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Filled with intriguing lore on pearls, their history and magic, and traditional Japanese swords, this coming-of-age story is told with a subtle and elegant simplicity, the writing exquisite and clear as sparkling water. When Vera helps Ikkanshi test an ancient sword by holding it in a stream to see if it can cut floating leaves, Govier explains, "they focused only on the task itself, and not its meaning," thereby imparting a feel for an archetypal Japanese artistic view without having to state it baldly. Later, in a final testament, Vera's grandfather tells the wondrous story of how he traded everything for a single pearl of incomparable size and possibility only to see it all disappear in an attempt to attain perfection. This fine novel creates a world of depth and feeling, one that brings together the mountains and seas of Japan, the sea's nacreous jewels, and the intriguing life of a young, spirited woman. --Mark Frutkin --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
illuminating,
By Portia (ontario) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Three Views Of Crystal Water (Paperback)
Three Views of Crystal Water is beautifully written, the prose as clear and lucid as the title suggests. The heroine, Vera, is engaging and I followed her coming of age in a totally foreign culture with interest. I had no previous knowledge of the culture of the "ama", the incredible japanese diving women with whom Vera is forced to live after the deaths of her mother and grandfather. The history of the pearl industry was also new territory and the author skillfully led me through this without any hint of pedantry. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves beautiful language, exotic locations and wonderful characters.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Drown in the beauty of Three Views of Crystal Water,
This review is from: Three Views Of Crystal Water (Hardcover)
Every person finds that one book that absorbs you the second into reading it. Three Views of Crystal Water is that book. Every element of a good read can be found within the pages of this 418 page novel; loss, pain, love, history, culture and the beauty behind it.Loss of someone or something becomes a new shocking experience for anyone, but not for 13 year-old Japanese Canadian Vera Lowinger Drew. By the age of 16, Vera is motherless, fatherless and had just lost one of the people she loved the most, her grandfather, James Lowinger who was once a pearl merchant. The feeling of abandonment and pain from emptiness is nothing new to young Vera. Leading up to World War II, in the search of hope and survival, Vera travels with Keiko, her grandfather's companion to a small exotic island in Japan where Vera is an outsider, secluded and watched over by the people. On this island, the idea and importance of sacrifice, especially during this time becomes evident and is new to Vera who had been the first to witness such acts. Govier artfully weaves the beauty behind the rich Japanese history along with this Japanese-Canadian young girl who is unknowingly in search of her father and herself excellently. I loved how Govier grabs the reader into the breathtaking yet hidden Japanese culture through festivals, the ama divers, the history of pearls and general atmosphere of this island for there is so much beauty behind this culture that is yet exposed, but so captivating. Any mention of the community of ama divers had me hanging. Do not hesitate, I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone, you will be rewarded.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A poignant novel!,
By Janelle Martin "member of RIO, Reviewers Inte... (Waterloo, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Three Views Of Crystal Water (Hardcover)
Three Views of Crystal Water by Katherine Govier tells the story of Vera, a young Japanese-Canadian at a crucial crossroads in her life told against the backdrop of the days leading up to World War II.Vera's young life has been full of familial loss - first her father left their family to follow his pearl lust, then her mother commits suicide and finally her grandfather dies. Left alone, Vera travels with her grandfather's widow to Japan to live among the ama divers, women who live with unprecedented freedom. Used to loss, Vera exhibits a skittishness in joining the life of her new village, is slow to trust and slowly begins to develop her own luster as she takes control of her destiny. Vera slowly learns the skills of the ama divers while gaining a sense of her own identity, defined by who she is rather than by those who have left her. Alternating between Vera's story and that of her family, we slowly gain an understanding of what has driven them in their passion for pearls. The shadowy world of Japan fighting a battle for Asian domination is the perfect foil for Vera's tale. This is a quiet, intimate novel with a shifting surface, as changeable as the pearl at the heart of the tale. The language is enthralling and Katherine Govier evokes a time and location that to many is shrouded with mystery. Three Views of Crystal Water is a window into a story overlooked by many when studying World War II. While painting a large canvas showing a nation creating history, Govier never falters in creating an intimate and profound story of one woman finding her place in the world.
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