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Omamori
A DYNASTY WOVEN FROM SILK
1871...A chance encounter on the teeming docks of Yokohama brings together a young American adventurer and the impoverished son of a one-proud samurai line. From this unlikely alliance will come Hosokawa-Napier Limited-a vast business dynasty built on the weaving of the finest silk.
A FORBIDDEN LOVE THAT WILL NEVER DIE
1936...Now as the world lunges toward war, fate challenges the fortunes of two noble families-threatening to lay bare their deepest secrets. Now, Douglas Napier will risk his empire for the love of the Japanese woman who has been his secret mistress for twenty years. Now, the outcast child of that union will dare to claim his birthright. And now, during the last sunlit summer of peace, young Max Napier and Shizue Hosokawa-beautiful, graceful and already promised to the son of a powerful family-will pedge their forbidden love...
AN EPIC STORY OF THE GENERATIONS OF TWO FAMILIES
From the lush green hills of Kyushu, family seat of the Hosokawa clan, to the blood-drenched China prostrate before the advancing armies of the Rising Sun; from Hitler's Berlin to Harvard Yark, San Francisco and the Pacific battlefields beyond; and finally to the nightmare that was Nagasaki, Omamori sweeps us into the lives of men and women bound by unforgiving codes of honor, divided by the inescapable passions.
1871...A chance encounter on the teeming docks of Yokohama brings together a young American adventurer and the impoverished son of a one-proud samurai line. From this unlikely alliance will come Hosokawa-Napier Limited-a vast business dynasty built on the weaving of the finest silk.
A FORBIDDEN LOVE THAT WILL NEVER DIE
1936...Now as the world lunges toward war, fate challenges the fortunes of two noble families-threatening to lay bare their deepest secrets. Now, Douglas Napier will risk his empire for the love of the Japanese woman who has been his secret mistress for twenty years. Now, the outcast child of that union will dare to claim his birthright. And now, during the last sunlit summer of peace, young Max Napier and Shizue Hosokawa-beautiful, graceful and already promised to the son of a powerful family-will pedge their forbidden love...
AN EPIC STORY OF THE GENERATIONS OF TWO FAMILIES
From the lush green hills of Kyushu, family seat of the Hosokawa clan, to the blood-drenched China prostrate before the advancing armies of the Rising Sun; from Hitler's Berlin to Harvard Yark, San Francisco and the Pacific battlefields beyond; and finally to the nightmare that was Nagasaki, Omamori sweeps us into the lives of men and women bound by unforgiving codes of honor, divided by the inescapable passions.
710 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 21, 2012
This novel is set around events that are historical facts and will be freely discussed in this review. In the event that you weren't paying attention during history lessons and are not familiar with what happened in Nazi Germany, Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima and Nagasaki then this review might be a bit spoilerish.
I just love scrounging used book stores and library sales, you never know what long forgotten treasures you'll find and this is one of the best yet. I'm very glad I picked this one up despite the fairly unattractive cover, just look at what is on the step-back inside.
Is that artwork gorgeous or what? The story is centered around Hosokawa-Napier Limited, a silk weaving dynasty that was founded in 1871 between American and Japanese partners. The Great Depression has had its impact on the silk trade, and the current partners, Douglas Napier and Baron Tadashi Hosokawa have to look to new ways to keep their business alive. Manufacturing and selling silk parachutes seems the perfect answer, but the only country currently spending money to build up their military in 1936 would be Germany...
A difficult choice. Do you bankrupt the business, lay off your workers, close the doors and walk away? Or do business withHitler the devil? Along with those complications, there's also the little matter of the children of these two great friends and partners. Maxwell (Max) Napier comes home from school and finds Hosokawa's fifteen year old daughter Shizue a beautiful young woman and the pair are head over heels in love, but interracial marriage is not the done thing, especially for an old Samurai family like Hosokawa.
That's the basic set-up and I don't want to give away more, just fasten your seatbelts 'cause it's going to be a bumpy ride. I loved this book, the writing and most especially the way the author put his characters into known historical events, giving the reader a up close look at those events through their eyes. No long-winded info dumps here, instead you'll get a lively discussion at a business dinner to get you up to speed on Hitler's Germany in 1936. An illegitimate child is added so that the reader can see first hand at how the Japanese shun those of mixed blood. You get to witness Kristallnacht though the eyes of one of the characters, and you'll experience the terror of trying to get out of Germany (and Japan!) before it's too late. Mostcompelling horrifying of all is putting one of the main characters directly at the center of the bombing of Nagasaki and seeing it through his/her eyes (I'm not telling you who). Terrifying stuff. I don't know when I'll emotionally recover.
