Dreaming Water

First edition, author signed book. Perfect condition, great packaging, received when promised.

This wonderful, poignant story was extremely skillfully told. I cried at the beginning, but,oddly, not once I got through the first chapter. I seemed to absorb Hana's strength. Also, I cried for Max's death more than about Hana's illness, perhaps because it hit me more personally. When I finished the book, I at first felt that I didn't like the way it ended. But after thinking about it more, I realized it ended just as it should have for the greatest impact.

I chose this book simply because I've read other of the author's books. She did not fail to captivate me again. The strength of the living AND deceased characters in the book kept me mesmerized and learning about Werner's was an added gift. This is a great story I think can be shared with anyone struggling with a crippling disease or with the worth of friendships.

A beautiful written story that captures your attention right from the start. I think this is the first time EVER reading a book that made me cry, multiple times, because it’s so captivating and you really become alive with the characters.

This is another very good read by this author. She seems to deal with damaged people in a setting which does not force the reader feel terribly sad or depressed. A young girl stricken with a rare decease is treated as a real person and one feels compassion for the characters surrounding her as well as a sadness for her. Yet there is also a spirit about this brief tale that brings about a quiet feeling of satisfaction.A difficult , tragic, situation told in loving fashion.

I have most of Gail Tsukiyama's books and I've shared many of them. They are keepers. Even though the subject of this book is unusual and would be difficult to deal with the way she tells the story is just heartwarming and a joy to read.

This novel was somewhat of a departure from previous novels by Ms. Tsukiyama, as it takes place in Northern California instead of her usual Japanese and Chinese locales. I have enjoyed all her novels to date, and found this one particularly moving. Cate's marriage to Max and the relationship between Cate and her daughter Hana and the life they share is inspiring, heartwarming and painful by turns.As has been true for me with each of her novels, I am sorry when the book is finished; I don't want to leave the characters, but I do carry their stories with me.

An extremely sad story, but at the same time, extremely hopeful and uplifting. Tsukiyama's writing style was very easy to read and follow. I enjoyed every minute of this book, and as is my nature, I fervently hoped that the main character would find a happy ending. I will not say if she did or did not, in case you plan to read this book! However, I will definitely read another Tsukiyama book.

I am a huge Gail Tsukiyama fan and have read at least six of her books. I love the ones that take place in Asia and feature Asians as the main characters of her storyline. That part of the world fascinates me and learning about another culture, whether it be Korean, Japanese or Chinese or any other from the far East, is why I read her books. But this time she has made me a believer when she started with a twist in this novel. The main character Cate is an American of Italian descent and her history is that she marries an American of Japanese descent named Max who along with his parents were held in the internment camps during World War II in their own country. But again this is not the whole story.Cate and Max are finally blessed with a daughter they named Hana and the love among the three of them is strong and true and unbreakable. But Hana has been diagnosed with Werner's syndrome which is a caused by a gene that produces an abnormal enzyme which destroys good cells and causes her to age prematurely, two to three times faster than normal.This book has nothing to do with Asia, rather it is about a family that endures a cruel reality where love never waivers and though the reader has to know the ending at the beginning you will still want to read this to experience the emotions it brings to the page. Thank you for another fine novel, Gail Tsukiyama.

It was great but I still think the Samurai's garden the most tender and enjoyable

This Tsukiyama's new novel moved me deeply as her previous works. Hana is a Japanese-American woman, whose disease stopped her growing in her teens and caused rapid aging. Racial discrimination (her father had been interned in a camp in the WWII) and the disease prohibited her from enjoying youth and life. After her father died, she has been only living with her Italian-American mother, Cate. The story deals with their only two days and their recollections, but on the first day's night, Hana's friend, Laura came to see them with her daughters who were Hana's godchildren. Especially the elder child Josephine got nervous since her parents' separation, so Laura wanted her children to meet her best friend, Hana, and of course she wanted to meet Hana for herself.The storytelling is perfect. So are the details. For example, on the first encounter, Josephine simply said to herself that small Hana reminded her of "a character in a George Lucas or Steven Spielberg movie." And then things began to change...Thank you, Gail, for your heartwarming story, especially in this new age of discrimination. I want to read more about Josephine's changing.