This book is a dreamy blend of modern life and old-world myth, weaving the haunting Japanese folktale of the crane with contemporary struggles of love, yearning, and forgiveness. Patrick Ness gives us a small but memorable cast - George, his daughter Amanda, and the enigmatic Kumiko - each grappling with longing and connection. The mix of magical realism and psychological insight makes this book a treat for fans of literary fiction, fairy tale retellings, and anyone who loves a bittersweet modern fable shot through with poetic beauty.

Who May Not Like This Book:

Readers looking for straightforward storytelling may find the shifting narrative styles and metaphysical threads a bit confusing or even pretentious. The characters, especially Kumiko and Amanda, can be frustratingly opaque or prickly, leaving some readers feeling disconnected. If you crave non-stop action or clear-cut answers, the slow pace and ambiguity might not be your cup of tea. Some also found the blend of everyday snark and mythic grandeur jarring.

A poetic, melancholy modern fable that's part love story, part meditation on longing - ideal for fans of magical realism but may perplex those wanting a firmer grip on reality.

About:

'The Crane Wife' by Patrick Ness is a modern fairy tale that expands on a traditional Japanese folktale. The story follows three main characters: Kumiko, a mysterious woman who becomes the wife of George, a kind but unfulfilled man; George, who unites his art form with Kumiko's to create beauty; and Amanda, George's socially challenged daughter. The narrative weaves between the ordinary lives of these characters and the mythical love story of the crane and the volcano, exploring themes of love, yearning, forgiveness, and the complexities of human relationships. The writing style varies between mythological, everyday, and harmonious tones to depict the different perspectives of the characters and their intertwining stories.

Characters:

The characters are deeply flawed yet relatable, each struggling with their own desires and challenges, ultimately linked by their relationships with each other.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style features different narrative techniques that reflect each character's story, creating a unique but at times disjointed reading experience.

Plot/Storyline:

The story is a modern retelling of a Japanese folktale about a crane and its relationship with a man, focusing on themes of love, loss, and the consequences of curiosity.

Setting:

The setting combines contemporary life in London with mythical elements from Japanese folklore, creating a unique backdrop for the unfolding story.

Pacing:

The pacing maintains a steady rhythm, captivating the reader without dragging, despite its reflective and often philosophical nature.

‘That’s the colour of the charity. Pink is the colour of the charity. Breast Cancer. Pink. Because it affects women. Mostly women do the fundraising, but some men do, too. We run, we raise money. It’s...

Notes:

The Crane Wife is based on a traditional Japanese folktale.

The story involves a young man or a childless couple who rescue a crane.

The crane transforms into a mysterious woman named Kumiko.

Kumiko weaves beautiful items for her benefactors but does so in secret.

The narrative shows the dangers of curiosity, similar to other fairy tales.

The book features multiple writing styles for different characters.

Kumiko's story has a mythological feel, while Amanda's sections are more everyday and humorous.

George, the main character, creates art with discarded book pages.

The book explores themes of love, greed, and the complexity of relationships.

Ness acknowledges the artist Su Blackwell as an inspiration for the artwork in the story.

The characters experience deep emotional struggles and yearnings throughout the book.

The ending of the story serves as both a conclusion and a beginning.

The narrative read like a fable, intertwining reality with mythical elements.

The book has been described as beautifully written and thought-provoking.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

There are themes of loss, emotional difficulties, and complex relationships which may require content warnings.

Has Romance?

The romance in The Crane Wife is present but complex, focusing on the relationships between characters rather than traditional romantic tropes.

From The Publisher:

A magical novel, based on a Japanese folk tale, that imagines how the life of a broken-hearted man is transformed when he rescues an injured white crane that has landed in his backyard.

George Duncan is an American living and working in London. At forty-eight, he owns a small print shop, is divorced, and lonelier than he realizes. All of the women with whom he has relationships eventually leave him for being too nice. But one night he is woken by an astonishing sound-a terrific keening, which is coming from somewhere in his garden. When he investigates he finds a great white crane, a bird taller than even himself. It has been shot through the wing with an arrow. Moved more than he can say, George struggles to take out the arrow from the bird's wing, saving its life before it flies away into the night sky.

The next morning, a shaken George tries to go about his daily life, retreating to the back of his store and making cuttings from discarded books-a harmless, personal hobby-when through the front door of the shop a woman walks in. Her name is Kumiko, and she asks George to help her with her own artwork. George is dumbstruck by her beauty and her enigmatic nature, and begins to fall desperately in love with her. She seems to hold the potential to change his entire life, if he could only get her to reveal the secret of who she is and why she has brought her artwork to him.

Witty, magical, and romantic, The Crane Wife is a story of passion and sacrifice, that resonates on the level of dream and myth. It is a novel that celebrates the creative imagination, and the disruptive power of love.

April 2013

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320 pages

Reader Stats (7):

Want To Read (6)
Not Interested (1)

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About the Author:

Born in Virginia and raised in Hawaii and the state of Washington, Patrick Ness is the author of seven novels and a short story collection. He has won the Carnegie Medal twice, The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, and the Costa…

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The Crane Wife

Patrick Ness

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