The Doctor's Wife (Japan's Women Writers)

By Sawako Ariyoshi

Book Overview

'A powerful portrait of two strongwilled women in a society almost totally dominated by men.' -Oriental Economist This is a novel based on the life of the first doctor in the world to perform surgery... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870114654
• ISBN13: 9780870114656
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Kodansha Amer Inc
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.3" x 0.8" x 4.5"

Customer Reviews

A Welcome Read

The book is set during the Tokugawa period of Japan and depicts the struggles in life of a woman named Kae. It may be thought that this book lacks a dynamic story, the idea is not because of some flaw in the author, but the fact that it is a historical fiction piece which tells of the first recorded medical operation of breast cancer under a general anesthetic. The author does a very good job at keeping up with the known facts which to some unenlightened peoples may seem as unattractive. Aside from this notion, the book is by no means dull. It contains the tragic vie for attention between mother and daugter-in-law while touching on the issue of sexual prejudice that is still present in today's society. All this while at the same time shaping the tale of a Doctor's goal to set a medical landmark. A very good book to learn some history while being inthralled with the story.

Very informative, about family and secret feelings

An atypical threesome relationship: the husband, his wife and his mother. In a culture where, not dissimilarly to the British culture, it is despicable to show your inner feelings. The wife and the mother quickly become competitive, but never admit it, hence the tragic ending. A warning to our modern society, where, partly in response to the high divorce rate, many young adults tend to stick closer to their parents: this may become the cause, rather than the solution, of divorce problems.Although set in the Japan of one century ago, this book is still actual. Increasingly, Japanese women flee marriage because she who marries a first-born son (this is the case for most young men, given the size of modern families), is expected to go and live with his parents.