Cloud of Sparrows Short Summary Review

Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka 1. The book takes place in 1861, after Perry opens the door to japan. After centuries of isolation, Japan is lagging behind in ways of science and weaponry. The main character, Lord Genji, is Lord of the Okumichi Clan. He and his family atomic number 18 cursed with visions of the future. His uncle, Lord Shigeru, sees the coming bloodshed and massacre in Japans future and slaughters his wife and children to prevent them from suffering through it. Heiko, some new(prenominal) character, is a ninja who masquerades as a geisha. She falls in love with Genji, and afterwards confesses to him.He explains that he already knew of her dubious nature and returns her love. Though later, after accomplishment of her irredeemable origins, Genji can no longer looking at the same toward her and sends her to America. fellow Zephaniah is a priest wishing to save the crude heathens, but dies before long after arriving from a gunshot meant for Genji. Emily, an American missionary engaged to him, is racetrack away from her destructive beauty to Japan, where she is thought of as repulsive. She felt no feelings of love toward him, but agreed to the proposal because he protected her from the despicable men who sought to ake advantage of her. Stark accompanies Emily and Zephaniah, but instead of hoping to extend the True Word, he is after revenge. He is in pursuit of Ethan Cruz, who slay his beloved Mary Anne and her two daughters. Ethan murdered them because Stark murdered his father-like teach who ran the whorehouse when he wouldnt let Mary Anne leave. Kawakami is Genjis rival and despises him above all things. He takes great pleasure in geting what others do not. They are enemies because years ago, there was a great scrap at Sekigahara and their families were on opposite sides. Both sides re convinced the difference is not truly over and seek to eliminate each other completely. Genji takes the missionaries into his care in the cap ital of Edo, but when foreign ships fire on Edo, they travel to the well-fortified Cloud of Sparrows castle. 2. Shigeru has visions of the coming bloodshed and mutilation of Japan. This takes place before the wars and switch of Japan by the British and later, the Russians. I was surprised by the verity the characters exemplified, and how easily they shed the blood of those they had known for years. 3. The author is trying to guide how honorable Japan was, and how tragic the all of the old ways. He wanted the reader to understand how the Japanese felt and thought, and what a dramatic government issue the introduction of guns had on their society. He wanted the reader to feel the uncheerful sadness and most of all, the painful loss of centuries of history and tradition. I feel that he conveyed this very well. I really cared about the characters and genuinely wanted them to prevail and maintain their way of life, so it was really hard for me to know that in the end, no matter wha t, history would remain the same. They would be defeated, and their orbit would forever change.