In the foothills of Pasadena, Mas Arai is just another Japanese-American gardener, his lawnmower blades clean and sharp, his truck carefully tuned....
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reviews
Apr 26, 2010
Zen
rated it: 
Really liked this, and will look out for the next book. I found Mas interesting and sympathetic and liked the portrayal of a multicultural community -- felt much more convincing than the whitewashed pictures of USA you get via TV and movies. Also thought the portrayal of the dilemma of the PoC growing up in a white-majority country -- what am I, what should I be etc. etc. -- was interestingly done. It had nuance.
I'm not sure if the way Hirahara transliterated Japanese-accented English More...
I'm not sure if the way Hirahara transliterated Japanese-accented English More...
Aug 15, 2010
Trish
rated it: 
First off I wouldn't categorize this as a Mystery as the publisher has done. Most of the mystery is about the reader finding out what the main character, Mas Arai, already knows.
What this book is really about is Mas, a 69 year-old Japanese-American who lived through the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, moved back to his birthplace, California, after the war and settled down into a "typical" American life in the suburbs of LA. But Bachi (sort of the Japanese version of Karm More...
What this book is really about is Mas, a 69 year-old Japanese-American who lived through the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, moved back to his birthplace, California, after the war and settled down into a "typical" American life in the suburbs of LA. But Bachi (sort of the Japanese version of Karm More...
Apr 24, 2010
Rebecca
rated it:
I made a mistake. I started Naomi Hirahara's mystery series with the most recent book. In my defense, it's the one I found first. Blood Hina left me cold because of a common problem with a series in any genre: often, authors do not explain the interrelationships of the various recurring characters by the third or fourth book. If I've been a fan from the start, this is fine. I know everyone, I don't want the plot bogged down by repetition. What if a reader stumbles, like I did, across a lat
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Sep 16, 2010
Penny
rated it:
This was an interesting book. Not my usual type of protagonist in a mystery, that's for sure. Sort of slow paced, with many flashbacks that are necessary for the unfolding of the several storylines.
Mas Arai is a Japanese gardener in LA, and a Hiroshima survivor. The novel, while focusing on a mystery in the present day, is really a character exploration of what it means to be a non-combatant survivor of a horrific war, and how different people dealt with those same circumstances. Mas More...
Mas Arai is a Japanese gardener in LA, and a Hiroshima survivor. The novel, while focusing on a mystery in the present day, is really a character exploration of what it means to be a non-combatant survivor of a horrific war, and how different people dealt with those same circumstances. Mas More...
Jan 22, 2012
Rachelle
rated it:
There is a darkness to this book as the protagonist, the 70 year old Japanese-American gardner in So. California comes to terms with his past. But he bravely peels away the layers of his history revealing how it shaped his relationships and choices. There are so many sides to the story of the Japanese-American experience in WWII with Pearl Harbor, their internment in the US, those that served in the US military, those who had returned to Japan prior the war and then finally those that were the
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Jul 12, 2009
Jill
rated it:
Okay, so this isn't about bocci the game but rather the Japanese concept of Bachi - something akin to kharma. I think this (mis)understanding would change the entire reading experience. But then, I'm all about expectation management.
This wasn't quite what I expected. Kind of like my (fairly regular) misadventures in the kitchen, I came to this book thinking it was far lighter than it turned out to be. Because I grew up in the area, it had many nice references to places I knew well, b More...
This wasn't quite what I expected. Kind of like my (fairly regular) misadventures in the kitchen, I came to this book thinking it was far lighter than it turned out to be. Because I grew up in the area, it had many nice references to places I knew well, b More...
Apr 03, 2008
LJ
rated it: 
SUMMER OF THE BIG BACHI (Mystery-Mas Arai-So. Cal-Cont) – DNF
Hirahara, Naomi – 1st in series
Dell Fiction, 2004, US Paperback – ISBN: 9780440241546
First Sentence: Mas Arai didn’t believe in Jesus or Buddha, but thought there might be something in bachi. In Japanese, bachi was when you snapped at your wife, and then tripped on a rock in the driveway.
Mas Arai was in Hiroshima when the bombs fell. Now, fifty years’ later and an older man, he is a widower with his g More...