I loved every one of the 750+ pages in this book and had a hard time finding an excuse not to call in sick to work so I could keep reading. There's plenty of tragedy, heartbreak and nail-biting until the very last pages. According to the brief bio at the back, McGill took seven years to write Omamori and it shows on every page; and for a male author he really does a nice job with his female characters. This book was written in 1987 before the days of all things politically correct, so if you're touchy about certain racial terms this book might not suit. The author doesn't pull any punches with the details about the Japanese wars in China (a great touch sending Paul there as a journalist to witness it firsthand), and of course the bombing of Nagasaki, so if you're a bit squeamish I'd recommend giving this a pass. This book is very much suited to fans of big fat family sagas with plenty of drama, angst and history. 5/5 stars.
I just love scrounging used book stores and library sales, you never know what long forgotten treasures you'll find and this is one of the best yet. I'm very glad I picked this one up despite the fairly unattractive cover, just look at what is on the step-back inside.
Is that artwork gorgeous or what? The story is centered around Hosokawa-Napier Limited, a silk weaving dynasty that was founded in 1871 between American and Japanese partners. The Great Depression has had its impact on the silk trade, and the current partners, Douglas Napier and Baron Tadashi Hosokawa have to look to new ways to keep their business alive. Manufacturing and selling silk parachutes seems the perfect answer, but the only country currently spending money to build up their military in 1936 would be Germany...
A difficult choice. Do you bankrupt the business, lay off your workers, close the doors and walk away? Or do business with
That's the basic set-up and I don't want to give away more, just fasten your seatbelts 'cause it's going to be a bumpy ride. I loved this book, the writing and most especially the way the author put his characters into known historical events, giving the reader a up close look at those events through their eyes. No long-winded info dumps here, instead you'll get a lively discussion at a business dinner to get you up to speed on Hitler's Germany in 1936. An illegitimate child is added so that the reader can see first hand at how the Japanese shun those of mixed blood. You get to witness Kristallnacht though the eyes of one of the characters, and you'll experience the terror of trying to get out of Germany (and Japan!) before it's too late. Most
I loved every one of the 750+ pages in this book and had a hard time finding an excuse not to call in sick to work so I could keep reading. There's plenty of tragedy, heartbreak and nail-biting until the very last pages. According to the brief bio at the back, McGill took seven years to write Omamori and it shows on every page; and for a male author he really does a nice job with his female characters. This book was written in 1987 before the days of all things politically correct, so if you're touchy about certain racial terms this book might not suit. The author doesn't pull any punches with the details about the Japanese wars in China (a great touch sending Paul there as a journalist to witness it firsthand), and of course the bombing of Nagasaki, so if you're a bit squeamish I'd recommend giving this a pass. This book is very much suited to fans of big fat family sagas with plenty of drama, angst and history. 5/5 stars.
November 7, 2011
It's too true when they say you can't judge a book by its cover. I never would've picked out this book but a friend got me interested while she was reading it and by the time she passed it on I was really looking forward to a good read and I was not disappointed. Highly recommend.
March 23, 2024
Excelente livro. Grande livro tanto no número de páginas - 775- quanto no conteúdo. Impossível parar de ler .
Read
September 15, 2022I read this 1987 novel sometime in the 1990s while enamored of all things Asian, a fascination probably owing to the wonderful novels of James Clavell. Indeed, this work seems to be somewhat of a knock-off of that author’s Tai Pan and/or Noble House, dealing as it does with commercial interests which are part American and part Japanese.
Setting against this backdrop a story of interracial romance, an illegitimate mixed-race child, impending war with Germany in Europe and the rise of Japanese expansionism and then carrying it up to and include the atomic bomb falling of Nagasaki provided a vibrant mix of historical fiction, drama and romance.
Unfortunately, a quarter of a century later I cannot recall any lasting impression from this reading.
Setting against this backdrop a story of interracial romance, an illegitimate mixed-race child, impending war with Germany in Europe and the rise of Japanese expansionism and then carrying it up to and include the atomic bomb falling of Nagasaki provided a vibrant mix of historical fiction, drama and romance.
Unfortunately, a quarter of a century later I cannot recall any lasting impression from this reading.
October 30, 2007
I had bought this book at a garage sale years ago but it just sat on my shelf. My Mom and two sisters all read it and could not believe that I hadn't. Soooo I finally opened it up and absolutely loved it!! What a great story, with characters that you can't help to fall in love with.
Written on a backdrop of WWII and Pearl Harbor it illustrated the challenges and hardships of everyone involved, Japanese, Germans and Americans alike and told a picture of loyalty, tradition and love. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great story.
