Reviews
The Independent "The Garden of Evening Mists offers action-packed, end-of-empire storytelling in the vein of Tan's compatriot Tash Aw. His fictional garden cultivates formal harmony -but also undermines it. It unmasks sophisticated artistry as a partner of pain and lies. This duality invests the novel with a climate of doubt; a mood - as with Aritomo's creation - of "tension and possibility". Its beauty never comes to rest." Boyd Tonkin, The Independent (UK) "A rising star from Malaysia . . . Tan writes with breath-catching poise and grace. [ The Garden of Evening Mists is a novel of] linguistic refinement and searching intelligence. . . . But for all its mission to 'capture stillness on paper'. . . The Garden of Evening Mists also offers action-packed, end-of-empire storytelling." Dominique Browning, The New York Times Book Review "[A] strong quiet novel [of] eloquent mystery.", The Independent "The Garden of Evening Mists offers action-packed, end-of-empire storytelling in the vein of Tan's compatriot Tash Aw. His fictional garden cultivates formal harmony -but also undermines it. It unmasks sophisticated artistry as a partner of pain and lies. This duality invests the novel with a climate of doubt; a mood - as with Aritomo's creation - of "tension and possibility". Its beauty never comes to rest." Boyd Tonkin, The Independent (UK) "A rising star from Malaysia . . . Tan writes with breath-catching poise and grace. [ The Garden of Evening Mists is a novel of] linguistic refinement and searching intelligence. . . . But for all its mission to 'capture stillness on paper'. . . The Garden of Evening Mists also offers action-packed, end-of-empire storytelling." Dominique Browning, The New York Times Book Review "[A] strong quiet novel [of] eloquent mystery." Booklist "The unexpected relationship between a war-scarred woman and an exiled gardener leads to a journey through remorse to a kind of peace. After a notable debut, Eng ( The Gift of Rain , 2008) returns to the landscape of his origins with a poetic, compassionate, sorrowful novel set in the aftermath of World War II in Malaya...Grace and empathy infuse this melancholy landscape of complex loyalties enfolded by brutal history, creating a novel of peculiar, mysterious, tragic beauty." - Kirkus Reviews , STARRED REVIEW "As intricately designed as a Japanese garden, this deceptively quiet novel resonates with the power to inspire a variety of passionate emotions...A haunting novel certain to stay with the reader long after the book is closed." Library Journal , STARRED REVIEW "Like his debut, The Gift of Rain (2007), Tan's second novel is exquisite...Tan triumphs again, entwining the redemptive power of storytelling with the elusive search for truth, all the while juxtaposing Japan's inhumane war history with glorious moments of Japanese art and philosophy. All readers in search of spectacular writing will not be disappointed." Philadelphia Inquirer "Beautifully written...Eng is quite simply one of the best novelists writing today." Starred Kirkus "Grace and empathy infuse this melancholy lanscape of complex loyalties enfolded by brutal history, creating a novel of peculiar, mysterious, tragic beauty." New York Times "A strong quiet novel [of] eloquent mystery." Philadelphia Inquirer ""Beautifully written...Eng is quite simply one of the best novelists writing today.", The Independent "The Garden of Evening Mists offers action-packed, end-of-empire storytelling in the vein of Tan's compatriot Tash Aw. His fictional garden cultivates formal harmony but also undermines it. It unmasks sophisticated artistry as a partner of pain and lies. This duality invests the novel with a climate of doubt; a mood as with Aritomo's creation of "tension and possibility". Its beauty never comes to rest.", The Independent "The Garden of Evening Mists offers action-packed, end-of-empire storytelling in the vein of Tan's compatriot Tash Aw. His fictional garden cultivates formal harmony but also undermines it. It unmasks sophisticated artistry as a partner of pain and lies. This duality invests the novel with a climate of doubt; a mood as with Aritomo's creation of "tension and possibility". Its beauty never comes to rest." Boyd Tonkin, The Independent (UK) "A rising star from Malaysia . . . Tan writes with breath-catching poise and grace. [ The Garden of Evening Mists is a novel of] linguistic refinement and searching intelligence. . . . But for all its mission to 'capture stillness on paper'. . . The Garden of Evening Mists also offers action-packed, end-of-empire storytelling.", Booklist "The unexpected relationship between a war-scarred woman and an exiled gardener leads to a journey through remorse to a kind of peace. After a notable debut, Eng ( The Gift of Rain , 2008) returns to the landscape of his origins with a poetic, compassionate, sorrowful novel set in the aftermath of World War II in Malaya...Grace and empathy infuse this melancholy landscape of complex loyalties enfolded by brutal history, creating a novel of peculiar, mysterious, tragic beauty." - Kirkus Reviews , STARRED REVIEW "As intricately designed as a Japanese garden, this deceptively quiet novel resonates with the power to inspire a variety of passionate emotions...A haunting novel certain to stay with the reader long after the book is closed." Library Journal , STARRED REVIEW "Like his debut, The Gift of Rain (2007), Tan's second novel is exquisite...Tan triumphs again, entwining the redemptive power of storytelling with the elusive search for truth, all the while juxtaposing Japan's inhumane war history with glorious moments of Japanese art and philosophy. All readers in search of spectacular writing will not be disappointed." Philadelphia Inquirer "Beautifully written...Eng is quite simply one of the best novelists writing today." , The Independent "The Garden of Evening Mists offers action-packed, end-of-empire storytelling in the vein of Tan's compatriot Tash Aw. His fictional garden cultivates formal harmony -but also undermines it. It unmasks sophisticated artistry as a partner of pain and lies. This duality invests the novel with a climate of doubt; a mood - as with Aritomo's creation - of "tension and possibility". Its beauty never comes to rest." Boyd Tonkin, The Independent (UK) "A rising star from Malaysia . . . Tan writes with breath-catching poise and grace. [ The Garden of Evening Mists is a novel of] linguistic refinement and searching intelligence. . . . But for all its mission to 'capture stillness on paper'. . . The Garden of Evening Mists also offers action-packed, end-of-empire storytelling." Dominique Browning, The New York Times Book Review "[A] strong quiet novel [of] eloquent mystery.", Booklist "The unexpected relationship between a war-scarred woman and an exiled gardener leads to a journey through remorse to a kind of peace. After a notable debut, Eng ( The Gift of Rain , 2008) returns to the landscape of his origins with a poetic, compassionate, sorrowful novel set in the aftermath of World War II in Malaya...Grace and empathy infuse this melancholy landscape of complex loyalties enfolded by brutal history, creating a novel of peculiar, mysterious, tragic beauty." - Kirkus Reviews , STARRED REVIEW "As intricately designed as a Japanese garden, this deceptively quiet novel resonates with the power to inspire a variety of passionate emotions...A haunting novel certain to stay with the reader long after the book is closed." Library Journal , STARRED REVIEW "Like his debut, The Gift of Rain (2007), Tan's second novel is exquisite...Tan triumphs again, entwining the redemptive power of storytelling with the elusive search for truth, all the while juxtaposing Japan's inhumane war history with glorious moments of Japanese art and philosophy. All readers in search of spectacular writing will not be disappointed." Philadelphia Inquirer "Beautifully written...Eng is quite simply one of the best novelists writing today."
