Carolyn Creative

My mother, an avid reader, specializes in what I call  ”repressed Asian woman literature.”  I kid, I kid.  She also reads books about repressed women from other continents.  But I can’t really blame her for her penchant for this genre.  There’s something about the super combo of ancient rituals and male domination–so different from our experience–that provides the background for such moving stories, rich with details.

I just finished her last recommendation, John Burnham Schwartz’s The Commoner.  It was interesting and beautifully written. Haruko, a girl from a nice, yet not quite Imperial family, survives the bombing of Japan and eventually finds herself engaged to the Crown Prince.  Her adjustment to the traditions and imprisonment within the royal palace and the public eye as a “commoner” is both fascinating and heartbreaking.  Later, as Empress, she finds herself in position to influence the future of her daughter-in-law, an accomplished and independent woman (who I assume is not so loosely based on current Crown Princess Misako.)  A sad and lovely book.

Has anybody read anything spectacular lately?  If so, let me know!   I am always looking for lunch break goodies.