Of Nightingales That Weep

Summary and Review: Takiko’s father dies fighting as a samurai warrior. Her mother remarries a strange potter, and Takiko is upset to be living with such a man. She is happy to join the imperial court when invited for her beauty. Her good looks and wonderful talent for playing the koto start to catch the eye and ear of others in the court and she ends up switching mistresses. Through her village and court lives readers are able to see multiple perspectives of life during the late 1100’s in Japan. At some point, she is traveling on the Emperor’s ship that is sunk at the end of a drawn-out battle. She is saved by an enemy spy she fell in love and helped back to her home to find her family dead except for her ugly stepfather. They live together and manage life in their war-torn village. I recommend this book for middle school students or older, as there is some adult content of implied sex, and she ends up marrying her ugly stepfather and bearing a child with him. It is a quick read and the story moves, with a helpful pronunciation guide and a historical note section to assist with taking it all in.