calls her Okinawa project. Basically, about how much was still unknown about Okinawa and how the war ravaged the lives of the people there. Hosaka Shiho delves deep into the libraries and surfaces with the diary of a young girl. Finding inconsistencies, she brings them back to the experts and they find that The diary was written years after the incidents in the cave took place. Shiho can’t let these things go- the diary was found in the cave with the bodies! She has to find out what happened and how it got there! The truth is unbelievable- you have to read it to see!
Again, this book isn’t out in English until 05/01/2016, but you can have it now through Kindle First for $1.99 or preorder it for $5.99. Don’t let this one pass you by!
On the adult content scale, I give it a two. There is violence, but this is a book I would hand anyone ten and above. I don’t feel it was meant to be a young adult novel, but it works for both that genre and adult fiction.
June 1, 2016
Beautifully written book of war, WWII . Asks the the questions of who is the enemy, what makes an enemy, and about survival.
April 6, 2017
I picked this book up because the idea and concept sounded so mysterious and interesting!
A diary from WWII written by a young Japanese woman hiding out in a cave with 2 wounded soldiers from both sides - sounded like a great read. Still does actually which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of one - concept.
This book ended up being so slow and so uneventful and unsatisfying. I usually read thrillers and mysteries and this was neither of those although recommended as one.
The narration throughout - regardless of who is narrating was obnoxious, especially the student at the end.
Midway through I felt as if I was reading a novel intended for a younger audience. There was so much innocence in a story that to me, was extremely lacking in elements and depth.
I didn't even realize this was supposed to be a short story since it took me so long to get through.
A diary from WWII written by a young Japanese woman hiding out in a cave with 2 wounded soldiers from both sides - sounded like a great read. Still does actually which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of one - concept.
This book ended up being so slow and so uneventful and unsatisfying. I usually read thrillers and mysteries and this was neither of those although recommended as one.
The narration throughout - regardless of who is narrating was obnoxious, especially the student at the end.
Midway through I felt as if I was reading a novel intended for a younger audience. There was so much innocence in a story that to me, was extremely lacking in elements and depth.
I didn't even realize this was supposed to be a short story since it took me so long to get through.
March 22, 2017
New WWII perspective
I'm a big fan of WWII fiction AND non-fiction. This read like both!! Quick read but really grabs you from beginning. I felt Pulvers captured the feel of the time period extremely well and that the characters were well drawn for how short the story was. I enjoyed this!
"Isn't that what some people call a kind of love? Being left alone to fulfill your life as you see fit in the presence of others you care about, whoever they might be? Once you are brought together with someone, they can not be ignored or forgotten." (pg 69-70)
"The vital thing is to look after those who come into your reach while you are still alive, good people, bad people, all people." (pg 96)
"I have never been good at dealing with conflict. Rather than defend myself or attack the other person, I simply withdraw into myself and sulk, rehearsing in my mind, often with hand gestures and whispered words, arguments on both sides of the conflict." (pg 105)
I'm a big fan of WWII fiction AND non-fiction. This read like both!! Quick read but really grabs you from beginning. I felt Pulvers captured the feel of the time period extremely well and that the characters were well drawn for how short the story was. I enjoyed this!
"Isn't that what some people call a kind of love? Being left alone to fulfill your life as you see fit in the presence of others you care about, whoever they might be? Once you are brought together with someone, they can not be ignored or forgotten." (pg 69-70)
"The vital thing is to look after those who come into your reach while you are still alive, good people, bad people, all people." (pg 96)
"I have never been good at dealing with conflict. Rather than defend myself or attack the other person, I simply withdraw into myself and sulk, rehearsing in my mind, often with hand gestures and whispered words, arguments on both sides of the conflict." (pg 105)
May 6, 2017
A different look at war life
I really enjoyed this book. Written in three parts as a diary entry. It's a short book but written well with the point of view of a young Japanese girl during WW2. I loved all the characters and each one was so well described you understood exactly what was going on in their head. I just really loved it. A must read for everyone
I really enjoyed this book. Written in three parts as a diary entry. It's a short book but written well with the point of view of a young Japanese girl during WW2. I loved all the characters and each one was so well described you understood exactly what was going on in their head. I just really loved it. A must read for everyone
February 14, 2017
I liked this book, although the writing was a bit choppy. The first and third parts were enthralling; the mid-part slowed down a bit for me.
