The Shogun's Daughter

A Novel of Feudal Japan

By: Laura Joh Rowland

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

Japan, 1704. In an elegant mansion a young woman named Tsuruhime lies on her deathbed. The death of the Shogun's daughter has immediate consequences on his regime. Faced with his own mortality and beset by troubles, he names as his heir Yoshisato, the seventeen-year-old son he only recently discovered was his. Until five months ago, Yoshisato was raised as the illegitimate son of Yanagisawa, the shogun's favorite advisor. Yanagisawa is also the longtime enemy of Sano Ichiro. When Sano learns that Tsuruhime's death may have been a murder, he sets off on a dangerous investigation as he struggles to keep his pregnant wife and his son safe. Instead, he and his family become the accused. And this time, they may not survive the day.

©2013 Laura Joh Rowland (P)2013 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Not "Samari Fighting" book; Story of Man & Family

Where does The Shogun's Daughter rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Story centers on one man's struggle to maintain his personal sense of duty and honor, in the midst of a struggle with those that would have him killed, for their own gain in power. His family's involvement is supportive in the general lay of the plot. There are some things introduced to are not solved, which means there should be an additional book coming, which I would read. :)

Will Sono ever get a break from the Emperor?

I have enjoyed the series but I believe this book had too many story threads and most were not concluded by the end of the book. I was hoping the threads would come together by the end of the book but it seems that I'll have to wait until the next book which is most annoying.

Not customary Japanese traditions

With the thinnest of veneers, this book has an interesting mystery theory but falls far short of other books written about the Shoguns. There is no rich description of the whisper of silk kimonos, the crackle of tatami mats, the near silence of paper panels being softly slidden closed, nor are there any tea ceremonies or even the separation of women from men. Both sexes speak freely and equally discussing murder, children dashing about in the night, and barely discernible layerings of the Shogunate. Not my cup of tea as I clearly enjoy more authentic depiction of the era although others may not share my opinion.