Synopsis: Recounting the story of her life, Oei plunges us into the colorful world of nineteenth-century Edo, in which courtesans rub shoulders with poets, warriors consort with actors, and the arts flourish in an unprecedented moment of creative upheaval. Oei and Hokusai live among writers, novelists, tattoo artists, and prostitutes, evading the spies of the repressive shogunate as they work on Hokusai's countless paintings and prints. Wielding her brush, rejecting the domesticity in favor of dedication to the arts, Oei defies all expectations of womanhood- all but one. A dutiful daughter to the last, she will obey the will of her eccentric father, the man who created her and who, ultimately, will rob her of her place in history.
Every once in a while a book comes along that piques my interest enough for me to explore the characters further on my own time. This is one of those stories. Govier has taken real people and painted a life so vivid, so haunting that I felt the need to learn more about Hokusai and his daughter, Oei. At the beginning of the story I honestly had a hard time becoming engaged with the characters and I must admit to being quit turned off by the seedy underbelly of Edo (Tokyo). But as I was reading the story I started to Google the names of paintings and the two main characters. I probably spent about two hours looking at
Hokusai's artwork online, reading more information about Oei and poring over the author's website. I can't begin to tell you how much that added to my overall experience and it actually answered a lot of questions I had in regards to courtesans, prostitution in nineteenth-century Japan, shoguns, print blocks, shunga (erotic pictures)/ and everyday life in the early 1800's Japan. I know many readers hesitate to read the Afterward first, but looking back on my experience I wish I would've done that before I started this book. I'm glad that I decided to do some research before moving on with the story. What touched me the most was the bond between father and daughter. They quite literally were married to each other. They spent every waking moment in each other's company and as Hokusai grew older, Oei took care of him when no one else could stand to be in his company. Their connection defied death and Oei's dedication to her father's memory was unprecedented. I also came away from this story with immense admiration for Oei's sense of self. She broke customs by being a more "manly" woman and defied authority on more than one occasion. She tried very hard to stay true to herself even though at times her great artwork was stamped as her father's. I stand in awe of the author's talent for research and how much time she spent acquiring information about Oei. She has woven a story that I am still thinking about today and her story has encouraged me to read more about Hokusai and Oei's legacy.
Recommend? I don't think this book is for everyone, but if you're remotely interested in Japan and its history, especially in regards to the artists that lived during the Edo period, then I would say you would find this to be a very good read. If you're like me and come into this book with no prior knowledge...well, it might fall short of your expectations. For me the saving grace was the information in the back of the book and spending some time doing homework. I might actually read it again just because now I
"know" and I feel that the story will be a more cohesive read with those pieces that I didn't quite understand the first time around, dropping nicely into place.
Hokusai, Great Wave off Kanagawa,
woodcut from 36 Views of Mt. Fuji
Rating: 8/10
Author: Katherine Govier
Source: TLC Book Tours and Harper Perennial
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 501
Published: 2011
ISBN:9780062000361
Disclaimer:Thank you to TLC Book Tours for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MYexperience while reading this novel.
© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
