A Single Rose

The Uenos #1

by Muriel Barbery, Alison Anderson (Translation)

From the best-selling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes a story about a woman's journey to discover the father she never knew and a love she never thought possible.

Rose has just turned forty when she gets a call from a lawyer asking her to come to Kyoto for the reading of her estranged father's will. And so for the first time in her life she finds herself in Japan, where Paul, her father's assistant, is waiting to greet her.

As Paul guides Rose along a mysterious itinerary designed by her deceased father, her bitterness and anger are soothed by the stones and the trees in the Zen gardens they move through. During their walks, Rose encounters acquaintances of her father--including a potter and poet, an old lady friend, his housekeeper and chauffeur--whose interactions help her to slowly begin to accept a part of herself that she has never before acknowledged.

As the reading of the will gets closer, Rose's father finally, posthumously, opens his heart to his daughter, offering her a poignant understanding of his love and a way to accept all she has lost.

Genres: Fiction, Japan, Romance, Contemporary, France, Literary Fiction, Novels

142 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 19, 2020

About the author

Muriel Barbery is a French novelist and professor of philosophy. Barbery entered the École Normale Supérieure de Fontenay-Saint-Cloud in 1990 and obtained her agrégation in philosophy in 1993. She then taught philosophy at the Université de Bourgogne, in a lycée, and at the Saint-Lô IUFM.
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La timide et très discrète Muriel Barbery ne s’imaginait sans doute pas faire l’objet de l’engouement qu’elle suscite aujourd’hui, bien malgré elle.

Ce succès, elle le connaît grâce à ses deux livres : Une Gourmandise et surtout L'élégance du hérisson.

Née au Maroc, à Casablanca en 1969, Muriel Barbery regagne la France, le Calvados plus précisément, pour se consacrer à ses études. Elle s’inscrit à l’Ecole Normale Supérieure de Fontenay-Saint-Cloud et y fait des études en philosophie. Elle obtient alors un DEA, qui lui permet de devenir professeur.

Habitant les environs de Bayeux, toujours en Basse Normandie, elle enseigne d’abord dans un lycée, à Saint-Lô.

Muriel Barbery plonge dans bon nombre d’ouvrages, mais confie volontiers que, plus que tous les autres, Guerre et Paix du romancier russe Léon Tolstoï , la fascine encore aujourd’hui.

Sa manière d’écrire insolite, et qu’elle qualifie elle-même de désordonnée, ne lui fait pas penser qu’elle se lancerait un jour dans la fabuleuse aventure qu'est la sienne.

Pourtant, en 2000, Stéphane, son époux qui a été pour beaucoup dans sa réussite, l’encourage à écrire et à publier son premier roman, qu’elle intitule Une Gourmandise (éditions Gallimard). Le succès est énorme, et la surprend elle-même. Traduit en 12 langues et vendu à 200 000 exemplaires, ce livre raconte l’histoire du plus grand des critiques gastronomiques, qui, ayant appris qu’il vivait ses derniers jours, part à la recherche d’une saveur bien particulière mais insaisissable qui le replonge dans son enfance.

Mais c’est en 2006 que Muriel Barbery vit ses plus grands moments de gloire. En effet, c’est l’année où Gallimard publie L'élégance du Hérisson, qui la propulse littéralement parmi les meilleurs auteurs populaires. Elle se retrouve notamment classée dans les 10 romanciers les plus vendus en 2007. L’Élégance du Hérisson relate la vie de trois personnages. Renée, une concierge d’immeuble, avec tous les attributs que l’on prête habituellement aux concierges, qui est secrètement passionnée de philosophie. Paloma est une adolescente bourgeoise. Et le troisième est un riche amateur d’art japonais. Cette satire sociale sera vendue à plus d’un million d’exemplaires.

Suite à la parution de ce roman, Muriel Barbery reçoit deux belles distinctions : le Prix des Librairies et le Prix des Bibliothèques pour tous. Elle est aussi couronnée du Prix Georges Brassens et du Prix Rotary International.

Ce succès commercial lui permet de réaliser son rêve et d’assouvir sa passion pour le Japon, puisqu’elle décide de mettre sa vie de professeur de philosophie entre parenthèses pour s’installer à Kyoto pendant quelques temps.

http://www.elle.fr/Personnalites/Muri...

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery, Alison Anderson (Translation) is a 2021 Europa Editions publication.

This lushly written novella length story profiles the reexamination of Rose’s distant and estranged relationship with her father, who has recently passed away. Rose travels to Japan, planning to stay only long enough to discover the contents of her father’s will.

Her host for the duration of her visit is Paul, her father’s assistant. As Paul leads Rose through Japan, her resentfulness towards her father begins to soften, as she examines her own life and tendencies, reflecting on her upbringing and her father’s legacy.

This is a poignant story, mingled with whimsy, and a wry sense of humor. The writing style might not appeal to all readers, as it is ‘flowery’ – quite Literally.

