Comment 245 on “The Flower Master”

1. Nicole says:

   at 4:48 AM

   So, this book was actually pretty good Half Japanese Rei Shimura frequently cracked me up with her total disregard for proper Japanese behavior and other odd antics She even manages to solve a murder and find a cute Japanese man who most likely only exists in fiction but was yummy nonetheless That being said, you might find it exciting to discover there are about 7 books in the Rei Shimura series Don t bother At first, I thought the problems in the rest were authorial inexperience or flukes The [...]

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2. JaeRavenClaw says:

   at 4:48 AM

   This is actually my first book that I ve read of Massey and I have to admit, it was pretty damn engrossing I love good mystery series in the vein of Diane Mott Davidson and Massey s main sleuth y character, Rei, actually seems to have a pretty good head on her shoulders to have to navigate two cultural worlds I will have to go start my Massey journey with her first book, The Salaryman s Wife, as I am intrigued enough now to do so Big thumbs up from me.

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3. Maddy says:

   at 4:48 AM

   PROTAGONIST Rei Shimura, antiques dealerSETTING TokyoSERIES 3RATING 3.5WHY Rei Shimura has a Japanese father and American mother and is now living in Tokyo and working as an antiques dealer At the insistence of her Aunt Norie, she enrolls in a flower arranging class When one of the head teachers is murdered, her aunt falls under suspicion And then Rei is poisoned at an exhibition I like the fact that Rei never does stupid amateur sleuth stuff The book went quite well until the conclusion The vil [...]

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4. catechism says:

   at 4:48 AM

   This is the third installment of the series, and I seem to remember the other two being better written I read all the way through this one, pretty quickly, but I was slightly annoyed the whole time, and disappointed at the end It was full of weird exposition and stilted dialogue, and it was full of plot points that were either meaningless or unresolved The heroine is a Japanese American antiques dealer living in Tokyo, and she spends the entire book trying to sell off a set of nine plates There [...]

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5. Harley says:

   at 4:48 AM

   I read mystery novels not so much for the plot In fact, I could not tell you the plot of many of my favorite mysteries What I read for is the unique voice of the main character I want to enter their world as they see it Rei Shimura is one of those voices Rei was born in America of a Japanese father and American mother She is living in modern Japan but is not accepted as Japanese This is my first Rei Shimura mystery and I found it a good read I enjoyed learning about Japan I have since purchased [...]

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6. Tocotin says:

   at 4:48 AM

   I sort of like reading this series, even though the heroine is really annoying, with her condescending attitude towards Japanese and foreigners alike actually, it s her unlikeable personality that makes these books fun to read I just keep looking forward to her getting in trouble and I m amply rewarded for the most part She doesn t care for anyone her uncle has a serious problem, and she just shrugs and doesn t even offer a word of sympathy and judges everyone yet she feels compelled to look for [...]

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7. Marie says:

   at 4:48 AM

   I m a big fan of Sujata Massey s work, and this was my favorite installment of the Rei Shimura series so far I ve read up to the Bride s Kimono It was engaging, I found the information on flower arranging and its place in Japanese society interesting, and I was kept guessing up until the end about who the culprit was The best part of this book by far, though, was Rei s strained yet ultimately loving relationship with her aunt, and her budding friendship with her Korean Japanese classmate I was d [...]

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8. Richard Janzen says:

   at 4:48 AM

   Went back to read one that I missed This is a series that I enjoy combines some mystery, clash of cultures, insight into elements of Japanese culture this one about flower arrangements and some other Japanese cultural phenomena like ristora restructuring causing unemployment , etc I don t think this one was as well written as many of the others in the series.if you didn t find it engaging, try a couple of others.

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9. Tiina says:

   at 4:48 AM

   This is a proper little mystery, spiced up with some Japanese culture Very enjoyable

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10. Pamila says:

    at 4:48 AM

    Interesting book with clear explanations of some very Japanese cultural truths amidst quite a good mystery Charming and multicultural Enjoyed it a lot.

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11. Doreen says:

    at 4:48 AM

    Things happen to Rei Shimura that s all i can say Oh and I learnt about ikebana the art of flower arrangement

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12. Kirsty Darbyshire says:

    at 4:48 AM

    If you d have told me that I d enjoy a mystery with a theme of flower arranging I d have thought that you were off your head However Massey weaves another good and quite un cozy plot around the cut throat world of Japanese ikebana There was a good bit of timing here for me, this book takes place during the cherry blossom season in Tokyo with everyone running around ooops no, one doesn t run in Tokyo in a dressy kimono walking around to cherry blossom viewing parties The reason this is good timin [...]

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13. Ladiibbug says:

    at 4:48 AM

    3 Rei Shimura MysteryRei Shimura is a young part American, part Japanese woman working to build her antiques business in Tokyo Rei s Aunt Norie has been most insistent that Rei join her in a course on ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging Little does she realize the cutthroat nature of this delicate art Rei has hardly completed a lesson before one of the women in her class is murdered.Rei and Aunt Norie are surprised when the police and press overwhelm them Rei is befriended by many ikeb [...]

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14. Jan says:

    at 4:48 AM

    First book I have read about inadvertent detective Rei Shimamura Rei is an American ex pat of American Japanese heritage running an antique business in Tokyo Her aunt, Norie, has her involved in ikebana class where the senior instructor is found murdered by pair of shears her aunt had bought the same day Gives a glimpse of the cultural differences and issues a half breed faces in the ethno centric Japanese culture I lived in Japan for two years a decade prior to the book s publication date as an [...]

