Riassunto
Trama e riassunto di Le figlie di Nijo
A chi è rivolto
Readers who enjoy romance set among palaces and farmhouses, stories of mistaken identity, old Japan meeting new fashions, and heroines who ache for a different life will find a great deal to love here.
Che cos’è questo libro
Daughters of Nijo is a romance of Meiji Japan by Onoto Watanna, who also wrote as Winnifred Eaton and published this novel in the early twentieth century. It looks at a country racing to copy the West, and it does so through two young women who share a father and a face. One grows up as a secluded princess in a country palace. The other grows up as a merchant's daughter in a quiet town. Neither knows the whole truth at first, and neither is content.
The book opens in the past, with a farmer's bride seized by a prince. It then moves to the lives of the two girls and to the sculptor Kamura Junzo, who stands between them. You will meet gossiping court ladies, a loyal old maid, a gruff merchant, and a caged nightingale that means more than it seems. Let us begin with the strange events that give the sisters their birth.
In questo riassunto
- 1A Farmer's Bride and a Prince's WhimFree
- 2The Child of the Sun Behind Her Wall
- 3A Merchant's Daughter Who Dreams of Palaces
- 4Court Gossip and a Moonlit Garden
- 5The Sisters Meet and Trade Their Lives
- 6Two Borrowed Lives and What They Cost
Punto chiave 1 di 6
A Farmer's Bride and a Prince's Whim
Before the main story begins, the book tells of Yamada Kwacho, a young farmer in Echizen Province. He once saved the life of the province's lord, and the lord promises to help him whenever he asks. Kwacho marries Ohano, a plump, pretty girl of fifteen who loves music, dancing and bright clothes.
When Kwacho is sent to Yedo on an errand, Ohano grows restless. A royal prince is visiting Echizen, and she slips out in her prettiest gown to watch his grand procession leave the city. She stands on a little rise instead of bowing in the dust, and her bright dress catches the eye of the Prince of Nijo as he lies in his gilded litter.
Ohano is seized, blindfolded and carried off to be one of his concubines. Kwacho comes home to find her gone and rushes to his lord, who goes to the Emperor himself. After a five month search, Ohano is found in the prince's harem and returned to her husband.
Then comes the detail that shapes the whole book. Barely three months later, the bells of Kyoto ring for a royal princess born to the Prince of Nijo's consort. On that same day, in a farmhouse, Ohano becomes a mother. Two baby girls arrive on one day, one in a palace and one in a farmhouse, and the story waits years to bring them together.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Questions about Le figlie di Nijo
What is Daughters of Nijo about?
It tells of two half-sisters, a secluded princess and a merchant's daughter, who share one face and trade places. A sculptor loves one of them, and the story follows what each finds in the other's life.
Who are the daughters of Nijo?
They are Princess Sado-ko, raised in a royal palace, and Masago, raised by the merchant Yamada Kwacho and his wife Ohano. Both are daughters of the Prince of Nijo, born on the same day.
When is Daughters of Nijo set?
It is set in Japan in the years after the Meiji Restoration, when the court was adopting Western clothes, dances and manners. The people are invented, though the setting is drawn from that real change.
Is Daughters of Nijo easy to read?
The chapters are short, the scenes are vivid, and much of the story is told through lively dialogue. Japanese terms such as shoji and norimon are explained by the context, so readers can follow easily.
What does the nightingale in the story mean?
The nightingale stands for freedom, trust and the ties between a keeper and a creature. It appears in both sisters' lives and tells you how each treats what she loves.