Fifty Words for Rain: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Novel

From poor to rich, bastard to heiress, with many trials and tragedies along the way, it all circles back to the beginning. At what cost?

Definitely a book to add to your collection.

I was excited to read this book. I loved the cover, the summary and information about this new author.The opening chapter was excellent. Our main character, Noriko Kamiza is eight years old and her mother leaves her daughter at the home of her grandparents with a letter, most likely explaining who she is. It is a melodramatic scene as Noriko watches her mother drive away without a lookback at her young daughter who is confused with a broken heart. Who could not be emotionally injured? Nori’s grandparents come from a noble Japanese family and the sight of their bastard granddaughter is a foreshadowing for cruelty and a study of the aristocratic family.Nori is relegated to the attic, a sparse, small area, no windows with minimal furniture and a prayer area. Her grandmother, Yuko, visits her periodically to ask her questions.It is a minor royal house. Yoku seems to be a cousin of the Emperor and Lemmie provides a detailed historical framework post World War II to the 1960’s. Nori is obedient but the visits end with beatings. In between, Nori is given baths with special soaps in the hopes of changing her skin color; Nori’s father is an African American serviceman. Nori’s mother, who abandoned her, is an unhappy, but beautiful woman, who is searching for an emotional attachment and true love.Nori finds out she has a half-brother who comes to live with them; his father died but he is adored by his grandparents, the opposite of Nori. Nori seeks out her brother, Akira, in the large house and finds him to be kind, smart and talented. She believes he is her savior, and he is, up to a point. They become close despite the anger from his grandmother. Nori never sees her mother again but a servant provides her with her mother’s diaries, which are interspersed throughout the novel, a bit confusing. It seems like Nori took years to read them. I would have thought her curiosity about her mother would render her impatient to discover why her mother abandoned her.It is an ultra-emotional story. Nori is a mixture of kindness, tantrums, physical accidents and highly fervid exhibitions. Her emotions are on display throughout most of the novel, and they are never peaceful. She does meet with adversity and physical attacks most of her life, but just when I thought Nori had settled into some peaceful internal strength, there is a highly-charged disturbing or physical scene. It is a wonderful story with too many cluttered passions one after the other.

***Spoiler Alert*** THIS REVIEW CONTAINS COMMENTS THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED SPOILERS.I read this book because it was picked by Amazon Editors as one of this year’s most essential reads, and the blurb was incredibly intriguing. In the end however, I struggle to give it 4 stars, and will have to settle at 3....maybe 3.5.So much of this book seemed ‘borrowed’ to me. Starting with the title, which was reminiscent of 50 Shades of Grey. After reading the book though, and being able to appreciate the choice of title, I can forgive the author for this similarity.The first part of the book was far too reminiscent of Flowers in the Attic. Down to the description of the magnificent house, polished floors and grand staircase. Next, was the almost replication of Memoirs of a Geisha, again including some of the imagery it conjured.In the second half of the book, the story flowed on it’s own steam, but began to lack the substance that it provided in the first two parts. The characters became a bit more stereotyped, which was a big disappointment for me as I felt like so much had gone into the character development in the first two parts of the book. There was so much more to draw upon for these characters in the second half of the book, which was not fully exploited, and at times actions contradicted the earlier character development. Furthermore, the story became far too dramatic and took on a “Danielle Steele” element in the second half of the book.My biggest problem with this book was the overburden of grief and misfortune that took place in one storyline. While I know that this theme of grief / being cursed was central to the story, it was in my opinion really overdone to the point of being unbelievable. How many times can a person cheat death? There were huge chunks of the book (especially in the first section) which just relayed tragedy after tragedy without any real story development. The author seemed to be simply going for shock value.Despite this harsh criticism that I’ve launched, I did enjoy reading this story and read all 400+ pages in 3 days. The pacing was spot on. I was never quite sure what turn the story would take, and that kept me wanting more, reading late into the night to see what happened next. The story itself was riveting and full of intrigue. I loved the exploration of the theme of abandonment and how this ripples through one’s life, never quite ending. The writing itself was easy to digest and with some very nice imagery and use of vocabulary. Even if concepts seemed ‘borrowed’, the words were not.A lot of readers did not seem to like the ending, but I actually found it very fitting to the story itself. It also set up nicely for a sequel, which I might read in the hope that the author’s writing matures with her second book.

Seeped in Japanese culture, this book is delves deep into family life, shame, and honor. Though, the end was not what I would have wanted for Nori.., it proves the power of money and family dynasties. Great read.

Loved the ups and downs of her life and the many unexpected turns. It made me happy and sad many times over. Never boring, I read in a little over 1 day.

I thought this was a good book, the author is a good storyteller and I loved her word descriptions, it was interesting and cultural. Well done, thank you.

I am not fond of melodramas, and this certainly was one. Not to spoil anything, but Nori was embarrassingly far from a Japanese beauty and also a very beautiful one. She was meek and bold. She was a kind friend who could leave a friend behind without looking back. She was ungainly and laking in talent and graceful and talented. Oh, and I hated the ending.

Fifty Words for Rain is a strong debut novel, telling the story of Nori, a young biracial girl in post-WWII Japan, born to a Japanese aristocratic mother and her lover, an African-American soldier. Nori is abandoned by her mother and sent to live with her Japanese grandmother who cannot abide a granddaughter who is illegitimate and part black, and neither can the traditional rules-bound Japanese society in which they live. Nori’s life is difficult and bleak as she is hidden away by her grandmother in the attic, treated harshly and forced to take chemical baths to lighten her skin. Nori’s life changes with the arrival of her Japanese half-brother, Akira, who tries to help her build a life within the confines of the regimented, discriminatory and anti-American post-WWII Japanese society.The plot is generally well-paced, although the middle part does drag a little, the writing is excellent, and the characters are fascinating. Themes of self-acceptance, the challenges of being a woman in a traditionally patriarchal society, resilience and strength are woven throughout the novel. I could not believe that this is the author’s first novel. Very well-done and well-deserving of being the September GMA book club pick!

Overall i enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged enough to read to the end but i found it quite slow moving.

An extraordinary story of the life of a mixed race child born into Royalty in Japan. Perceived as the families shame she is imprisonments in an attic , beaten and humiliated. She is rescued by a half brother, who like her was abandoned by their mother who had tried to escape the binding family ties. It is a story of triumph of the spirit against overwhelming odds.The book is hard to put down and one is left wanting more at the end.

I liked the beginning of the book but the relationship between the siblings just felt odd. I didn't find the characters very well developed.

I loved this book. Spoiler alert! I wish we could of seen Noriko getting older, not just her childhood and until she was 26. I believe the readers would of like to see how she became after. She was only 26 and the book ended.