Chie Uchida, a talented student, does not fit the mold of her countryside life and provincial upbringing. She�s not certain what she wants, but knows that unlike her beloved brother, her future does not spell contentment on a tea farm. Her self-absorbed best friend has a rebellious streak but doesn�t present a model Chie wants to follow. Entering college, Chie plunges headlong into emotional turmoil as she takes her first misguided steps into womanhood�she misreads the attention of one professor and the aspirations of another. Set in 1970s Japan, the Showa era, the story evokes nostalgia for a simpler time as traditional customs and values fade away and Japanese society inexorably changes to meet the expectations and demands of a more modern world. The characters in this novel, drawn with a deft deliberation and intimate distance, arouse empathy as they struggle, submit, and surrender.
(less)Chie Uchida, a talented student, does not fit the mold of her countryside life and provincial upbringing. She�s not certain what she wants, but knows that unlike her beloved brother, her future does not spell contentment on a tea farm.
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A Thousand Graces | 
