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Cherry Blossom Temple
Marissa Shively’s return to Japan is bittersweet. She’s honoring her husband’s dying wish by visiting the site of their Kyoto honeymoon fifteen years ago.
Leaving Brent’s wedding ring in a pool within a specific temple’s grounds during cherry blossom season is her mission. Marissa is unsure of the official temple name, but she’s confident her heart will lead her to the spot. However, she finds the number of temples in Kyoto daunting and the cherry blossoms aren’t blooming on cue.
Three new friends assist her on her quest; a handsome Japanese businessman, an empathetic widow, and a young boy who has experienced cancer. Through them, Marissa experiences a culture that honors the past while embracing the future. The key, the businessman tells her, is to focus on the present. Marissa’s experiences affirm that honoring her past doesn’t stop her future from unfolding.
Leaving Brent’s wedding ring in a pool within a specific temple’s grounds during cherry blossom season is her mission. Marissa is unsure of the official temple name, but she’s confident her heart will lead her to the spot. However, she finds the number of temples in Kyoto daunting and the cherry blossoms aren’t blooming on cue.
Three new friends assist her on her quest; a handsome Japanese businessman, an empathetic widow, and a young boy who has experienced cancer. Through them, Marissa experiences a culture that honors the past while embracing the future. The key, the businessman tells her, is to focus on the present. Marissa’s experiences affirm that honoring her past doesn’t stop her future from unfolding.
165 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2020
30 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
C.L. Shore
7 books4 followersC.L. Shore began reading mysteries in the second grade, and has been a fan of the genre ever since. Maiden Murders, (2018), a prequel to A Murder in May (2017), is her most recent mystery release. Her short stories have appeared in Sisters in Crime anthologies, Kings River Life Magazine, and Mysterical-E. Cherry Blossom Temple (2020) is her first women’s fiction novel.
Shore has been a member of Sisters in Crime for over a decade, serving as a local board member for several years. A nurse practitioner and researcher, she’s published numerous articles on family coping with epilepsy as Cheryl P. Shore. Shore enjoys travel and entertains a fantasy of living in Ireland for a year.
Shore has been a member of Sisters in Crime for over a decade, serving as a local board member for several years. A nurse practitioner and researcher, she’s published numerous articles on family coping with epilepsy as Cheryl P. Shore. Shore enjoys travel and entertains a fantasy of living in Ireland for a year.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 27, 2021
The book was okay: not terrible but also not gripping. The story is sweet and has a solid premise. I did find that the first half dragged a bit but it picked up in the second half.
I liked the idea that she returned to Japan to fulfil her husband's dying wish. I did feel a bit frustrated that she had done no planning around this trip. I know that the search was a vehicle for her personal growth, but it did seem odd to me that she would make such an expensive trip for such an important reason without doing any research whatsoever prior to going on her trip. She does eventually find the "temple," which was actually a shrine, but it seemed almost as an afterthought. The author goes into great detail about her memories in other locations, yet when Marissa finally finds the place that was the whole point of her trip, she just drops the ring and leaves without much thought or closure. There was more details about the tea she drank through the course of the trip than on the object of her search.
The backstory about her husband's was helped frame her motivation for her trip. It did surprise me to learn they had been married for 15 years. It did make her insistence that the temple would look exactly as she remembered it a little odd. Most people realise that things change in 15 years and won't be precisely the same. The other part that seemed odd was the inclusion of discussions about finances and his father and relating to Brent's potential inheritance. I kept waiting for something to happen that would make these details relevant but it never did. And her complete lack of knowledge about her husband's family after 15 years just makes her seem shallow and self absorbed.
Warning: I'm going to rant now
So the thing that really got on my nerves about this story was the incongruence between her educational background and her actual knowledge. Marissa knows virtually nothing about the Japanese language and only superficial amounts about the culture, and yet she supposedly wrote a doctoral dissertation about a piece of Japanese literature. I mean, she doesn't know the difference between a temple and a shrine yet the reader is expected to believe she is an authority on an ancient piece of Japanese literature. If she had just been a lit professor without the direct connection to Japan I would have found it more believable; I can't accept that any educational institution would accept a dissertation on a piece of literature that was not studied in its original language never mind grant that person a doctorate. It really pulled me out of the narrative.
I liked the idea that she returned to Japan to fulfil her husband's dying wish. I did feel a bit frustrated that she had done no planning around this trip. I know that the search was a vehicle for her personal growth, but it did seem odd to me that she would make such an expensive trip for such an important reason without doing any research whatsoever prior to going on her trip. She does eventually find the "temple," which was actually a shrine, but it seemed almost as an afterthought. The author goes into great detail about her memories in other locations, yet when Marissa finally finds the place that was the whole point of her trip, she just drops the ring and leaves without much thought or closure. There was more details about the tea she drank through the course of the trip than on the object of her search.
The backstory about her husband's was helped frame her motivation for her trip. It did surprise me to learn they had been married for 15 years. It did make her insistence that the temple would look exactly as she remembered it a little odd. Most people realise that things change in 15 years and won't be precisely the same. The other part that seemed odd was the inclusion of discussions about finances and his father and relating to Brent's potential inheritance. I kept waiting for something to happen that would make these details relevant but it never did. And her complete lack of knowledge about her husband's family after 15 years just makes her seem shallow and self absorbed.
Warning: I'm going to rant now
So the thing that really got on my nerves about this story was the incongruence between her educational background and her actual knowledge. Marissa knows virtually nothing about the Japanese language and only superficial amounts about the culture, and yet she supposedly wrote a doctoral dissertation about a piece of Japanese literature. I mean, she doesn't know the difference between a temple and a shrine yet the reader is expected to believe she is an authority on an ancient piece of Japanese literature. If she had just been a lit professor without the direct connection to Japan I would have found it more believable; I can't accept that any educational institution would accept a dissertation on a piece of literature that was not studied in its original language never mind grant that person a doctorate. It really pulled me out of the narrative.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2020
I really enjoyed this sweet story about Marissa, a widow who travels to Japan to honor her husband’s last wish. It was so easy to relate to Marissa, and the people she meets on her journey were interesting in their own ways. I loved the sprinkling of Japanese words (always explained), and the bits about Japanese culture, food, and traditions...well-researched and really painted a picture of the setting. There’s a tiny bit of romance mixed in, but the story is really focused on living for the moment while still remembering the past. Definitely recommend!
September 17, 2020
A lovely pallet cleanser. A book I would have read on a plane or train as I travelled. Something that is not happening in the time of COVID. This book was a gentle escape and took me to a country I have not been to.
January 20, 2021
A nice short and pleasant reading about japan and relationships. Even though I am not a reader of love stories, this book was well-written and not so "sweet" as to be kitschy. And it showed me that I really want to visit Japan.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews