A Single Rose

Description

The brilliant new novel from Muriel Barbery, author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog. A woman journeys to contemporary Kyoto and, by learning to accept new truths about her family and herself, embraces the possibilities of new love From the bestselling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes a story about a woman's journey, in which she discovers the father she never knew and a love she never thought possible. Rose has turned forty, but has barely begun to live. When her Japanese father dies and she finds herself an orphan, she leaves France for Kyoto to hear the reading of his will. Paul, her father's assistant, takes Rose on a mysterious pilgrimage designed by her deceased father. Her bitterness is soothed by the temples, Zen gardens and teahouses, and by her encounters with her father's friends. As she recognises what she has lost, and as secrets are divulged, Rose learns to accept a part of herself that she has never before acknowledged. Through her father's itinerary, he opens his heart posthumously to his daughter, and Rose finds love where she least expects it. This stunning fifth novel from international bestseller Muriel Barbery is a mesmerising story of second chances, of beauty born out of grief.

Muriel Barbery is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Gourmet Rhapsody, The Life of Elves and A Strange Country. She has lived in Kyoto, Amsterdam, and Paris, and now lives in the French countryside. Alison Anderson's many translations include novels by Nobel Prize winner J-M.G. Le Clezio, Anna Galvada, Amelie Nothomb, Hel ne Gremillon, as well as Muriel Barbery's earlier novels.

'An ode to Japan...a magnificent, resonant, finely crafted novel.' * Le Monde * 'Muriel Barbery sows beauty on every page.' * Elle * 'In this story Rose explores an inner self that illuminates her darkness and leads her to overcome her sadness.' * L'orient litteraire * 'It is a joy to take a stroll with Rose and Paul, to savour the beauty of camellias, peonies and wild irises, in a world of muted, delicate colours, and to hear their elegant conversation.' * Ouest-France * 'A moving, accomplished novel...thoughtful, ethereal and inspired.' * L'Obs * 'The bucolic narrative meanders into folk tale and myth as if getting lost in a lush garden.' * Sydney Morning Herald on The Life of Elves * 'At its best, Barbery's imaginative tale reads as a mix of J.R.R. Tolkien and Hayao Miyazaki, epic in scope yet grounded by humor.' * Publishers Weekly * 'Readers who love meditative, dreamlike fiction will enjoy this translation, which rings with the music of the original French.' * Booklist on A Strange Country *