It's a fast read and afterwards, I felt as if I had been on an isolated beach with a lovely grotto nearby.
It's a fast read and afterwards, I felt as if I had been on an isolated beach with a lovely grotto nearby.
September 25, 2017
A very engaging story of a Japanese soldier and an American soldier hiding together in a cave in the final days of WWII.
May 1, 2016
From his author page, we read: “Roger Pulvers is an author, playwright, theater director, and translator. He has published more than forty-five books in English and Japanese, including novels, essays, plays, and poetry. He also translates works from Japanese, Russian, and Polish.”
With a résumé like that, you would expect some good work, or at least fair writing. But reading Star Sand is like going through something that was written by a real novice. I did not know the author’s credentials as I was reading his book; I found it at the end on the “about the author” section.
Having just finished Dickens’ Nicholas Nickleby before reading this book, I was glad for the change of pace. The story isn’t long and doesn’t have Dickens’ irritating knack for going on and on. Star Sand is told in three parts: the first during WW2; the second, which is very short, in the 1950’s; and the last section in the 2000’s.
The WW2 part is told through a diary of a sixteen-year-old Japanese American girl who is helping two deserters, one Japanese and the other American. This was getting to the point of being boring due to its repetitious nature of her activities, but thankfully, that is when the section came to an end. The two deserters hole up in a cave on a small island that was far enough removed from the war for it to be a safe haven, though the men could not venture far from the cave for fear of being caught and executed. The girl is there for the relative safety of the place as well.
The story does a pretty good job of showing the absurdity of war, the hating and killing of other humans just because they live on the other side of a line at the orders from some person who says you should. The girl being Japanese American serves well as a symbol of the fact that we are, after all, humans on the planet earth, not just residents of one particular country. I realize most people don’t take a larger world view of things and prefer to look at themselves and others through the lens of nationalism. But there are those that feel like Albert Einstein, who said, “Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.” And during war, mankind’s measles comes on at its worst.
I wish Roger Pulvers would have written a more powerful short story, but his ineptitude leaves us with only a fair one that lacks suspense and, most of all, emotion. I give it three stars because he attempted a worthy subject in what could have been an interesting way and because he kept it short.
With a résumé like that, you would expect some good work, or at least fair writing. But reading Star Sand is like going through something that was written by a real novice. I did not know the author’s credentials as I was reading his book; I found it at the end on the “about the author” section.
Having just finished Dickens’ Nicholas Nickleby before reading this book, I was glad for the change of pace. The story isn’t long and doesn’t have Dickens’ irritating knack for going on and on. Star Sand is told in three parts: the first during WW2; the second, which is very short, in the 1950’s; and the last section in the 2000’s.
The WW2 part is told through a diary of a sixteen-year-old Japanese American girl who is helping two deserters, one Japanese and the other American. This was getting to the point of being boring due to its repetitious nature of her activities, but thankfully, that is when the section came to an end. The two deserters hole up in a cave on a small island that was far enough removed from the war for it to be a safe haven, though the men could not venture far from the cave for fear of being caught and executed. The girl is there for the relative safety of the place as well.
The story does a pretty good job of showing the absurdity of war, the hating and killing of other humans just because they live on the other side of a line at the orders from some person who says you should. The girl being Japanese American serves well as a symbol of the fact that we are, after all, humans on the planet earth, not just residents of one particular country. I realize most people don’t take a larger world view of things and prefer to look at themselves and others through the lens of nationalism. But there are those that feel like Albert Einstein, who said, “Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.” And during war, mankind’s measles comes on at its worst.
I wish Roger Pulvers would have written a more powerful short story, but his ineptitude leaves us with only a fair one that lacks suspense and, most of all, emotion. I give it three stars because he attempted a worthy subject in what could have been an interesting way and because he kept it short.
April 17, 2016
Was this story possibly a play that got fleshed out, in order to turn it into a short novel? If so, I don't think that worked. While the protagonist, 16-year-old Hiromi, was complex enough to be interesting, no one else in the story elicited much empathy. Maybe in Japan, where this book was first published, the two soldiers in the cave would have been seen as captivating; but to many American readers, they will only seem sad and broken. One editorial review I saw said the book should be read by all middle and high school students. In what country? In the United States, I don't think so. Most kids would probably find the two soldiers not only strange but possibly creepy. Moreover, there is explicit violence and gruesome body descriptions, as well as graves being dug up.
