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Dorothy T.

Uncommon novel
This author's writing style is gorgeous, although I admit I had to re-read a few passages to be sure I understood them.

In this national bestseller from the author of Reservation Road, a young woman, Haruko, becomes the first nonaristocratic woman to penetrate the Japanese.

In this national bestseller from the author of Reservation Road, a young woman, Haruko, becomes the first nonaristocratic woman to penetrate the Japanese.

In his new novel, “The Commoner,” John Burnham Schwartz takes a similar — and equally sympathetic — approach to the empress of Japan.

John Burnham Schwartz grew up in New York City.

Told in the voice of Haruko, meticulously researched and superbly imagined, The Commoner is the mesmerizing, moving, and surprising story of a brutally.

John Burnham Schwartz (born ) is an American novelist and screenwriter.

The setting--the Japanese Imperial court and its traditions and rituals--give the novel an exotic ambiance, but also drives the story. How can this centuries-old way of life continue to survive in our modern world? Haruko, the central character, is so well-drawn that her joys and heartaches affected me.

I am looking forward to our book club discussion--there is much to delve into here.

The book traces the story of how the first commoner to marry into the Japanese imperial family was, at the age of 24, exposed to brutal public scrutiny.

Deborah

The Commoner
As an avid reader with a love for novels set in the orient I waited impatiently for The Commonerto arrive. I was not disappointed and could not put the book down.

A reader will find nothing ordinary in Schwartz's writing. The author captivates the reader with detailed descriptions and smooth prose so that one feels