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    The Mask Carver's Son
    The Mask Carver's Son
    The Mask Carver's Son
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Mask Carver's Son

    Written by Alyson Richman

    Narrated by John Lee

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    1890. Yamamoto Kiyoki is a Japanese art student, dreaming of studying in Paris with the inspiring and vibrant Impressionist painters.

    Yamamoto Ryusei is Kiyoki's father. Ryusei's art, carving intricate masks for traditional Japanese theater, has been his refuge from loneliness since the death of his beloved wife, and he is revered as the most inspired artist of his kind. He expects his only son to honor the traditions of his family and his country, not to be seduced by Western ideas of what is beautiful. Ryusei hopes Kiyoki will follow his own distinguished career, creating masks that will become the family's crowning achievement.

    But what is a father to do when his son's path is not what he had planned? And how can a son honor his father, and yet fulfill his own destiny?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateSep 3, 2013
    ISBN9781452684215
    The Mask Carver's Son
    Author

    Alyson Richman

    Alyson Richman is the #1 international bestselling author of several historical novels, including The Velvet Hours, The Garden of Letters, and The Lost Wife, which is currently in development for a major motion picture. Her novels have been published in twenty-five languages. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and lives on Long Island with her husband and two children. Find her on Instagram, @alysonrichman.

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    Reviews for The Mask Carver's Son

    4.5/5

    3 ratings3 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This is one of those books that grabs you and doesn't let go. Alyson Richman's ability to tell a story appears effortless. The writing is excellent and the subject matter fascinating. I found myself stopping again and again just to marvel at the visceral strength of her descriptions and the images they evoked. A wonderful read for anyone interested in Japanese or French culture, "The Mask Carver's Son" is one of those books that makes you want to know more. And I don't mean this in the sense that there was something lacking in the book, but rather that I found many elements of the book so fascinating (particularly " The House of Noh" and the art of Japanese mask carving), that I wanted to research them further on my own.Alyson Richman is definitely an author I will both recommend and follow myself. In fact, I've already ordered another book of hers - "The Lost Wife" - a novel that was previewed at the end of "The Mask Carver's Son."I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads Program. This did not, in any way, affect my review.
    • 5/5
      This is about a young man who is expected to grow up to be a mask carver, but he wishes to paint. It is his journey to be himself and break from his traditions and his culture, and the expectations of his family. This is a story of love and loss and struggle of one man to be what he wants to be. He finds it difficult to fit in France and in his homeland Japan. He follows his own dream and as many artists is not recognized or seen as a success until after his death. I found this to be an enlightening book about the Japanese theater and the carving of the masks. I think it is interesting that during this time period the artists were to copy the styles of their masters and not be creative or inventive. The book has a good story line and is well written and thought out. I give this book a 4.5 out of 5.
    • 4/5
      This is a beautiful novel that appears quite simple, but is anything but. It was like taking a heavy dose of education wrapped in poetry. It is a simple plot regarding the life of a Japanese (from Kyoto) man born on the cusp of Westernization (late 19th Century), which hit Japan very hard, taking with it many of traditional arts, including Noh Theatre. There are various disciplines, or "Sons of Noh" surrounding the theatre, and the protagonist Kiyoki is born into the mask carving tradition. His father is the most brilliant carver of the century and it is expected that his son will follow his path. However, the wants to be a "atelier" (or European) painter, and seems to continually disappoint everyone around him to follow that path in life ~ even as he travels to Paris to study. It is a wonderful story about sacrifice, being shackled by tradition and the emptiness of trying to figure out what the "public" wants in an artist; and how one's "mistress" is truly one's art. Highly recommended for anyone having an interest in the painting process, traditional Japanese Noh Theatre and/or the Westernization and influence of Impressionism in the East. It is rather sad this book never got more exposure. It's fascinating and I've not read anything quite like it. I picked it up at the Goodwill thrift store for two dollars.