Hirahara, Naomi – 1st in series
Dell Fiction, 2004, US Paperback – ISBN: 9780440241546
First Sentence: Mas Arai didn’t believe in Jesus or Buddha, but thought there might be something in bachi. In Japanese, bachi was when you snapped at your wife, and then tripped on a rock in the driveway.
Mas Arai was in Hiroshima when the bombs fell. Now, fifty years’ later and an older man, he is a widower with his g More...
May 16, 2011
Patsy
rated it:
Being part of a family that lives the same history as the characters made me enjoy this book. Prior understanding of the historical and cultural background is what seems to make the difference in whether a reader likes it or not. It's not a traditional mystery story, and it was hard at the very beginning to sympathize with the main character, but I did have a hard time putting it down and found the characters and situations very realistic.
Nov 26, 2010
Alee
rated it:
I liked this book - Maybe it's because I like mysteries and grew up in Southern CA, or maybe it's because I like fiction that really captures a place and people, or maybe it's because I find the idea of karma interesting... who knows. I had not read the reviews before reading this book but did hear about the author on NPR (plug for public radio here). I'm glad I tried this book. Quite an interesting read.
Sep 13, 2010
I picked this up after hearing about it on NPR. The character is very interesting. This belongs to the genre of 'accidental detectives.' Our hero does not start with the intent of solving a murder it just unfolds that way.
The writing is skillful in the way that the aims, thoughts and intents of the characters are not spelled out more just right out of reach.
The writing is skillful in the way that the aims, thoughts and intents of the characters are not spelled out more just right out of reach.
Jul 18, 2010
Suzanne
rated it:
This mystery was pretty intense and drew me in quickly. It was "heavy" as the original mystery went back to the bombing of Hiroshima during WWII. The writing, especially the depiction of the characters' thoughts and conversations, was incredibly well done, albeit a tad depressing in its realism. Nonetheless, honor does prevail as does a bittersweet ending.
Apr 26, 2011
Djinnjer
rated it: 
I completely failed to connect with the main character, Mas Arai. <spoiler>And that's really too bad, because this novel is more character-study than whodunit. His story is interesting. As a boy, he lived in Hiroshima -- during the second World War. Now an old man, he's a gardener in California. And people are poking around in a past he'd rather forget.</spoiler>
He should be an interesting character.
And yet. I don't know. Maybe it was partly the phoneti More...
He should be an interesting character.
And yet. I don't know. Maybe it was partly the phoneti More...
Dec 13, 2008
Jesika
rated it:
I don’t read many mysteries mostly because it seems like the plots rely too much on coincidence for my liking. Quadruple that for “The Summer of Big Bachi.” The total amount of Mas’s “sleuthing” is people risking jail or death to tell someone they don’t know and will never see again a piece of key information. It was frustrating and I really didn’t care about any of the characters . . . but I finished it. So, score one for me.
Aug 25, 2010
Chris
rated it:
Excellent book!
This is a success as a mystery, as a cultural insight, as a mild social commentary, and most of all as a story. Mas sounds and thinks just like the Hiroshima survivors I have spoken to, and so much about Mas and his neighbors feels true to life. Hirahara wonderfully captures the essence of her characters in a telling that is accessible to everyone. I will definitely read more of her books!
This is a success as a mystery, as a cultural insight, as a mild social commentary, and most of all as a story. Mas sounds and thinks just like the Hiroshima survivors I have spoken to, and so much about Mas and his neighbors feels true to life. Hirahara wonderfully captures the essence of her characters in a telling that is accessible to everyone. I will definitely read more of her books!
Apr 01, 2010
Nancy
rated it:
"Bachi" is like instant retribution or punishment; for example, you yell at your spouse because you're irritated about something else (like your boss), and then as you get in the car to go to work, you catch your favorite jacket in the car door and it gets all stained with grease.
Aug 02, 2011
I enjoyed this, largely because of the Japaneseness of it, with use of the language and cultural references. I've been to Hiroshima and it was interesting to read a fictional work that incorporates the horrors of the atomic bomb. That said, I'm not a big mystery fan.
