The Commoner: A Novel by John Burnham Schwartz, 351 pages.
Sometimes, it is good not to know too much about what you are reading. I loved this book about the courtship, marriage, and life of Empress Michiko of Japan. I had no idea throughout, until I googled her, that she is a real person. Previously, I had poo-pooed the idea of reading a fictionalized account of a real person, i.e. American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. Oops.
Well-paced, thoroughly researched, and gracefully imagined portrait of the life of Haruko as a young girl growing up in Tokyo during and after World War II. She was part of a new post-war generation of women that emerged ready to start breaking traditional female roles, however when she is courted by the Crown Prince those dreams begin to fall away. The story follows her marriage through the pressures of producing a male heir, and on to the day when she must persuade another commoner to marry her son. It manages to be rich in detail without being overly wordy. I highly recommend it.
Here is a fascinating article about the Empress that JoAnn sent me. I recommend reading it after you finish the book.
4+ stars
The End.
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