Reviewed by: Laura

RATING: 8/10 – Brilliant, couldn’t put it down

GOODREADS:

Abducted by a warlord in 17th-century Japan – what happens when fear turns to love? England, 1611, an English girl envies her brother’s adventurous life. But when she stows away on a merchant ship, her powers of endurance are stretched to their limit. They reach Japan, all her suffering seems worthwhile – until she is abducted by samurai warriors.

REVIEW:

Christina Courtenay has this fabulous ability of creating a vivid and rich setting to her books. The historical Japanese backdrop of this novel was one of the things that really made it for me.

The book opens in 17th century England with our heroine Hannah Marston being forced into an arranged marriage by her parents. Unable to bear the man she is due to marry, she stows away on one of her brother’s boats which is just about to begin an epic journey to Japan, disguised as a boy.

A journey to Japan in the 17th century is no small undertaking, and unlike some other more fluffy romances I have picked up before, I liked that the novel didn’t shy away from the difficulties faced by a crew on such a vast and dangerous sea trip. From illness, starvation, sickness and death. Although as with any girl disguised as boy stories, you do have to suspend your disbelief that in two years only one member of the crew manages to guess that she is actually a girl.

Our male lead is the proud Japanese warlord Taro and the story alternates between Hannah and Taro’s viewpoints, portraying two very distinctly different stories at first. As the novel spans a good couple of years before they even meet, there is a lot of interesting scene setting from Hannah’s difficult journey and Taro’s painful first marriage, which is as enjoyable as the love story itself.

Taro learns of Hannah’s arrival many years in advance via a vision from his sensei, and has been awaiting for the arrival of the flame haired woman long before she arrives. When she does arrive the romance is slow in growing and is built with absolute care by Ms Courtenay. It is a fascinating clash of cultures, and is detailed with many twists and turns involving a collection of characters that continue to have a big impact on Hannah and Taro’s lives. Taro is terribly proud and more than a touch arrogant, for example getting Hannah kidnapped by samurai warriors so he can learn more about her is certainly a different approach to dating!

As with any romance, as a reader a happy ending is of course a pre-requisite and don’t worry ‘The Scarlet Kimono’ doesn’t fail. But, I would have liked the story to take one more final leap to make me a totally happy reader.

VERDICT:

A very rich and detailed historical book that is both absorbing and fascinating. I love the fact that Christina Courtenay puts a lot of time and research into her books creating a vivid picture of 17th century Japan. Her characters are strong, and well rounded as likeable for the flaws as their perfections. A great read.