Jun 13, 2011
Rachel
rated it:
I checked this book out of the library six or seven months ago, and then it sat on our secondary kitchen table, waiting for me to hit a mystery phase and read it. I didn't expect it to be quite so long! But, I've finally done it, and I enjoyed it well enough. :)
Jun 27, 2011
Marjorie
rated it:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, mainly in the way Hirohara manages to chart the incredibly complex mix of Japanese Americans in Southern California--native born Californians who spent time in internment camps, WW II vets, immigrants from after the war, even Japanese immigrants from Peru. The descriptions of the bomb falling on Hiroshima were appropriately bone-chilling.
The weakness of the book, I think, was the way in which she moves the plot along. There is a lot that is a bit unbel More...
The weakness of the book, I think, was the way in which she moves the plot along. There is a lot that is a bit unbel More...
Nov 08, 2010
Jane
rated it:
Another slow start; good read though. I had a difficult time keeping the Japanese names straight and reading/interpreting the "whosu-s," "whatsu-s," etc. I wasn't too sure of the main character, Mas, but he grew on me. I will be reading the next book.
Nov 07, 2009
Kirsten
rated it:
I couldn't really identify with any of the characters, but I enjoyed the original setting and couldn't put the book down. The use of Japanese and Japanese American words (Janglish?) confused me at times. Note to author: as it's older folks who tend to ready mysteries, we need the new word translations more than once! I'm eager to read the second book in the series.
Jun 13, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
I liked parts of this book very much--Mas Arai, the protagonist, was engaging and a great set-up for a detective story. The plot felt cluttered, though, and characters developed only a bit. I would read sequels though!
Apr 01, 2008
Linda
rated it:
I am not a fan of amateur detectives. I also think this book was just an excuse to explore the effects of Hiroshima on Japanese Americans. The plot depended way too much on coincidences, but overall this was an enjoyable read. I did find the protagonist to be interesting: it's not often that we get to see the world through the eyes of a Japanese American gardener. I'm not sorry I read this, but I don't think I'll read another in the series.
Update: well, after the mystery book club meeting, More...
Update: well, after the mystery book club meeting, More...
Jan 11, 2009
Dfunky1
rated it: 
This book, while ostensibly a mystery, is interesting for insight it offers into inter-generational, inter- and intra-cultural relationships among the Japanese and Japanese Americans of Los Angeles.
Oct 02, 2009
Melanie
rated it:
Interesting insight into the post-Hiroshima Japanese/American culture. I had a hard time with it because the main character knows stuff but the reader doesn't and I don't like that.
Dec 01, 2009
Barbara
rated it:
I liked this book. It's about how secrets come back to haunt, and set against the experience of Japanese immigrants after WWII. Looking forward to the sequel.
Sep 16, 2010
astrangerhere
rated it:
Not bad for Hirahara-san's first attempt. I suspect this book was as much her exercising a Nisei past as much as it was for her characters. I'll be picking up the next book to see how it all shakes out. And to meet the mysterious Mari.
Jan 03, 2012
Kay
rated it:
Sort of light & kind of funny because of references to HAWAII, familiar food
& her descriptions of people.
& her descriptions of people.
Feb 12, 2011
Julianne
rated it:
Hirahara pretty much nails it. The characters remind me of so many people I have known through my life... she captures the nuances of Japanese immigrant and JA culture. It is a tragic story, but ultimately satisfying.
Apr 27, 2011
KarenLana
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book on many levels. My own mother was a survivor of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki when she was just nine years old so Masao's story was very interesting to me. I look forward to reading the next books in the series.
Jan 10, 2008
Bethany
rated it:
Summer of the Big Bachi is a story about a Japanese-American man who survived the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. He now lives in California and owns his own landscaping business, but his past catches up to him. The past and present are interwoven in the story just as they collide in his life.
“Bachi” is Japanese for “spirit of retribution,” and it is this spirit that is invoked throughout the book. Hirahara does a good job of showing the life of Japanese-Americans back in the States and More...
“Bachi” is Japanese for “spirit of retribution,” and it is this spirit that is invoked throughout the book. Hirahara does a good job of showing the life of Japanese-Americans back in the States and More...