That said, I loved the allusions and allegories, and the writing was fitting complemented the themes of the story.

Overall, this a lovely story, a wondrous journey, and reawakening for Rose, with a hint of a more contented and fulfilled future.

4 stars

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this wonderful little book a few minutes ago… while spinning on the bike. I’ll write a review in a day or two.

It was THE PERFECT book I needed right now!
I’m embarrassed to say how much I feel like crying —
Instead - I’ll just take a walk — and enjoy nature’s beauty!
5 easy stars - for the feelings that move me most in life:
LOVE!


I’m back…
“A Single Rose” is about a woman, named Rose, who goes to Kyoto, Japan, [her first trip ever], after her estranged father, Haru Unen, died - to receive the reading of the will he left for her.
The journey that Rose takes isn’t anything she could have
predicted. Readers might feel some predictability coming down the pipes (in fact I’m sure of it), but holy moly ….most readers won’t mind one bit……and can easily be read in one or two sittings.

If readers have read “The Elegance of the Hedgehog”…and loved its bittersweet story — there is a great chance, (although a completely different tale), the same mutual feelings will be felt again with kindred souls blossoming along side Cherry trees.

Rose will meet several friends and acquaintances of her father: a potter, a poet, a lady friend, his housekeeper, and chauffeur.
Paul, Haru’s old assistant, is the person who gives Rose day trip experiences of Japan.
During their adventures in restaurants, temples, galleries, rivers, eating yummy foods, drinks, … while taking in the environmental beauty, ….
the dialogue between Paul and Rose is priceless- witty- funny- thought provoking- tender and moving.
Under their talks….some humor and sarcasm….they are covertly opening up more serious life conversations > gently, subtly, and purely.

Readers will be treated to book-side-experiences of Japan, too….
I’m a big peonie fan…so I was in heaven … other plants mention our Japanese irises, lilacs, azaleas, camellia bushes, hollow bamboo, maple, etc. The hills are green and blue. The zen stones, tatami mats, rivers with herons along the banks give us a feeling of being transported to Japan ourselves.

Lots of Sake and beer… Matcha green tea, raw fish, octopus tentacles, orange sea urchins, Ginger, tuna sushi, vinegary rice, White radishes, onions, roots, local sprouts, balls filled with steaming bullion, plump white noodles, toasted sesame seeds, raw veggies, udon > “you eat, and then you start over”

We learn more about Rose’s father - his business - his purpose - his skills and charms.
We also learn a little more about Rose’s mother - and about Paul.

Best of all for me was Rose’s character herself. She said she came from a monomaniacal family; her mother was all sadnesses. She was all anger.
Ha…she herself might say that she was not only a botanist, but apparently “a pain in the ass”.

Themes of love, loss, death, understanding, growth, anger, forgiveness, and redemption take place. Overall, its all about love.

A few sample excerpts:
“Maybe life is no more than a picture you can see from behind a tree. We are offered life as a whole, but we can only see it through a succession of viewpoints. Depression makes you blind to perspectives. Life as a whole crushes you”.

“Rose preferred cats to men. She valued flowers and plants but was kept from them by an invisible veil that overshadowed their beauty and deprived them of life— and yet she felt that something, in that bark, those familiar corollas, quivered and sought to befriend her. But the years were passing, and the icy water of her nightmares, a black water in which she was slowly drowning, gradually came to dominate her days”.

“If a person is not prepared to suffer, they are not prepared to live”.

Thank you Netgalley, Europa Editions, and Muriel Barbery

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful love story and so much more. One woman’s journey to Japan to learn about her deceased father whom she never knew, but in essence a journey of self discovery, of what happiness feels like. The novella is full of images, memories enhancing the philosophical nature of Rose’s journey. Ultimately, it’s filled with beauty, love and hope.

I can’t quite give it 5 stars because while the writing is beautiful, I think that writing can be beautiful and descriptive without every noun needing an adjective and it felt a bit much to my senses at times. Could be because it’s a translation. Nevertheless, a touching story.


I received an advanced copy of this book from Europa Editions through Edelweiss.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the age of forty, Rose receives word of the death of her father. A father she has no memory of ever meeting, a man she has spent most of her life both yearning for a connection with, and resenting his absence. Now she must travel to Kyoto, where he lived, for the reading of the will. She arrives there, not knowing the language, and is met by her father’s assistant, Paul.

Paul will be her guide throughout her journey there, he takes her to the places her father has stipulated, although Paul avoids sharing this reason behind where he takes her. She clings to her anger as if it were a treasure she is reluctant to part with. Over time, as they visit the Zen Gardens, the ancient Temples, her anger slowly peels away, almost imperceptibly even to her. Through Paul and the stories he shares, she begins to learn to see her father in another light. Slowly, as the cracks in the shield she’s surrounded herself with begin to let the light in, she begins to find the anger with her father fading, and feeling love slowly replace the anger she’d put up to shield herself from his absence in her life.

