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Vendor
Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English

THE WOMAN IN THE WHITE KIMONO

Ana Johns

Oceans and decades apart, two women are inextricably bound by the secrets between them.
Japan, 1957. Seventeen-year-old Naoko Nakamura's prearranged marriage to the son of her father's business associate secures her family's status in their traditional Japanese community, but Naoko has fallen for another man, an American sailor. When it's learned Naoko carries the sailor's child, she's cast out in disgrace and forced to make unimaginable choices with consequences that will ripple across generations.

America, present day. Tori Kovac, caring for her dying father, finds a letter containing a shocking revelation that calls into question everything she understood about him, her family, and herself. Setting out to learn the truth behind the letter, Tori's journey leads her half-way around the world to a remote sea-side village in Japan, where she must confront the demons of the past to pave a way for redemption.

A poignant, sweeping novel of spirit and love that travels the difficult road to acceptance through secrets, sacrifice, and both women, past and present, confront social stigmas, secret burial grounds, exiled communities, and the gut-wrenching consequences of their own choices.

The author is using the pen-name "Ana Johns" she's published a couple of romantic comedies, which were translated in 11 languages. Born and raised in Detroit, this is her first historical fiction..
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Book

Published 2019-05-28 by Park Row Books/ HarperCollins

Book

Published 2019-05-28 by Park Row Books/ HarperCollins

Comments

Ana Johns' THE WOMAN IN THE WHITE KIMONO is a powerful and heartbreaking literary debut; a lush and masterful exploration of the indomitability of the human spirit set against the backdrop of post-World War II Japan. Johns' exquisite and emotionally satisfying tale spans a cultural divide to marry a mother's courageous determination to protect her daughter at any cost with a daughter's quest for truth. I loved this book!

UK / Commonw.: Legend Press ; Albania: Ditura ; Arabic: Eba'at Alamia ; Bulgaria: Ciela Norma; Croatia: Mozaik Knjiga; Czech Republic: Leda; Denmark: Jentas ; Estonia: Pegasus ; Greece: Ydroplano ; France: Leduc ; Hungary: Alexandra Kiado ; Italy: TEA (GeMS) ; Iran: Koolehposhti Book Publishing ; Lituania: Balto; Macedonia: Kultura ; NA: Park Row Books (HarperCollins); Netherlands: De Fontein ; Norway: Strawberry ; Poland: Kobiece ; Portugal: 2020 Editora ; Romania: Litera ; Russia: Arkadia Publishing ; Serbia: Vulkan; Spain: Roca ; Catalonia/Spain: Empuries ; Sweden: Jentas ; Turkey: Arkadya Audio: Bolinda

With her beautiful writing, the author creates subtle hues of suspense and invisible threads linking the strong and powerful stories of two courageous women... Read more...

Cinematic, deeply moving, and beautifully written. I so enjoyed this.

Legend Press has snapped up Ana Johns' "beautiful" time-slip novel, The Woman in the White Kimono, billed as "competition for Memoirs of a Geisha". Read more...

Author discusses how debilitating diagnosis lead to writing career & In her novel, "The Woman in the White Kimono," we learn what Japanese brides of American soldiers faced, and the tragic fate that became of many mixed-race babies during this period. Read more...

I finished THE WOMAN IN THE WHITE KIMONO last night in floods of tears and I am still marvelling at the beautiful story and will do so I think for a long time. This is a story that will stay with me - a book that is meant to be savoured and re-read and treasured ... . So poignant and emotional. Each character jumping off the page and claiming a place in your heart! I loved everything about this book.

THE WOMAN IN THE WHITE KIMONO debuted at #8 of the Canadian bestseller list this week Read more...

THE WOMAN IN THE WHITE KIMONO is a Top 10 Canadian and Italian Hardback bestseller BBC Radio 2 Book Pick

Ana Johns weaves together past and present in wonderful ways... This outing is richly-researched, moving and cinematic in feel. Read more...

HE WOMAN IN THE WHITE KIMONO is an elegant testament to the tenacity of hope, even when the bindings of cultural and familial expectations are drawn so tight. I look forward to reading more from this talented author.

... this is a well-researched piece of historical fiction, loosely inspired by the military experience of the author's father, that shines a light on a dark chapter of Japanese history that will be unfamiliar to many readers.