Grass for His Pillow: Tales of the Otori, Book Two

Rating System:1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten2 star = poor; a total waste of time3 star = good; worth the effort4 star = very good; what writing should be5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with othersSTORY: From back cover: "Takeo has now been claimed by the Tribe; held by them against his will, he is condemned to work as an assassin. Meanwhile, Shirakawa Kaede must try to unify the domain she has inherited, while fighting off would-be suitors and hoping that Takeo will return to her."MY FEEDBACK:1) You don't really need to read the first book to understand this story because the author does enough reflection and backstory to get a reader up to speed. BUT...it is so much better if you do read Across the Nightingale Floor first.2) The characters of Takeo and Kaede are explored more and we as readers continue our bond and love for them. Kaede plays a much larger role in this book than the first.3) This second/middle book doesn't seem to suffer from middle-book syndrome but continues with the same strength as the first. The first book resolved enough without having to read this book, but this book definitely sets the stage for interesting events to happen in the 3rd book.Very little is resolved in this book. This book was truly the rising action of the series making you feel that the climax is just around the corner and me as a reader anxious to get there.4) The same actors come back to this book to do the voices in this unabridged representation of the book. The acting is very well done and enjoyable throughout.OVERALL: Fantastic continuation. I can't wait till the end of the trilogy!

The book arrived in good conditions, it was well packed and it's a beautiful edition. The only problem was that it arrived 2 weeks later that the date it was supposed to get here. I recommend the book, but not the courier

This is the second book in the superb 4 book series, Tales of the Otori. The whole series is completely engaging, with complex characters set in a slightly magical medieval Japan. Takeo Otori has to come to terms with his triple heritage, as a child raised by the Hidden, a Christian-like sect; a member of the tribe , a sinister ninja-like group specializing in intrigue and assassination; and as the adopted heir to the Otori, lords and warriors. The only other author who does this kind of thing as well is Guy Gavriel Kay with books like the Sarantine Mozaic (set in Byzantium) or Under Heaven (set in Tang dynasty China).

This second book starts slow, like breathing in preparation for meditation but it abruptly ends. It left me yearning for more of Hearn's beautiful and tragic narration of love lost and found. I couldn't help but think that the amazing and most terrible moments of Kaede and Takeo's journey are all packed in book three.

Grass for His Pillow is the continuation of the Tales of the Otori series about young Takeo. This book resumes where Book One, Across the Nightingale Floor ends. Thankfully, the story continues. The vivid descriptions, the mental portrayal of the scenery in which young Takeo & the heroine, Lady Kaede Shirakawa, find themselves, is vibrant and real. Lian Hearn takes a known world (Japan) and crafts another world just like it in which to set his story. There are many wonderful moments in this story and to tell them here would only lessen the experience. If you love detailed, well worded and unique character portrayal, please enjoy this title today!

Liam went a bit overboard in her imagery but overall the book moved along (however a tad bit slow) to the place many of us were expecting. On to the next!

At this point, I've read all five of these books: the TALES OF THE OTORI trilogy as well as its epilogue and prequel. I read them contiguously and without pause--making sure that, before I finished one book, I had the next in hand. I would recommend the OTORI series for anyone who 1) has a modicum of interest in Japan, 2) likes a breath of magic, 3) enjoys surprise, 4) looks for the quality of nobility in characters, and 5) loves a good read. What's not to like!

One of my favorite reads. The main character is beautifully portrayed in a historical Japanese venue. The writing is superlative and creates detailed scenes easily envisioned. Best of all, though this is part of a series of books, each stands well on it's own. Try a sample; I'm sure you'll want to read all of it.

As the original Tales of the Otori Trilogy was originally written as a single novel, I think its clear why this novel contains all of the same strengths and weakness as Across the Nightingale Floor. While the prose is still hauntingly beautiful, I felt that this sometimes did not act in its favour as the flowery language often took the edge off the horror that the characters were exposed to.I have rated this novel slightly lower than its prequel because I also felt that it succumbed to middle novel syndrome. Unlike Across the Nightingale Floor, it did not follow a strong plot but instead felt like an extended build up to the final novel. The pacing was very uneven, slow to start and far too fast towards the end, as its only purpose appeared to be to put Takeo and Kaede in position ready for the last part of the trilogy to begin.The secondary characters also felt a little weaker this time around as, while the cast list was huge, I felt as though I did not get to know any of them. The biggest offender was Arai, who barely featured in the novel despite being its principle antagonist. Although the novel tried to emphasise his power, I never really felt it as it went unseen within the story.However, Kaede and Takeo do remain incredibly likable and sympathetic protagonists. I especially loved how much development Kaede got within this story - she really did go from strength to strength and her gradual rebuilding of Shirakawa is testimony to how far she has come as a character.

It began slow, but picked up by the middle. However, I wasn't bored by the beginning pace. Instead I soaked up the descriptions of the landscape. The beginning mainly focused on Kaede finding her way in a man's world and even though it wasn't fast paced, it was nice to see a female character actually doing something about her inferior position. I'm glad many familiar characters were brought back in this sequel. Near the end of the book it grew quite interesting as the story developed and discoveries were made about characters. However, I did feel the cliffhanger to this book wasn't as gripping as 'Across the Nightingale Floor' in the sense I didn't feel the same urge to read the next book so eagerly. However, it didn't stop me from purchasing the last of the trilogy straight away so I hope this tale will have an ending to match the high standards of the previous two.

This, second book continues to develop the narrative drive of the first. When a prophecy was mentioned I nearly decided to quit and delete it. I bore with it and was glad I did. The skills of the tribe - where they come from is still obscure. Genetics? NO. Magic? I HOPE NOT. I hope this gets resolved at some point.The nuances of feudal Japan have been well researched and are detailed well. A very pleasing book. I hope it can be maintained through the rest of the series.

Discovering this series of books has been a joy. I've had trouble remembering all the characters and in this case got on better with the first book which I had in hard-back, because I could flip back to the list at the beginning of the book with all the characters names and who they were in relation to others. But the story is just excellent. Such good writing, such clever descriptions, so emotional in places - that I would not hesitate to buy / read anything by this author.

I like this series, full of history (albeit somewhat fictious) an interesting setting and some interesting characters that you really start to care about. Would recommend the series as a whole, though I personally think the first and third books of the original trilogy were better than this part. This book itself is a little slow and I felt not a whole lot really happened in it, but it does eventually build up to some pretty great stuff. Would definitely recommend for the series sake.