Years ago I read her The Elegance of the Hedgehog and really enjoyed it. There’s a simple, quiet elegance to the way this story is shared that I loved even more. At times there’s an almost dream-like quality to the story, and other moments seemingly ancient Japanese tales are briefly woven into the story, more ancient wisdom shared.

At only 160 pages, this is one to take your time with, and savor not only the lovely prose, but the story itself. This is one to wander through, as though you were wandering through the lovely landscape the author has painted in words.

A story of family, finding forgiveness in our hearts, how the lack of love shapes us, and most of all, how receiving and giving love are gifts to be cherished.


Pub Date: 28 Sep 2021

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Ingram Publisher Services / Europa Editions

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5★s
“It had stopped raining. She became aware of the pervasive silence, a horizontal silence, pure and incomprehensible— it makes no sense, she thought. And yet the silence hovered over the pathways, and she felt she was slicing through it just below hip level, that it was creating a layer of invisible waves between stone and air.”

A Single Rose is the fifth novel by French author, Muriel Barbery. It is translated from the original French by Alison Anderson. Rose, a forty-year-old French botanist travels to Kyoto for the reading of the will of the father she has never met. From modest beginnings, Haru Ouen became a respected and very wealthy contemporary art dealer.

In the days leading up to her visit to the lawyer, Haru’s Belgian assistant, mentee and friend, Paul shows Rose around a number of temples and a cemetery, according to her father’s wishes. They share meals, tea and drinks at various restaurants, yakitori vendors and tea houses. Initially Rose is hostile, snarky: “What can he give me now?” she asked. “What can absence and death give me? Money? An apology? Lacquered tables?”

Given the bones of this story, the prospective reader could be forgiven for thinking that, in the hands of the author who crafted The Elegance of The Hedgehog and The Gourmet, this would be a sweet and charming read. The reality is a little different.

The first chapters are filled with dense, long-winded descriptions of scenery, flowers, food and drink: an overdose even for those who love Japan, love flowers. Barbery’s protagonist is not at all appealing, angry and insulting, and her about-face towards the end is almost comically sudden.

Barbery prefaces each chapter with a folk story/fable that is reflected in some aspect of the narrative that follows it. There is a surfeit of symbolism, often presented in virtually impenetrable passages which might appeal to the more cerebral reader. Or perhaps this is a product of the translation. The copious use of flowery imagery together with Barbery’s failure to show rather than tell will leave many readers disappointed. Not Barbery’s best work.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Europa Editions.

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Estrellas
Si no se está dispuesto a sufrir, no se está dispuesto a vivir.

Este libro fue un gran sorpresa, sinceramente no es el tipo de libro que suelo leer, entonces cuando lo empecé (porque fue un ejemplar que me envió la editorial). No tenía ningún tipo de expectativa del libro, incluso pensé que no me iba a gustar, por que no es del tipo de libro que suelo leer.

Pero sinceramente me gustó más de lo que pensé, me sorprendió del buen modo. Ya que este libro parte lo leí en físico y otra parte lo escuché en su formato audiolibro. Entonces por esto mismo siento que lo leí también más rápido de lo que pensé.

Este libro nos cuenta la historia de Rose que acaba de fallecer su papá que nunca conoció, pero él la dejó con una herencia y ella tiene que viajar a Japón por eso mismo. Es un libro de autoconocimiento, ella es una mujer adulta que no sabe quién es, entonces este viaje a Japón le va abrir mucho los ojos, va a conocer a muchas personas, el amor, pero sobre todo así misma.

Es un libro que se puede leer de una sentada, es bastante corto, pero bastante adictivo.
No me da miedo el fracaso, sino el éxito.

[Maria Olga Lectoraapasionada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esto no sé lo que ha sido, fue como un huracán, que se me adentro completamente, que pedazo de lectura, que manera de relatar emociones, sentimientos, pasiones.

Sin planearlo, sin reservar medios de trasporté, sin hacer maletas, y lo más importante totalmente gratuito, me fui de turismo esta tarde por Tokio de una forma muy poética, de una manera salvajemente bella.

Con una prosa Extraordinaria Barbery me pilotó, me dirigió, me paseo por incontables y majestuosos templos, jardines, restaurantes, percibí plenamente que estaba en el mismo Tokio.

Atractivas y perceptibles descripciones de un sinfín de flores viene de regalo en esta lectura.

No apuntaré mucho más de como comienza esta historia, la sinopsis lo dice todo, pero no se reveló la intensidad con la que describe cada cosa que sucede en esta novela, sensaciones realmente fuertes me invadieron.

Aprecié en esta esta lectura como dos partes, una como algo que pasa por el mundo y otra como lo que pasa por la vida, que son cosas parecidas pero totalmente distintas.

