The Gift of Rain

De: Tan Twan Eng

Narrado por: Gordon Griffin, Luke Thompson

In the tradition of celebrated wartime storytellers Somerset Maugham and Graham Greene, Tan Twan Eng's debut novel casts a powerful spell.

For the first time, available as an audiobook.

The recipient of extraordinary acclaim from critics and the book-selling community, Tan Twan Eng's debut novel casts a powerful spell and has garnered comparisons to celebrated wartime storytellers Somerset Maugham and Graham Greene. Set during the tumult of World War II, on the lush Malayan island of Penang, The Gift of Rain tells a riveting and poignant tale about a young man caught in the tangle of wartime loyalties and deceits.

In 1939, 16-year-old Philip Hutton - the half-Chinese, half-English youngest child of the head of one of Penang's great trading families - feels alienated from both the Chinese and British communities. He at last discovers a sense of belonging in his unexpected friendship with Hayato Endo, a Japanese diplomat. Philip proudly shows his new friend around his adored island, and in return Endo teaches him about Japanese language and culture and trains him in the art and discipline of aikido. But such knowledge comes at a terrible price. When the Japanese savagely invade Malaya, Philip realizes that his mentor and sensei - to whom he owes absolute loyalty - is a Japanese spy. Young Philip has been an unwitting traitor, and must now work in secret to save as many lives as possible, even as his own family is brought to its knees.

©2009 Tan Twan Eng (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"This remarkable debut saga of intrigue and akido flashes back to a darkly opulent WWII-era Malaya. Phillip Hutton, 72, lives in serene Penang comfort, occasionally training students as an akido master teacher of teachers. A visit from Michiko Murakami sends him spiraling back into his past, where he grows up the alienated half-British, half-Chinese son of a wealthy Penang trader in the years before WWII. When Hutton's father and three siblings leave him to run the family company one summer, he befriends a mysterious Japanese neighbor named Mr. Endo. Japan is on the opposing side of the coming war, but Endo paradoxically opts to train Hutton in the ways of aikido, in what both men come to see as the fulfillment of a prophecy that has haunted them for several lifetimes. When the Japanese army invades Malaya, chaos reigns, and Phillip makes a secret, very profitable deal. He cannot, however, offset the costs of his friendship with Endo. Eng's characters are as deep and troubled as the time in which the story takes place, and he draws on a rich palette to create a sprawling portrait of a lesser explored corner of the war. Hutton's first-person narration is measured, believable and enthralling." (Publishers Weekly)

Beautiful and thoughtful writing

This work is a beautiful story that threads its way in between thorny and eternal , profound spiritual questions. It contains violence, none of it gratuitous or excessive.

One of the two narrators is excellent. The other is to phlegmy, and not always fully differentiated between characters.

A powerful and moving book

Another brilliant book by Tan Twan Eng, set in the Malay region in the early days of WWII, and told through the eyes of an old man looking back on his youth during the time leading up to and including the Japanese occupation of his homeland, and the choices he made at the time. The characters are rich and fully believable, as are the plot lines of family, conflicting loyalties, loss and betrayal. The narrator is excellent. Highly recommended.

Beautiful Story

Good historical novel about Malaysia and growing up under British occupation first and Japanese invasion after. Beautifully narrated.

Beautifully told story

The writing and language in book are exquisite, and the actors do a beautiful job getting the accents and tone just right.

Underrated masterpiece

World class prose, rich and marvelous characters, and a page-turning, amazingly structured story. This book transports the reader to Malay during World War II, and explores the ethical dilemmas of a young man trying to survive under the brutal Japanese occupation.

Though the main character experiences his own past lives, the book is not about magic, nor does it feel religious. These mystical experiences feel real, and not maudlin or fantastic. They feel anchored in the complex character who experiences them.

May be better than his second, more famous book. Hard to say.

The best book I’ve listened to this year

I was completely engrossed in this book. I wept and I laughed together with the characters. The story is heartbreaking, warm and historically interesting. It is very well written, and the narrator also did a fantastic job; the different voices worked perfectly. I was deeply moved and I miss the characters. I just want to read more! I highly recommend the book, just buy it! You will not regret it.

Exquisite Journey through Time

Having lived in Penang, I was taken back through the author’s detailed descriptions. Yet, it wasn’t his descriptions that kept me thoroughly engaged, but the story that wove together the shadows of lives lived by the characters before this manifestation as well as through the events of the Japanese occupation of Penang. I am wiser for having followed along with the sharing of this tale.

lovely

I thought this was lovely to listen to. All characters lived in the pages. Worth the listen but a tough story to get your head around.

Historical Fiction at its best

My own grandmother had a similar story as a child in Singapore during the Japanese invasion. Was truly a blessing to listen to this story and get an idea of the strife and horrors that occurred during this war. The performances were so well performed that each character was easily distinguished immediately. True artists.

Wonderful narration!! A beautifully told a story

Sweeping tale of the multiple conflicts of war and its toll on individuals, families, societies and our humanity Set in the not so often told location of Malaysia.