The reader also has no idea that the first part of the novel is a diary, until that is explained much later in the story. In that latter part, a college student is trying to solve the mystery of the skeletons found in the cave after the war, as well as solve a mystery about the diary itself. The student is hyper-happy and carefree, obviously to show the difference between the lives of those who grow up in a war-torn country and those who do not. The two mysteries are solved at the end of the book, but those solved mysteries seem nothing but odd.
P.S. 4/17: Another reviewer at Amazon mentioned something about someone's son at the end of the story that I totally did not notice. Due to that, I now think this story is odder than odd and am giving it only one star.
The reader also has no idea that the first part of the novel is a diary, until that is explained much later in the story. In that latter part, a college student is trying to solve the mystery of the skeletons found in the cave after the war, as well as solve a mystery about the diary itself. The student is hyper-happy and carefree, obviously to show the difference between the lives of those who grow up in a war-torn country and those who do not. The two mysteries are solved at the end of the book, but those solved mysteries seem nothing but odd.
P.S. 4/17: Another reviewer at Amazon mentioned something about someone's son at the end of the story that I totally did not notice. Due to that, I now think this story is odder than odd and am giving it only one star.
April 15, 2016
Webster's defines novel as: "new and not resembling something formerly known or used..." Well, for me this was novel in the truest sense of the word, and it seemed just about perfect for a Kindle First selection, having been originally written in a language other than English and unlikely to have found its way onto my reading list through conventional means.
For better or worse, I've been reading a lot (arguably too much) about or related to WWII recently, so I was pleased that the author's take was refreshingly unlike much of the mainstream fiction (and non-fiction) I'm familiar with, placing the action in an unusual place - a lightly inhabited Japanese Island - and populating his tale with a small cast of quirky, if not strange - and, in any event, foreign, but nonetheless intriguing, characters.
While the fact that it's unique and different ensures that it's novel, I would hesitate to shelve this as literary fiction. The voice and prose are as unconventional as is the plot and the packaging. In addition to being novel, the book is quite brief, and, at under 200 pages, light enough that the curiosity didn't wear off before any number of criticisms could detract from the experience.
For better or worse, I've been reading a lot (arguably too much) about or related to WWII recently, so I was pleased that the author's take was refreshingly unlike much of the mainstream fiction (and non-fiction) I'm familiar with, placing the action in an unusual place - a lightly inhabited Japanese Island - and populating his tale with a small cast of quirky, if not strange - and, in any event, foreign, but nonetheless intriguing, characters.
While the fact that it's unique and different ensures that it's novel, I would hesitate to shelve this as literary fiction. The voice and prose are as unconventional as is the plot and the packaging. In addition to being novel, the book is quite brief, and, at under 200 pages, light enough that the curiosity didn't wear off before any number of criticisms could detract from the experience.
July 23, 2016
This was a quick read and I thought it had an interesting premise. A young girl, 16 year old Hiromi, is living in Japan during WWII. One day, as she is collecting star sand, she discovers a cave where 2 men have been hiding out. Both are deserters, one American and one Japanese. Although it's a dangerous decision, she decides to help the two men and brings food and medicines to them. Then another person comes to the cave and really upsets the atmosphere of peace and friendship that has developed among the 3. Years later, the cave is discovered again and there are the remains of 3 people there along with a diary. The diary ended abruptly after the 4th person appeared and so no one is sure which of persons from the diary are left in the cave and what exactly happened. Eventually, the mystery is solved. I won't go into that--no spoilers except for this. The reader does not realize that the entire first part of the book is actually a diary until the end of part 1 and I wish I had known that. I'm not really sure why I think that would have made a difference but I was just startled when the information was revealed.
June 3, 2020
excellent
un livre très instructif, touchant, qui fait voyager à une autre époque. les descriptions sont justes et réalistes. je recommande ce livre à quiconque a envie de se questionner sur ses idéaux, ses valeurs et ses limites.
un livre très instructif, touchant, qui fait voyager à une autre époque. les descriptions sont justes et réalistes. je recommande ce livre à quiconque a envie de se questionner sur ses idéaux, ses valeurs et ses limites.
