The strength of this book is as a family saga that broadly focuses on three generations of women. It paints the life of a family living through the tumultuous Meiji era. Although its prose flows quite smoothly, it doesn't have a discernible plot and the narrative distance from its characters is substantial. Therefore, those who like a more intimate connection with their characters might be disappointed.

(Side note: This is the era of my grandparents who were also farmers. I saw some cultural similarities between aspects of the book and my family's life like persimmons and grafting fruit trees.) ( )

The River Ki is a family saga taking place across three generations and a hundred years spanning from mid 19th to mid 20th century. Focusing primarily upon three strong women from each generation and the ties between their husbands take less prominent roles but several of the men in the story are well fleshed out. The River of the story, strong and steady, a nourisher but also a potential destroyer in times of floods, is a metaphor for life. I enjoyed the novel which portrays a Westernizing Japan and the conflicts this presents to tradition and the acceptance or rejection of modernity. While the story is at times intimate, it also unfolds at a higher level as if you are witnessing the landscape from several thousand feet up. Great leaps of time occur and main characters die and you learn about it several years later with a small passing reference. This is unusual with so many modern novels so wrapped up in a single protagonist's pysche. This overarching style was a bit jarring at first but also refreshing. ( )

An effective, moving and beautiful intergenerational family novel set in Japan. it's one of those books you pick up in a used bookstore and just marvel at. ( )