Ginger tree review - Book Report/Review Example

Marie’s marriage proves to be a disaster although she gives birth to a daughter. Marie has a short affair with a Japanese soldier and gets pregnant after which she is ostracized by the expatriate community in China. She escapes to Japan and remains there till 1942 and the story ends here. During all these years Mary undergoes all kinds of trials and sufferings but eventually creates circumstances for herself that allow her to lead a good life in Japan. She becomes financially independent, which is indeed an exceptional achievement for a woman during those war torn years.

The book provides readers with a fantastic story about the Scottish woman who despite being placed in an entirely foreign and unique land that was mostly male dominated, became highly successful and wealthy even in the face of all odds. She had the business acumen to make wise decisions and judgments that made her become famous as well as infamous. The Ginger Tree is an inspirational story that throws light on perseverance, wisdom, patience and how to take chances in difficult times. The story commences in January, 1903 when Mary boards a steamer that is bound for China, so that she can meet and marry Richard, her fiance.

Mary is depicted as a strong minded and inquisitive young woman who is determined to break with conventions whenever required. In the story, she describes her co-passengers and the events that happen during the voyage. She is much fascinated by dolphins, which she sees for the first time. She also narrates how she is gripped with fear when her ship is engulfed by a typhoon. During the time she spent on the ship, Mary learns a great deal about herself and about China and its culture. The story is an account of over forty years of East West relationship and the development of Japan, initially through the accounts of a young woman and then through the experiences of a woman who gradually becomes a hardened stranger in a new land.

The book is a mix of social commentary and love story and deals remarkably well with the massive suffering and global change that are depicted through the perceptions of a single woman. It becomes apparent from the very beginning that Mary will face a difficult life in the Far East. The tone of the book is set by the death of Mary’s travel companion during the voyage to China and gradually through her life experiences in terms of illicit love affairs, illness, kidnapped children and earth-quakes in Japan that are narrated and looked at with harsh compassion and honesty.

The book covers several areas and has something of everything by way of illicit love affairs, outlandish backgrounds, mysteries, historical events and a powerful female protagonist that accepts her fate with courage. The reader learns how Marie accepts the life that she is forced to create for herself and how she is determined to succeed irrespective of the torment and suffering that she faces. The Ginger Tree should not be understood as an authoritative work on Japan. It is more of an understanding and depiction of the culture, customs, history and life style of Japan during the given period, from the perspectives of the author.

Oswald Wynd was a citizen of both Japan and Scotland. He was born in