Two women have fallen in love with the same man who (after an affair with a 3rd woman - a royal princess and priestess) been exiled far away.[return][return]The diary of one falls into the hands of a friend of the other, and it is through this diary that we find out her side of the story and what transpires over the following years. She believes herself to be sane, but there is a thread of increasing insanity and paranoia that creeps through the story, so you dont actually know what is true and what she is reacting to.

I do not trust things that are white any more than I trust men who say they are honest, or virgins who believe they are pure. For white is the colour of snow and ashes, and belongs to the realm of priests and sorcerers. Yet I envy the certainty of those who despise its opposite. The dark is full of doubt.

A tale of the rivalry between two ladies-in-waiting at the Japanese court in the Heian period. The narrator has disappeared from court, leaving behind papers telling the story of her rivalry with Izumi. The women had arrived at court in the same year and used to be friends, but when Izumi started an affair with the narrator's lover Kanesuke, their relationship was irreparably destroyed, and the narrator knows in her heart that her lover prefers her younger and more beautiful rival.

And now that their lover has been exiled for seducing the Vestal of Ise (one of the Emperor's daughters), they spend their time in a battle conducted by rumour, pretty thefts, vandalism and letter-writing, not caring who else might be caught in the crossfire or how they may damage themselves by their virulent jealousy.

A very enjoyable book by a first-time author. ( )

I could only recommend this book to two audiences -- people who are fascinated by Heian-era Japan and desperate for more to read, and fans of romantic drama looking for something deeply introspective with a fresh, exotic setting.

The book is told in first-person as a diary, and like most diaries is excruciatingly introspective. While there are dollops of the usual romance drama -- jealousy, scandal, betrayal, sex, and true love -- the book utterly lacks any action, any momentum, because the narrator is constantly navel-gazing. You could call it a minute examination of a passionate woman's raw feelings of love and torment, or you could call it a spiteful woman whining relentlessly about how much her life sucks. It depends on how you relate to it.

Being set in Heian-era Japan, it's an exotic setting that hasn't been done much in english-language fiction, and happily it is done well by someone who not only did careful research, but truly loves the setting and does her best to show all the lovely parts. There's a fantastic, extensive glossary in the back that will probably have tidbits that will be new even to fans of the Genji, and that alone might warrant a permanent place in my collection. ( )

At first I wasn't sure if the tone of this book was right. It is the fictional diary of a woman from heian japan but I was soon engrossed. She has clearly researched the period very well. It is about the feud between two former friends who are ladies in the emperor's court. I found it very difficult to put down. The only problems I had with it were that I would have liked it to be longer and that the ending was quite abrupt and left the story unresolved. Despite this I still felt it was worthy of 5 stars. ( )

Tug lib throw out. .60cents