Autumn Bridge

By: Takashi Matsuoka

Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck

Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

In the year 1311, in the highest tower of Cloud of Sparrows Castle, a beautiful woman watches as enemies gather below. As she calmly awaits her fate, she begins to write the secret history of the Okumichi clan...of the gift of prophecy they share and the extraordinary destiny that awaits them.

Six centuries later, these remarkable writings are uncovered by an American missionary named Emily Gibson. She meets Lord Genji of the Okumichi clan, a nobleman with a gift of prophecy who must defend his embattled family and confront forbidden feelings for an outsider in his midst. But Emily has found a mission of her own: translating Genji's ancestral history. As she sifts through the fragile scrolls, she begins to see threads of her own life woven into the ancient writings. And as past and present collide, a hidden history comes to life, and with it a secret prophecy that has been shrouded for centuries, and may now finally be revealed.

Intricately woven, magically told, Autumn Bridge, the follow-up to Cloud of Sparrows, is a feast for the senses.

©2014 Takashi Matsuoka (P)2014 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"Complex, epic tale....Matsuoka's rich, authoritative storytelling makes this an engrossing read." (Publishers Weekly)

Great Listening

Very enjoyable listening, great fictional history with a bit of fact and realism about the Japanese Samurai culture.

Great story.

Really enjoyed this book. The story was compelling. The format of the story was well written. The theme was interesting. Very well written and very well narrated.

Enjoyed the series

I truly enjoyed this series. The plot as well as the jumps between eras added to the story well. Excellent characters and a respectable ending. There is room for another in this series.

Wish it wasn't Abridged

The original, Cloud of Sparrows, was wonderful. Autumn Bridge too was good, but I can't help but think it suffered from this abridged version. The story is told in non-chronological fashion across several hundred years, and I kept wondering what had been left out. Still, if you liked Cloud of Sparrows, you will enjoy Autumn Bridge.

Terrific

I actually liked this book better than the first one in the series. It does leave some holes, but I really enjoyed the way the story continually switched viewpoints and maneuvered back and forth through time. I found it very enjoyable.

Beautifully captures the Japanese Culture

Where does Autumn Bridge rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is the #1 Japanese related and #1 fiction I have rlistened to so far.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gengi. He seemed well balanced. He apprecaited life, but was happy with himself. He understood where he was going and what he wanted, but never rushed the situation. He was patient. I strive for that balance.

Which character – as performed by Jennifer Van Dyck – was your favorite?

Still Gengi.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A picture into the soul of the Japanese

Any additional comments?

This book truly showed the way Japanese think and feel. After living there for years I would run into the different values and ways of thinking. This book truly outlines those thoughts and feelings.

Autumn Bridge

Althought the story was interesting, it was hard to follow and confusing to listen to as it kept jumping foward and backward in time. The ending was also disapointing. And lastly, the pronunciation of Japanese words by Japanese characters should not be westernized to keep things realistic.

Scattered

The story was too disjointed. The nonstop flashbacks were difficult to follow. Disappointing and incomplete.

Autumn Bridge

I was truly disappointed in this book. Plot development meandered all over the place and I nearly fell asleep listening to it on several occassions. I was actually glad when it was over.

confusing af.

bounces around too much. first book was amazing, this was a shit show to follow.