Está colmada de nutridas leyendas que me hechizaron por completo, dejándome absolutamente embelesada.

Pensamientos, reflexiones, sensaciones casi filosóficas son una contaste, me fue imposible parar de subrayar, a cada párrafo algo me llamaba poderosamente la atención, me fue imposible oponer resistencia.

En definitiva nos relata fragmentos pasados y presentes de Rose y Paul, a la vez que nos pasea por Tokio, nos detalla secretos duros del pasado, mezclando sensaciones del presente, tristezas, alegrías se aunaran para formar una fábula de lectura.

Una novela penetrante, otra de esas que me hizo latir muy vorazmente el corazón, de esas que según leo me hacen parar y reflexionar, de esas que tengo que aparcar unas horas la lectura por obligación, para calmar un poco mis pulsaciones.

Una lectura con aroma a jardines, con miras a un futuro feliz, con banda sonora a bullicio de las calles de Tokio y melodía de agua viva.



Posdata: Pero nunca olvidéis que la historia que cuenta un libro no siempre es igual.



Extractos del libro:


Sorprendida y turbada, indignada también, la embargó una sensación de algo bueno.

La embargó una sensación como de pesar o de felicidad perdida.

Durante un instante le pareció que podía quedarse sin fin en esa habitación desnuda, contemplando esa peonía, sintiéndose existir como nunca antes.

Se observó a sí misma como a una extraña a la que acabara de conocer.

Japón es un país donde se sufre mucho pero sin darse uno cuenta.

La vida hace daño, no se puede esperar ningún beneficio de ello.

Si no se está dispuesto a sufrir, no se está dispuesto a vivir.

Rose se detuvo, pensando que nadie la esperaba en ninguna parte. Había ido allí a oír el testamento de un padre al que no había conocido; toda su vida consistía en esa sucesión de fantasmas que guiaban sus pasos sin darle nada a cambio; iba siempre hacia el vacío y el agua helada.

La embargó una tristeza mezclada con destellos de una felicidad pura.

Lo más duro, en realidad, no es ser feliz sin el otro, sino cambiar, dejar de ser quien se era con el otro.

La complejidad nace de la mayor sencillez.

No se sobrevive a la muerte de un hijo, uno se transforma en otra persona.

¿Cuál es el duelo más difícil? ¿El duelo de lo que se ha perdido o de lo que nunca se ha tenido?

El mero hecho de vivir nos expone ya a todos los riesgos.

No me da miedo el fracaso, sino el éxito.

[Emi.acg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pues no sé me dejó indiferente, no puedo decir que no me gustó porque ni eso xd no fue un libro para mi. Usaba un lenguaje bonito y quizás muy rebuscado para mí gusto, sentí que le quitaba fluidez. Decía mucho pero en realidad no era mucho lo que contaba.

Se trataba de Rose, una botánica de 40 años que viaja a Kioto, Japón para conocer el testamento de su padre, al cual no conoció. Se desarrolla en una semana y más que romance fue como una historia de reconciliación con ella misma.

[Diana Stoyanova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Прекрасна книга, която носи много топло чувство. За мен се оказа приятна изненада, особено след не дотам положителното ми впечатление от " Елегантността на таралежа".

[Stace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com

Forty-year-old botanist Rose Ueno has travelled from her home in France to Kyoto, Japan, for the will reading of her later father Haru whom she has never met and was a successful art dealer.

Whilst there she stays in her late father’s home and is looked after by his elderly housekeeper, his driver, and his assistant Paul, a widower with a young daughter. Paul has been left a list of places from Haru to take Rose who has never been to Japan before nor does she speak the language. The two visit temples and gardens, etc together and a bond begins to form between them.

I loved the blurb from A Single Rose and the cover made me want to pick this up book up and settle down to read it, immediately. However, I wasn’t more than a few pages in when I realised that I was going to struggle with it. The way it is written/or translated is very intellectual. Every page seems to have a hidden meaning or message, one that I could feel was there but felt like it went over my head.

The amusing thing is that in-between the chapters are short stories, Japanese folk law that tells you tales that have subliminal messages, these I enjoyed and they kept me reading.

The book is not a bad read by any stretch. At first, I couldn’t warm to Rose but as the book progresses she opens up more and becomes more down to earth from the stuck-up woman she came across at the start. She especially relaxes as she gets closer to Paul. I also loved visiting the sites of Japan which were well described.

I can see a lot of people enjoying this short book and taking on board the story of what I presume is forgiveness. For me, I like my books to get right to the heart of the matter and not to have to try and decipher the undercurrent of the story the whole way through.

[Горан Запрянов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Роман, който обогатява и зарежда с поезия и красота.

