{"product_id":"the-office-of-gardens-and-ponds-9780857057594","title":"The Office of Gardens and Ponds","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA mesmerising fable with a difference, set in Japan over 1000 years ago\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFor readers of Alessandro Baricco''s \u003ci\u003eSilk\u003c\/i\u003e, Patrick Süskind''s \u003ci\u003ePerfume\u003c\/i\u003e and Takashi Hiraide''s \u003ci\u003eThe Guest Cat.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe village of Shimae is thrown into turmoil when master carp-catcher Katsuro suddenly drowns in the murky waters of the Kusagawa river. Who now will carry the precious cargo of carp to the Imperial Palace and preserve the crucial patronage that everyone in the village depends upon?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStep forward Miyuki, Katsuro''s grief-struck widow and the only remaining person in the village who knows anything about carp. She alone can undertake the long, perilous journey to the Imperial Palace, balancing the heavy baskets of fish on a pole across her shoulders, and ensure her village''s future.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo Miyuki sets off. Along her way she will encounter a host of remarkable characters, from prostitutes and innkeepers, to warlords and priests with evil in mind. She \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA fable of \u003cb\u003egreat charm and originality\u003c\/b\u003e -- Nick Rennison * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFantastical and oddly beguiling\u003c\/b\u003e -- Antonia Senior * Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eExquisite\u003c\/b\u003e -- Frédéric Potet * Le Monde *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEnchanting\u003c\/b\u003e -- Marianne Payot * L'Express *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMarvellous\u003c\/b\u003e -- Thomas Tissaud * L'Obs *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFantastical\u003c\/b\u003e -- Marie-Françoise Leclère * Le Point *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFresh, funny, erotic\u003c\/b\u003e -- Thierry Gandillot * Les Echos *\u003cbr\u003eA great \u003cb\u003elove story\u003c\/b\u003e -- Nathalie Crom * Télérama *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003edelicate spread of impressions\u003c\/b\u003e, combining adventure and the supernatural -- Marie Rogatien * Le Figaro Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eA-ma-zing! \u003cb\u003eA novel that sweeps you away\u003c\/b\u003e. Big-hearted, empathetic - absolutely brilliant -- Olivia de Lamberterie * Télématin *\u003cbr\u003eA total success, the result of \u003cb\u003eno fewer than twelve years' work\u003c\/b\u003e -- Jean-Claude Perrier * Livres Hebdo *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA string of enchantments\u003c\/b\u003e, transforming mud into gold -- Pierre Vavasseur * Le Parisien *\u003cbr\u003eAn \u003cb\u003eunusual storyteller\u003c\/b\u003e who has extensively researched the period he skilfully brings to life, Didier Decoin dazzles with his sense of atmosphere ... \u003ci\u003eThe Office of Gardens and Ponds\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003econstantly surprising and captivating\u003c\/b\u003e. It is a world full of women, ghosts, carp, juvenile emperors and rice packers, but what emerges is \u003cb\u003ea sensual and enthralling mystery\u003c\/b\u003e -- Alexandre Fillon * JDD *\u003cbr\u003eYou \u003cb\u003emust\u003c\/b\u003e read Decoin -- Bruno Corty * Figaro littéraire *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Not Stated","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49973272412503,"sku":"9780857057594","price":13.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780857057594.jpg?v=1739267741","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-office-of-gardens-and-ponds-9780857057594","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}