3.5/5 stars
The Salaryman's Wife was written in 1997 and perhaps Suhata Massey's first novel.
Rei Shimura is half Japanese and half American, raised in America. She loves Tokyo, but finds herself caught between 2 cultures. For example, she speaks excellent Japanese, but is still trying to learn Kanji, the Japanese character writing system. The mystery is complex with multiple characters and complicated circumstances. The characters are well drawn, and the Japanese setting, culture, and atmosphere contribute to the plot.
I enjoyed it (with the exception of 2 sex scenes that were unnecessary) and probably would have given it 4 stars if I weren't more familiar with Massey's Purveen Mistry series set in India, which I love. I look forward to the next in this series; it is always fun to see how an author develops after a first novel, and of course, I want to know more about Rei's new venture in antiques and her relationship with Hugh.
The narrator was quite good, although it was difficult at times to keep track of Japanese names without seeing them visually.
Rei Shimura is half Japanese and half American, raised in America. She loves Tokyo, but finds herself caught between 2 cultures. For example, she speaks excellent Japanese, but is still trying to learn Kanji, the Japanese character writing system. The mystery is complex with multiple characters and complicated circumstances. The characters are well drawn, and the Japanese setting, culture, and atmosphere contribute to the plot.
I enjoyed it (with the exception of 2 sex scenes that were unnecessary) and probably would have given it 4 stars if I weren't more familiar with Massey's Purveen Mistry series set in India, which I love. I look forward to the next in this series; it is always fun to see how an author develops after a first novel, and of course, I want to know more about Rei's new venture in antiques and her relationship with Hugh.
The narrator was quite good, although it was difficult at times to keep track of Japanese names without seeing them visually.
Jenclair, this was a nice review of The Salaryman's Wife. I read it a long time ago and then somehow didn't continue with that series. Not sure why. Anyway, I have loved this author's series set in India and have thought about going back to this one and beginning again. We'll see how I do. I have been doing some catching up on series that I have fallen behind on and also doing some rereading. Hope you have a nice weekend!
ReplyDeleteHi, Kay! I think I'll enjoy at least one more in the Rei Shimura series, but I don't think they will ever be as enjoyable for me as the Purveen Mistry series. I've learned so much Indian history from those novels and I love the characters!
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