I loved this book. It was a beautiful and engaging story, but it also created a feeling of stillness and serenity as you read. I was so intrigued with the theme of Japanese gardens that I started to imagine creating one in my back yard.

The story takes place in the Cameron Highlands in the hills of Malaysia. It revolves around a former judge and the owners of a tea plantation that together lived though a time of violence known as the emergency, when government troops were fighting a civil war against communist guerillas. One of the central characters is a Japanese gardener who was once the emperor's gardener and has created a beautiful Japanese garden surrounding his home.

The story brings up issues of racism, recovering from war wounds and the committment to nationality and love. In this way, it reflects some of the themes of the English Patient and Casablanca when men and women had to choose between love of country and love of another. In this case, the sectrets were kept for many years before the truth finally comes out.

Gorgeously written book. From the first pages the author creates such a mood - slow, lush, sad, restrained and yet bursting. It’s a slow read. Dense writing, deep emotions evoked, and lots of side trips to Wikipedia and translation apps to understand the Malayan history, culture and the Japanese language.

This book has a slow start but once I got into the feeling and rythm of the writing I was hooked. The language is truly beautiful: I could picture all the details of the garden and Yun Ling's other surroundings. The story has so many layers that I think multiple readings will have you notice details that enable you to have a new or different take on the story. The book has some flaws but I really enjoyed reading it!

The very beautiful and elegant prose is not enough to hook me into the novel. The pacing is too slow (the first half moved at a glacial pace that I nearly abandoned the novel), and the discussions on Japanese art that go on and on somehow feel artificial. Still, I found the discussions on Malaysian history during and after World War II interesting as well as that part about the kamikaze pilot and his male lover who is a senior officer in the war. The writing is breathtaking, but I needed some meat to devour in the story to make me love it.

Beautifully written, horrific at times and a very slow read for me. It took me maybe 4-5 months to read it!