May 12, 2016
some readers have commented abt how this short novel kept them up, and I am among them - others have complained that the shift in narrative perspective in the last 1/3 of the story irritated or disappointed them.
For me it was more puzzling than irritating, but it did feel trivializing in a way / but maybe that's part of the puzzle?
that we can most easily idealize the heroism of war by trivializing the trials of the prosaic contemporary? that in contrast to the commonplace can we best idealize the past ?
i would like to read a review or two by someone who had read this in the original Japanese edition - I'd like also to know if the author did his own translation to the English ? therein I think lays some of the rub of this, of the feeling that the three thirds don't make up a satisfying whole ?
For me it was more puzzling than irritating, but it did feel trivializing in a way / but maybe that's part of the puzzle?
that we can most easily idealize the heroism of war by trivializing the trials of the prosaic contemporary? that in contrast to the commonplace can we best idealize the past ?
i would like to read a review or two by someone who had read this in the original Japanese edition - I'd like also to know if the author did his own translation to the English ? therein I think lays some of the rub of this, of the feeling that the three thirds don't make up a satisfying whole ?
February 8, 2017
A surprise worth reading.
I think it depends on your mood but at first it was a slow read. Perfect beach read. And then...the end. I always like a twist and surprise.
I think it depends on your mood but at first it was a slow read. Perfect beach read. And then...the end. I always like a twist and surprise.
April 5, 2016
Star Sand was my April free book from Kindle First. The premise of the brief novel, three skeletons discovered years after the conclusion of WWII, sounded promising but it did not deliver. The bodies of one Japanese soldier, one American soldier, and a Japanese teenager are found in a watery cave. Why were they there? How and why did they come together? Readers never truly discover why the soldiers deserted which is the foundation of the story.
May 13, 2016
A heart warming novel
Star sand has an idyllic setting that makes it a great read before bed. The story is heart clenching and filled with narrative details and plot changes that make it very interesting. The ending has a shift in perspective which is superb. The shift in perspective at the end teaches that war lives on through history and memories, and that it is essential to consider our role in what has passed. L
Star sand has an idyllic setting that makes it a great read before bed. The story is heart clenching and filled with narrative details and plot changes that make it very interesting. The ending has a shift in perspective which is superb. The shift in perspective at the end teaches that war lives on through history and memories, and that it is essential to consider our role in what has passed. L
May 4, 2017
Melancholy
I am the daughter of a WWII veteran who was a prisoner of war for 44 months. He was captured in the Pacific shortly after Pearl Harbor.
It seemed this story might give me some insight into his experience.
This story may not have given me the insight I sought but it moved me to tears.
I grew up surrounded by the stories of the war in the Pacific. I found this story to be incredibly moving. It did show me how that war affected us all and still does.
I am the daughter of a WWII veteran who was a prisoner of war for 44 months. He was captured in the Pacific shortly after Pearl Harbor.
It seemed this story might give me some insight into his experience.
This story may not have given me the insight I sought but it moved me to tears.
I grew up surrounded by the stories of the war in the Pacific. I found this story to be incredibly moving. It did show me how that war affected us all and still does.
May 28, 2017
Wonderful!
I've been intending to read this for awhile. I'm so glad I finally did!
Three people, an American army deserter, a Japanese deserter, and an American-Japanese teenaged girl come together in an unusual place and circumstances, during wartime. They become allies in a way that transcends country, language or war United in a quest for peace and survival. Five stars.
I've been intending to read this for awhile. I'm so glad I finally did!
Three people, an American army deserter, a Japanese deserter, and an American-Japanese teenaged girl come together in an unusual place and circumstances, during wartime. They become allies in a way that transcends country, language or war United in a quest for peace and survival. Five stars.
April 11, 2016
Free book from Amazon and I can see why. Poor flow and a weird story that didn't really make much sense in the end. Character motivation felt odd, why did any of them do much of what they did...no clue really. I just really didn't like it.
April 19, 2016
Story line quite interesting; however something was lacking.
