Critical Praise

"Schaeffer tells her story in epic style....She conjures up a society defined by both exquisite beauty and bloody battles."

——Lesley Downer, New York Times Book Review

"Love, poetry and severed heads on pikes: A novel with some of the majesty of Cold Mountain immerses you in the complex social world --- and heinous cruelty --- of medieval Japan."

——Laura Miller, Salon

"Susan Fromberg Schaeffer is, was, and always will be a wonderful writer."

——Alice Hoffman

"A spare, subtle, moving love story that builds and sustains its own utterly believable world."

——Elizabeth Ward, Washington Post Book World

"A haunting tale of thwarted love and unsolved mysteries...achieves a transporting magic."

——Publishers Weekly starred review