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15. Heidi says:

    at 4:48 AM

    This author is addicting, because I love mysteries, and I love fictional stories of contemporary Asian culture mainly to see the differences and similarities to American culture This is the second one I ve read, and because of my small library, I m really out of order, so I do like how Massey keeps a continuous storyline in her series without providing too much of the too obvious Last time, our intrepid heroine was doing X, Y, and Z recap This story was a lot of fun, and also provided a few tidb [...]

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16. Allen says:

    at 4:48 AM

    This book is probably very difficult to proof, seeing as it is filled with Japanese words and expressions Trying to pronounce them in my head also slowed down the reading speed I found way too many errors in this book, despite the proofing difficulties, I saw 17 which means it really needs to be proofed again Having visited Japan, I was fascinated with the things she inserted into her story about the many flowers that make up the Japanese culture.

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17. Anne says:

    at 4:48 AM

    This was a fun book to read It was great to have a peek into the Japanese culture from this outsider trying to fit in The mystery was good, although the clues to discover the killer were not clear enough to actually lead you to the discovery until near the end.I look forward to the next one, to find out how our heroine does and whether the budding romance blooms, like the flowers she s learned to arrange.

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18. Angela says:

    at 4:48 AM

    The Flower Master is a straightforward mystery set in the world of ikebana schools of Japan The details are good, the characters are engaging but not always fully fleshed The ending is a little pat what should be a shocking twist comes across like a copout It s as if the author didn t know who to pin for the murder, so she just picked a random character and then added a really lame reason to justify murder It was an entertaining couch read, but not great.

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19. Emiko says:

    at 4:48 AM

    I keep reading these because I m a sucker for a series Or maybe because I m obsessive compulsive Thankfully my public library has them all, so I can continue to read them for free They aren t very well written, or even very mysterious, but I guess I m better off reading mystery novels than watching TV Unless it s Jon Stewart.

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20. Beth says:

    at 4:48 AM

    This is the third book I have read by this author They are fun, quick little mysteries that take place in Japan The main character is a American Japanese arts dealer living in Japan who seems to always find herself in the middle of a murder scene The characters are enjoyable, you learn about the culture and some history while following a murder mystery Great summer read

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21. Annthelibrarian says:

    at 4:48 AM

    Rei s Aunt Norrie drags her to courses in flower arranging ikibana , but then the teacher is found murdered with a pair of flower shears, and Aunt Norrie is under suspicion Good story about Rei, a Japanese American living in Tokyo trying to find her place in the tradition bound society and her place with her tradition bound relatives Suspenseful and compelling 3rd in the Rei Shimura series.

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22. April says:

    at 4:48 AM

    In this interesting mystery novel, a Japanese American who has moved to Japan discovers death in her aunt s flower arranging school Massey is full of interesting anecdotes and explanations for how Japanese culture differs from American culture I never quite fully warmed to Rei, the main character, but I enjoyed seeing her maneuver, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, around Japan.

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23. Megan says:

    at 4:48 AM

    The third installment of the Rei Shimura mysteries takes the reader into the world of ikebanawho would have thought the art of flower arranging would turn out to be such a deadly business The story moved at a brisk pace and offered up a lot of the same elements that I enjoyed in the first book.

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24. Babette says:

    at 4:48 AM

    It has been a while since I last ready Sujata Massey This book did not disappoint me I enjoy the insights into the Japanese culture the traditional as well as the contemporary Of course the characters at the heart of the mystery are also an amusing mix.

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25. M.E.G. says:

    at 4:48 AM

    This was okay, a decent travel readA fluffy murder mystery involving ikebana and set in Tokyo I never read the first two of this series though This one ended up on my To Read list somehow so when I saw it at the NYPL a few years back for 50 cents, I got it and just now got around to it.

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26. Jamilah says:

    at 4:48 AM

    About a young Japanese American woman from California, Rei, who is living in Japan and having challenges navigating the cultural landscape Very likable character, interesting setting, interesting relationships It s a mystery and of course Rei turns out to be the one who needs to solve it.

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27. Noora says:

    at 4:48 AM

    Pid n Shimura kirjoista, eik t m suinkaan ole poikkeus Murhaajaa oli todella vaikea arvata, koska h nell ei tuntunut olevan lainkaan motiivia, vaikka se toki lopussa selvi kin Hyv kirja ja japanilaisesta kulttuurista lukee mielell n.

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28. Cindy says:

    at 4:48 AM

    I love the Japanese atmospherics this author creates Who knew Japanese flower arranging could be so cut throat The plot, however, was somewhat week and disconnected Her later books seem better developed.

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29. Rosemary says:

    at 4:48 AM

    I enjoy contemporary views of life in foreign countries added to the intrigue of a good mystery This is a good one and introduces one to the arcana of ikebana I am eager to read her others in this series This one is number 3.

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30. George Thomas says:

    at 4:48 AM

    Having studied Ikebana, some years ago, and have a collection of ikebana suiban, and kenzan, I still make arrangements when I find flowers which inspire me, I felt completely at home with the ambiance of the plot, and again thoroughly enjoyed the book Now moving onto book 4 in the series.

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