May 27, 2017
La première partie du roman se déroule du 2 au 8 avril 1945 sur Hatoma, une île au sud-ouest du Japon. Le sujet qu'a choisi de traiter l'auteur est très difficile et complexe puisque nous nous retrouvons pendant la seconde guerre mondiale, c'est un choix audacieux qu'il a fait, choisir de nous narrer le point de vue d'une adolescente de 17 ans. Mais peut-on vraiment parler d’adolescence quand notre quotidien se constitue de peur, d'incertitudes, d'interrogations et de morts? Comment savoir ce qui est juste?
La protagoniste de l'histoire, Hiromi, vit seule depuis le décès de sa tante, elle n'a aucune nouvelle de sa famille, éparpillée entre le Japon et Etats-Unis ; c'est une battante que la vie n'a pas épargnée. En rencontrant M. Iwabuchi et Bob, un soldat japonais, l'autre américain, elle est rapidement confrontée à un dilemme car elle encourt la peine de mort pour avoir apporter son aide a ces deux hommes.
Une relation basée sur le respect mutuel s'établit entre eux, qu'importe la barrière de la langue. Si le personnage de M. Iwabuchi est assez bien développé, ancien poète il détient une étonnante sagesse et se contente de prendre la vie comme elle vient, Bob est souvent relayé au second plan. Nous n'apprenons que quelques détails futiles le concernant, rien de bien pertinent alors qu'il devrait être au centre de l'histoire.
En débutant la deuxième partie : un rapport d’investigation, j'ai été déroutée puisqu'il ne me restait qu'une trentaine de pages et que j'apprenais seulement maintenant que je lisais le journal d'Hiromi! Le résumé était prometteur, une universitaire qui découvre une sombre histoire des années plus tard, je m'attendais à ce que le roman soit organisé autrement. 28 pages pour découvrir la vérité, de nos jours, c'est très court, je n'ai pas compris le choix de l'auteur.
La dernière partie se passe en 2011 et est du point de vue de l'universitaire ; le registre de langue est totalement différent et ça m'a vraiment dérangée, le texte est ponctué de "cool" à tout va, j'ai eu l'impression de lire le journal intime d'une ado alors que c'est censé être une adulte d'une vingtaine d'années. Malgré cet aspect de la lecture dérangeante, la fin m'a quand même surprise et a éclaircie les parts d'ombres de l'histoire. Je n'attendais pas ce revirement de situation, ce sont les toutes dernières pages qui font du roman de Roger Pulvers un roman à avoir lu.
http://littherapie.blogspot.fr/2017/0...
La protagoniste de l'histoire, Hiromi, vit seule depuis le décès de sa tante, elle n'a aucune nouvelle de sa famille, éparpillée entre le Japon et Etats-Unis ; c'est une battante que la vie n'a pas épargnée. En rencontrant M. Iwabuchi et Bob, un soldat japonais, l'autre américain, elle est rapidement confrontée à un dilemme car elle encourt la peine de mort pour avoir apporter son aide a ces deux hommes.
Une relation basée sur le respect mutuel s'établit entre eux, qu'importe la barrière de la langue. Si le personnage de M. Iwabuchi est assez bien développé, ancien poète il détient une étonnante sagesse et se contente de prendre la vie comme elle vient, Bob est souvent relayé au second plan. Nous n'apprenons que quelques détails futiles le concernant, rien de bien pertinent alors qu'il devrait être au centre de l'histoire.
En débutant la deuxième partie : un rapport d’investigation, j'ai été déroutée puisqu'il ne me restait qu'une trentaine de pages et que j'apprenais seulement maintenant que je lisais le journal d'Hiromi! Le résumé était prometteur, une universitaire qui découvre une sombre histoire des années plus tard, je m'attendais à ce que le roman soit organisé autrement. 28 pages pour découvrir la vérité, de nos jours, c'est très court, je n'ai pas compris le choix de l'auteur.
La dernière partie se passe en 2011 et est du point de vue de l'universitaire ; le registre de langue est totalement différent et ça m'a vraiment dérangée, le texte est ponctué de "cool" à tout va, j'ai eu l'impression de lire le journal intime d'une ado alors que c'est censé être une adulte d'une vingtaine d'années. Malgré cet aspect de la lecture dérangeante, la fin m'a quand même surprise et a éclaircie les parts d'ombres de l'histoire. Je n'attendais pas ce revirement de situation, ce sont les toutes dernières pages qui font du roman de Roger Pulvers un roman à avoir lu.
http://littherapie.blogspot.fr/2017/0...
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