The Gift of Rain in Around the World

May 10, 2012 Patricia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Having been accused of never reading fiction, I selected this book partly to correct that impression, but also chose it carefully for its historical landscape and background (Malaysia just before and during the Second World War)--a period and geography I know something about but hoped to learn more.

On the content side, it fulfilled that wish. Set in Penang 1939, all its streets, peoples and history seemed authentic as I have walked many of these streets and seen many of the sites mentioned. The ...more

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Jun 07, 2009 Shomeret rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, my-reviews

This book is about a deep loyalty between a man and his mentor on an island in Malaysia during WWII. The protagonist is Phillip Hutton who is half-Chinese and half English. His relationship with his Japanese mentor, Hayato Endo, is like the one between a samurai and his lord. Phillip Hutton has every reason to break his ties with his sensei. The relationship is complex and carries a certain amount of ambivalence. The characterization is superb and the author writes with gifted insight. It's real ...more

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Dec 15, 2021 Kim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, fiction, borrowbox-act-library, read-before-goodreads, historical-fiction, bookcrossing, asia

I seem to be reading quite a bit of historical fiction where the rich colonists are having a fine old time until something like WW2 happens and changes their lives irretrievably. The Gift of Rain, set in Maylasia, has a different take on it, with a part Malay-Chinese and part English rich kid being trained by a Japanese Martial arts master. His ability to cross boundaries but also never fit in becomes the crux of the beautifully told story.
I read this over 1o years ago, when it was first longli ...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Claire rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

An ancient soothsayer once told Philip Arminius Khoo-Hutton, the half-Chinese, youngest son of a British business man:

You were born with the gift of rain. Your life will be abundant with wealth and success. But life will test you greatly.

Remember – the rain also brings the flood.

She also tells him that his companion Endo-san, his Japanese sensei, a Japanese diplomat, mentor and master of Aikido, that they have a past together in a different time and that they have a greater journey to make afte

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Jun 16, 2013 mussolet rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: rating-5stars-fiction-nf, region-asia, theme-philosophy, theme-war, country-japan, fav-read-2014, language-english, 2021-sorted, 2024-shelf-challenge

After falling in love with The Garden of Evening Mists last year, I just had to read "The Gift of Rain". And I was not disappointed.

Earlier this month, I've done an analysis of the books I like to read (which was really exhausting, and I don't recommend it unless you really have to for studying or writing purposes), and I learned that what I love most is a fluid, lyrical style of writing, and a powerful setting that shines through in every paragraph. And if there's something that Tan Twan Eng i After falling in love with The Garden of Evening Mists last year, I just had to read "The Gift of Rain". And I was not disappointed.

Earlier this month, I've done an analysis of the books I like to read (which was really exhausting, and I don't recommend it unless you really have to for studying or writing purposes), and I learned that what I love most is a fluid, lyrical style of writing, and a powerful setting that shines through in every paragraph. And if there's something that Tan Twan Eng is absolutely brilliant at, it's these two things.

There is, of course, also the story itself. "The Gift of Rain" is less complex than "The Garden of Evening Mists", and I cannot decide whether that just makes it less convoluted (which is a good thing) or too straight forward. Then again, no matter how compelling the plot, with such slow prose you probably won't hasten through the book anyway. And you can learn a lot about Malay history and some customs (I know I did), so it serves well to savour it.

The characters are a bit reserved, and while I liked some of them, especially Michiko, others remained distant. I still enjoyed reading about them, but there was no sense of immersing yourself in a character like I do with other novels. It makes for an interesting reading experience, and one I've come to appreciate.

If you enjoy the same things that I do, this is the book for you. If not, you might look for something else because I feel that otherwise it will pass you by.
I'll leave you with a quote, so you can decide for yourself if this tone is right for you.

"Memories - they are all the aged have. The young have hopes and dreams, while the old hold the remains of them in their hands and wonder what has happened to their lives. I looked back hard on my life that night, from the moments of my reckless youth, through the painful and tragic years of the war, to the solitary decades after. Yes, I could say that I had lived my life, if not to the full then at least almost to the brim. What more could one ask? Rare is the person whose life overflows. I have lived, I have travelled the world, and now, like a worn out clock, my life is winding down, the hands slowing, stepping out of the flow of time."

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