[Laura y sus libros · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hace ya unos cuantos años, conocía a esta autora a través de La elegancia del erizo y me encantó. Tiene una forma de escribir delicada y poética. Cuando vi que tenía este nuevo título la verdad es que dudé porque tenía muy buenas reseñas y muy malas reseñas, pero aprovechando que salió como lectura en un grupo, me apunté para volver a reencontrarme con esa prosa tan bien escrita.

Pues bien, la prosa la he encontrado, sin embargo, esta vez me ha parecido excesiva, se me ha hecho hasta pesada y rimbombante. Hubo un momento en el libro que hasta pensé que me había equivocado y no estaba ambientado en la actualidad por el lenguaje utilizado, no salí de dudas hasta que apareció la palabra “móvil” y me confirmó que la época era la actual.

El argumento es llamativo, Rose una chica francesa de 40 años, viaja a Japón para conocer el testamento de su padre al que nunca ha conocido. En ese viaje a Japón conoceremos junto a ella la casa tradicional de su padre, algunas de las costumbres y tradiciones japonesas, su gastronomía y en general parte de su cultura. Rose además de cruzar el mundo comenzará un viaje hacia su propio interior acompañada por Paul un belga de su edad que fue la mano derecha de su padre.

Personalmente la autora a pesar de su prosa poética no ha logrado trasladarme a la mágica Kyoto, la manera de describir los templos me ha dejado fría, quizás el haber estado allí me ha condicionado pero ni se ha acercado a la magia de estar en esa atmósfera casi mágica, repleta de paz y bienestar. Además pensaba durante todo el libro, con todo lo que hay que visitar en Kyoto ¿qué hace esta mujer tan parada? Ya se que está de duelo, de duelo de un padre que nunca conoció…. No se, me debe faltar sensibilidad.

Lo que sí me ha parecido que está fielmente descrita es la gastronomía, esos sabores tan diferentes a los occidentales y ese estar en los restaurantes tan diferente también.
Una cosa que me ha gustado es que al comienzo de cada capítulo se cuenta una leyenda o cuento japonés que me han encantado.

En definitiva, es un libro de autosanación de la protagonista, con algo de amor y poco más. Como veréis en las reseñas hay gente a la que le ha llegado al alma y gente como es mi caso a la que ni fú ni fa… así que lo recomiendo a aquellos que tengan curiosidad por saber como un mismo libro puede generar opiniones tan contrarias 😊

[Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you asked me at the halfway point what I thought of this book I would have told you I found it incredibly frustrating. The flower imagery bugged me - everything was spelled out in a way I hate - as if the writer didn't trust the reader. The protagonist, Rose (of course), goes to Kyoto to hear the will of her newly deceased father whom she never met. She is an angry 40 year old botonist (second of course) with no heart and no love of flowers or poetry. She is whiney and obnoxious. She meets Paul, the dreamy assistant to her deceased father, who just happens to be Francophone and widowed. So within about 10 pages you know where this is going.
As the thorn gets removed from the Rose through Papa's imposed tele-guided visit of the extraordinary temples of Kyoto, Rose blooms, gets rich and is off to Japanese Disneyland (figuartively).
But to be fair, after the 50% point I stopped fighting the form of the novel (each chapter starts with a little fable that bangs the nail on its head) and enjoyed the ride. But now, a day later it makes me angry...

[Iloveplacebo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro con una prosa bonita, con unos personajes que se dejan querer -aunque unos más que otros-, y lento; aunque su romance ocurre rápido, bastante rápido. Quizás en otros libros me hubiera molestado, pero en este no, ya que ambos protagonistas tienen, viven, están inmersos en X circunstancias que hace que me lo pueda creer un poco más que en otras historias.

Me ha gustado como los previos a los capítulos se enlazaban con los capítulos (en temática).

Para ser una lectora que no acostumbra a leer romance -no es mi género favorito-, este libro no ha estado mal. Ayuda también que sea bastante corto.

[Maine Colonial · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given a publisher's advance review copy, via Netgalley.

I just loved Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog, with its acerbic tone but poignant message. This short book is entirely different. Rose is a 40-year old Parisian botanist who has never met or even communicated with her father, Haru Ueno, an art dealer who lives in Kyoto. Now Ueno has died and she has been summoned to Kyoto for the reading of his will.

The reading doesn’t happen right away. Rose is put up in Haru’s home, waited on by his longtime housekeeper and driver, and taken out daily by his friend and assistant, Paul. Paul is a Belgian national, but a longtime resident of Japan, a widower with a 10-year-old daughter. Can you tell where this is going? Well, you’re right, but we go a lot of other places before that.

Every day, Paul takes Rose to another temple that meant something to Haru. He also takes her to tea houses, bars and restaurants. Barbery lyrically describes the trees and flowers, the food and drink, even the weather. Japan is so entirely different from France that these observations sometimes have a sense of wonder, sometimes of frustration. There is additional frustration for Rose in that she has never understood why her father never got in touch with her and her mother never told her.

Finally, the day comes for the reading of the will and, more strikingly, a letter that Haru wrote to Rose as he was dying. And that’s that. There are still many unanswered questions, including why Barbery chose to write this story. I didn’t dislike reading it, but it’s too subtle for me; I don’t know what I was supposed to make of it.

[Maria Yankulova · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4⭐️

Признавам си, че в пъти повече харесах “Елегантността на таралежа” И въпреки, че имах много високи очаквания, които се разминаха с реалността “И розата сама да е” успя да ме развълнува след средата.

Навлязох в историята трудно и честно казано първата половина на книгата ми беше мудна и леко скучна. След средата нещата се промениха.

Трябва да се отчете и факта, че започнах книгата след “Удавниците”, което си е определено къса клечка…

Какво ми хареса - определено стила на Мюриъл Барбери, трансфомацията на Роз, корицата.

[Eva Lavrikova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aj táto kniha, podobne ako iné stretnutia európskych autorov a autoriek s japonským estetičnom, má v sebe zvláštnu poetiku, ktorá akoby šla spočiatku proti srsti - postave, príbehu i čitateľovi. Napriek tomu je však podmanivá, postupne si jeden druhého (postava, príbeh a čitateľ) získavajú, aby sa napokon opustili v zvláštnej, útešnej katarzii. Chutí mi to takto. A ešte! Muriel Barbery je majsterkou ostrovtipných, bystrých dialógov.

"Rose ve svých čtyřiceti letech jako by téměř nežila. V dětství vyrůstala na malebném venkově obklopená prchavě kvetoucími šeříky, poli, loukami, zídkami a rákosím na březích potoků. Večer se pod zlatavými vodopády mraků a červánků učila porozumět světu a v noci se nořila do románů. Ty čtenářské toulky po příbězích jí utvářely duši. A pak jednoho dne ztratila schopnost být šťastná, tak jako někdo ztratí kapesník."

"Na tomhle světě kráčíme po střeše pekla s pohledem upřeným na květiny."

[Delphine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mitigée, mais je m'y attendais. J'avais aussi été mitigée par L'élégance du hérisson. L'écriture est belle (même s'il y a des comparaisons et descriptions ridicules ici et là, mais pour moi, c'est le signe d'un.e auteur.trice qui tente des trucs stylistiques : des fois, ça rate, et c'est pas si grave, l'important, c'est d'essayer d'innover) et c'est vraiment le truc principal qui m'a porté dans ma lecture.

L'intrigue tient sur un timbre poste : Rose n'a jamais connu son père japonais, à sa mort elle part à Kyoto pour la lecture du testament, et en attendant d'aller voir le notaire (? il y a des notaires au Japon ? Ou ce sont des avocats, comme aux USA ?), Rose visite des temples. Et. C'est. Tout. En une semaine elle réinvente entièrement sa vie, tombe amoureuse, devient riche, déménage au Japon. Tout ça parce que les jardins japonais, c'est beau. Si ça ressemble au pitch d'un téléfilm Hallmark, c'est pas voulu, mais c'est malheureusement beaucoup ça. L'aspect kitsch de sa redécouverte du bonheur par Rose est en grande partie dû au fait que la vision du Japon est très caricaturale.

Barbery a vécu 2 ans au Japon, elle le connaît, il n'est pas question de remettre ça en cause. Mais son Japon reste un truc de papier glacé, et c'est quand même très surprenant. Ce roman est un bingo pour touriste esthète : les jardins japonais, la caligraphie, l'ikebana, la cérémonie du thé et le matcha, les temples de Kyoto dont les très connus temple d'Argent, Koto-in Ryoan-ji, Nanzen-ji, le temple des mousses, etc. On a a presqu'envie de s'écrier : "il manque ça à ton bingo !"

On ne va pas se cacher que c'est difficile de parler du Japon, sans tomber dans la caricature et l'exotisme. Difficile et peut-être même impossible. Mais à la limite, quand on raconte la rencontre du Japon des mangas et du Japon esthète, les fils électriques partout et les tremblements de terre, des écoliers en uniformes et les salarymen, on rentre dans la complexité du pays, on reste à la limite du vrai et du cliché, mais on insuffle néanmoins de la "vraie" vie japonaise. Son Japon est étonnant glacé.
Le seul moment où un peu de "vrai" Japon est introduit, c'est avec le personnage du Japonais poète pochtron. Il parle comme un livre d'aphorismes zen, mais tous les personnages le font dans ce livre. Mais il est réel, tangible : il boit, ironise, il rigole en tapant des mains sur la table, s'endort en ronflant et pétant. Il fait subtilement allusion au type de comique un peu gras qu'aiment les Japonais (ce genre de personnage, on le retrouve dans les Drama/série tv japonais.e).
Mais il souligne aussi un autre problème important du livre : le manque douloureux de personnages japonais qui ne fassent pas juste de la figuration : en plus du poète, il y a un chauffeur qui est simplement un prénom (dans un épisode de Star Trek, c'est le personnage qui se fait tuer dans les 5 premières minutes), une gouvernante dont le principal trait de caractère est qu'elle porte des kimonos toute la journée, et le père décédé de l'héroïne qui, heu, aime l'art. C'est franchement génant d'avoir si peu de personnages japonais corrects dans un livre se passant au Japon.
Alors, on ne croit pas trop à l'éveil spirituel de Rose, c'est un tantinet cucul la praline, très frustrant quand on adore le Japon dans son intégralité bizarroïde et magnifique, mais si on accepte de faire un pas de côté par rapport à ces défauts, et de se laisser porter par les belles descriptions, ça reste une petite parenthèse littéraire pas entièrement désagréable. Mais un peu oubliable, malheureusement.

[Hana Zet · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Rose mala štyridsať, no život si takmer neužila. Ako dieťa vyrastala na peknom vidieku, plnom krátko kvitnúcich orgovánov, polí a čistiniek, černíc a trstiny pri potoku, a vždy večer, pod kaskádami zlatistých oblakov a ružových západov, pochopila múdrosť sveta. Keď slnko zapadalo, zahĺbila sa do čítania románov, takže jej dušu formovali chodníčky a príbehy. A jedného dňa, tak ako človek stratí vreckovku, Rose prišla o svoje vyhliadky byť šťastná."

Muriel Barbery som spoznala minulý rok, keď som si od kamošky požičala knihu S elegancí ježka. Prvých 50 strán som sa trošku trápila a mala som pocit, že je hlavná hrdinka je pozérka a toto ma baviť nebude. Ale rýchlo to prešlo a Muriel si ma získala brilantnými úvahami a fantastickými dialógmi, pričom dokázala aj pár slovami povedať všetko. Bola vtipná, intelignentná, ironická.

Keďže som teda už vedela, že má dlhý rozjazd, bola som pri Jedinej ruži od začiatku nastavená na trpezlivosť. Podobne ako v prípade Renée z Ježka, ani Rose však nie je postava, ktorú si hneď zamilujete. Pôsobí apaticky, rezignovane, stále na niečo frfle. Ak je ruža, tak jedine tak pekne usušená alebo menej kruto - zakonzervovaná. Navonok možno stále pôsobí pekne, ale v skutočnosti je neživá.

"V čom je smútok najťažší? V tom, o čo sme prišli, alebo v tom, čo sme nikdy nedostali?"

Jediná ruža je kniha o hľadaní domova, šťastia, o koreňoch, sebaspoznávaní, ale aj o smútku, láske a japonskej kultúre. Muriel Barbery na moje prekvapenie stavila tentoraz o niečo viac na romantiku ako na filozofovanie a aj tej irónie bolo pomenej. Kým S elegenciou ježka potešila človeka hľadajúceho hĺbku a jemný humor, Jediná ruža bude pre širšie publikum, uspokojí myslím aj čitateľky túžiace po príbehu lásky a jej estetika a pokoj dýchajúci z japonských reálií vás aj napriek ufrflanej hlavnej hrdinke naladí do pohody. Muriel Barbery miluje Japonsko, čo som cítila už v jej predchádzajúcej knihe, fascinuje ju tak veľmi, že sa tam s manželom dokonca usadili. Jej vášeň pre túto krajinu prebleskuje na každej strane.
Ja osobne som skôr tím S eleganciou ježka, toto považujem za takú dovolenkovú príjemnôtsku.

"'Tvoj otec vravieval: Priateľ je človek, s ktorým chceš prísť o rozum. Ľudia z hôr sú hlupáci, no keď sa všetko zrúti, jediný človek, ktorého pri sebe znesieš, je taký istý hlupák ako ty.'"

[Mandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Forty year old botanist Rose (note not so subtle choice of name – kind of sets the tone for the whole novel) has never known her Japanese father, leaving her untethered – naturally. When he dies she is summoned to Kyoto to hear the will read. Initially hostile and defensive, she is soon won over by handsome Paul, her father’s assistant (conveniently widowed) and finds herself drawn into her father’s world as she embarks on a journey of discovery and self-discovery against a background of Japan’s traditions and beauty with a bit of Zen thrown in. If this sounds banal and trite as a plot summary, then that is because it is. I wasn’t convinced at all by this novel, which is peppered by facile observations such as “the world is like a cherry tree one has not looked at for three days.” I don’t even understand what this actually means, but I guess it sounds good. And then there are the interludes between chapters, short fable-like folk tales, a bit of cod psychology to give the reader a way in to the next bit of the narrative in case we aren't smart enough to work it out for ourselves. I had to give up with these interludes after a while. All in all, I found the novel dull and saccharine, and was glad to get to the disappointing and unsatisfactory ending.

[Wendy W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery is a beautifully written book about love, forgiveness, and family.

Rose goes to Kyoto Japan for the reading of her fathers’ will. A father who left her and her mother when she was just a baby. A father she had never met and had never received any communications from him. She’s resentful that he never contacted her, especially after her mother died a few years earlier.

When she arrives in Japan, she meets Paul, her father’s assistant, and he takes her on a tour of the sites and temples around Kyoto. This tour was pre-arranged by her father and through this tour, Rose learns more about her father and his love of Japan and his philosophies. She meets several friends of her Father’s and learns more about him, and through them, learns about herself.

This book is not an easy book to read, as it’s full of imagery and beautiful description. But, it’s a wonderful story, set in a beautiful location so it’s worth reading. I did enjoy this book, even when reading through the passages of description slowed me down a bit.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Deniz Ata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moralimin pek de iyi olmadığı bir anda okunacak yarım yarım bir sürü kitabım varken elime alıp bırakamadığım basit güzellik.

Yazarın kalemi ile de tanışma kitabım oldu .

20 dakikalık bölümlerden oluşan mini - dizi tadında okudum. Ama 4 sezonluk Türk dizisi de olsa izlerdim .

Bunun sebeplerinden biri de kitabın formatı . Her bölüm kısacık bir japon efsanesi ile başlıyor ve ordan derin bir cümle koparılıp bizim ana mevzuya iliştiriliyor.

Kendinize ayıracağınız bir zaman diliminde okuma köşesinde keyifle okuyacağınız bir kitap

[Kirsten · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Single Star. I feel so rude to do this because any work of fiction requires effort and who am I to tear it down. And other people seem to like it. But what a horrible book. And possibly a terrible translation. Could there be more racist tropes in here? The whiny miscreant protagonist and all the convoluted “philosophical observations” genuinely had me asking out loud “what?!” repeatedly. It’s almost comically bad. And I foolishly thought it might be otherwise because I liked The Elegance of the Hedgehog. But now I’m seeing the common thread. Hateful protagonists for whom we’re supposed to discover some sort of compassion because they randomly weep without any actual context or growth as a human being. Maybe if I read Hedgehog now I wouldn’t find it so compelling. These one-dimensional characters exhibit nothing but simplistic, short-sighted passive aggressiveness. Anyway, sorry to be aggressive-aggressive. I tend to love even the fluffiest book, but this was just a disaster.

[Ema Patrichi · Rating 4 out of 5]

E o carte frumoasa, poetica, e plina de flori, de metafore. Nu are insa forta din Eleganta ariciului. E o carte care linisteste si face pace. Se rezolva elegant in final.

[Alicia Romero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Popsugar Reading Challenge #30: Un libro ambientado en algún lugar que te gustaría visitar en el 2021
El libro me recordó a los clásicos japoneses, muy poéticos, pero muy lento para mi gusto.

[Mojca Rudolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zanimivo, da sem najprej prebrala nadaljevanje knjige in nato šele prvi del. Izkazalo se je za dobro odločitev, čeprav ne namerno, saj se je drugi del knjige dogajal pred tem delom. Če v drugem delu spremljamo japonskega zbiratelja umetnin, ki ima hčerko s francozinjo, a je nikoli ne vidi v živo; spremlja jo le preko slik. Tukaj pa spremljamo njegovo hčerko Rose, ki po očetovi smrti pripotuje v Kjoto na branje oporoke.
Templji in utrip japonskega življenja sta me navduševala v obeh delih, prav tako poetični jezik in mirna lepota, ki veje iz pripovedi.

[Davida Chazan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a very long time that I've read a book with writing so beautiful that it took my breath away, but this one did. Read more about it with my #bookreview on my blog here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2021/09/1...

[Minutepapillon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Une femme bien fade, de jolies fleurs, des envies de poisson cru, quelques belles phrases, de l'eau de rose et puis fin. Déçue.

[Paloma orejuda (Pevima) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pues... como el pan sin sal. No me ha dicho nada de nada.

El libro está narrado de una manera que quiere ser poética, pero que resulta de lo más pedante y aburrida. De japón, quizá la esencia melancólica y poco más. De los Personajes escaso desarrollo y un amor apresurado surgido de la escasez de trama y las migajas. Un padre muerto y muchos templos y comidas, y cuentos o historias japonesas.

Algo bueno: es corto.

Me gustó mucho la elegancia del erizo, de está misma señora, pero este, este ha sido un leer por leer y un vacío enorme.

En fin, 2 estrellas sobre 5, que lo mismo podrían ser 1 como ninguna.

[Amiad · Rating 3 out of 5]

רוז, בוטנאית צרפתייה חסרת חיים אישיים, מוזמנת ליפן להקראת הצוואה של אביה היפני, שאותו היא לא הכירה.

רוב הספר לא קורה יותר מדי, וגם לא אמור לקרות. אווירת הזן של הספר היא העיקר והוא גם משולב במשלים ואגדות.