Written on a backdrop of WWII and Pearl Harbor it illustrated the challenges and hardships of everyone involved, Japanese, Germans and Americans alike and told a picture of loyalty, tradition and love. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great story.
December 30, 2015
A fantastic woven tapestry type story. It's a long read but 100% worth it. The book was recommended to me by a friend who said the first chapter is not great but once you're past it, it's a truly wonderful read. I nearly put it down during the first chapter but persisted and was glad I did! A top favourite of all my reads for sure.
October 23, 2012
Well what can i say, you just got to read this one people!!
March 2, 2022
Beautiful. My favourite novel set in Japan
January 4, 2020
Este libro, que he leído por recomendación de Raquel del Club Pickwick, me ha acompañado en estas vacaciones de Navidad. Su lectura me ha hecho recordar el tipo de libro que es "Lo que el viento se llevó", una larga novela con muchos personajes y un trasfondo histórico, y también una historia romántica, que uno puede prever que va a acabar bien. ?Y qué?
También me ha hecho recordar la novela "Sayonara", que trata del racismo entre norteamericanos y japoneses, pero en este caso de Omamori desde el punto de vista japonés.
Como la novela está ambientada en Japón, para mí, por motivos personales, esto es un plus. Y su única dificultad es la cantidad de páginas que tiene y en especial para mis ojos la letra tan pequeña de mi edición, préstamo de la biblioteca.
Me han entrado ganas de retomar mis clases de shodo.
También me ha hecho recordar la novela "Sayonara", que trata del racismo entre norteamericanos y japoneses, pero en este caso de Omamori desde el punto de vista japonés.
Como la novela está ambientada en Japón, para mí, por motivos personales, esto es un plus. Y su única dificultad es la cantidad de páginas que tiene y en especial para mis ojos la letra tan pequeña de mi edición, préstamo de la biblioteca.
Me han entrado ganas de retomar mis clases de shodo.
January 17, 2024
Rated 5/10 Not really my kind of story. Basically an angst ridden love story with patches of interesting detail set prior to and during WW2 and could have been about 400 pages shorter and achieved the same result.
May 8, 2025
Beautifully written . Absolutely loved this book a must read
February 10, 2017
If you truly judged a book by its cover then I have to say that you would in all probability give Omamori a wide birth. In doing so you would be missing out on one of the best reads you are ever likely to come across. Everything about this book, apart from the illustration on the dust jacket, is first rate. I really cannot fault it. I found myself not wanting to be parted from it and putting off household tasks so that I could carry on reading.
The plot, characters, pace, tension, everything about Omamori is just brilliant. It makes a change to see the Second World War and how it affected people from a different perspective, and the sections dealing with the atomic bomb and Nagasaki are quite harrowing. The book brought tears to my eyes several times and I was really quite sad when I came to the end.
Apparently, it took Richard McGill nine years to research and write Omamori, and it shows. If you come across it, dont be put off by the dust jacket. This ones a cracker.
The plot, characters, pace, tension, everything about Omamori is just brilliant. It makes a change to see the Second World War and how it affected people from a different perspective, and the sections dealing with the atomic bomb and Nagasaki are quite harrowing. The book brought tears to my eyes several times and I was really quite sad when I came to the end.
Apparently, it took Richard McGill nine years to research and write Omamori, and it shows. If you come across it, dont be put off by the dust jacket. This ones a cracker.
May 24, 2012
Ienjoy reading, and I bought this book a long time ago as Japan and its culture has immense interests for me. When I first read it I was absolutely taken by the amazing story and the descriptive texts, it was just so captivating. The families and their story, the forbidden love,the war and the way it was written. I`ve talked a lot about this book and till now it`s still is my most favorite book, and I love sharing it with friends. Every couple of years I get back into it and just get to understand a bit more and I would love to find another such story...maybe one day! Sue
January 9, 2011
A fabulous story which starts in the 1800's and spans generations of two families over various continents. The book is never dull, moves fast and depicts the hardships and joys which impacts everyone as the World War II spreads throughout the world.
October 21, 2013
I really enjoyed this book but felt after reading over 700 pages and being so engrossed the the saga that the ending was very weak. It was almost as if the author was too tired and just wanted to be finished.
However, it was a good book.
However, it was a good book.
June 7, 2009
Fabulous Read
October 9, 2012
4.5/5
got to the end of this mammoth book and still found myself wanting to know more about what happened next!
got to the end of this mammoth book and still found myself wanting to know more about what happened next!
October 2, 2012
A lovely read. I happened to come across it in my college library. The story, is the likes of which i have never come across elsewhere.
November 9, 2013
Read it a long time ago and plan on doing so again. A wonderful book.
February 13, 2014
Beautiful Epic novel. My Nana & I both read this fat book!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews