The Pearl Diver (Paperback)

from tshrope

While the prose of this novel are excellent and the structure original, the story is one of overwhelming sadness, and I was glad when I was finished. The story is set in post-war Japan and spans 40 decades of the life of a 19-year old pearl diver who is diagnosed with leprosy and is exiled to a l...

from nancynova

Intriguing how the tale of the Japanese leper colony was told in the middle of book. There were multiple numbered and described "artifacts". For example: Artifact Number 1390 A packet of sunflower seeds And then the story takes off for a few pages to describe for anywhere from 1 paragraph to 6 pa...

from missysbooknook

I do not normally read historical fiction, but I gave The Pearl Diver a chance...I am glad that I did. I enjoyed the story of "Miss Fuji" and how she came to live on the island of Nagashima. I thought that the characters were very well developed and likable. It was also an emotional story of thos...

from gkleinman

I really enjoyed The Pearl Diver, it's one of the few books I've read recently that had both an extremely strong start and finish. (If I had a dollar for ever book that had a poor finale I wouldn't have to work anymore). The set up for The Pearl Diver is extremely engaging, so much so that I was ...

from JosephJ

A book where specificity of details help to ground readers in the world of a Japanese pearl diver. The details about leprosy and its effects on the body as well as the social, mental, and emotional state of the people who contract it are exceptionally moving and intricately entwined with the life...