The Kimono Tattoo, Rebecca Copeland
The Kimono Tattoo, Rebecca Copeland
3 Rating(s)
List: $22.95 | Sale: $16.07
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The Kimono Tattoo

Author: Rebecca Copeland

Narrator: Theresa Bakken

Unabridged: 12 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/26/2022

Synopsis

American translator Ruth Bennett peels back layers of haunting secrets in a revered kimono dynasty. “I jostled her shoulder and noticed when I did that her skin was cold to the touch, her entire torso was covered in tattoos of kimono motifs.”This ghastly scene was the last thing Ruth Bennett expected to encounter when she agreed to translate a novel by a long-forgotten Japanese writer. Returning to her childhood home in Kyoto had promised safety and solitude, but Ruth soon finds the storyline in the novel leaking into her everyday life. Fictional characters turn out to be frighteningly real. Using her intimate knowledge of both kimono and Kyoto, Ruth must confront a vicious killer along with her own painful family secrets.

About Rebecca Copeland

Rebecca Copeland is a writer of fiction and literary criticism and a translator of Japanese literature. Her stories travel between Japan and the American South and touch on questions of identity, belonging, and self-discovery. Her translation of Kirino Natsuo’s The Goddess Chronicle won the PEN Translates Award, English PEN in 2013, and the Japan-US Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature, 2014–2015. After earning a PhD in Japanese literature at Columbia University, Copeland is now a professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

About Theresa Bakken

Theresa Bakken draws on her experience as an Emmy Award–winning broadcast journalist to bring empathy to every character, and professionalism to every project. In addition to audiobook narration, she produces and hosts the Desideratum podcast celebrating authors and featuring their work.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kylie on July 06, 2022

This is a wonderful modern day thriller, which touches on the heritage and customs of Japan. The Narrator, Theresa Bakken, was simply brilliant. Her pace of reading was relaxing and steady, it allowed the listener to take in all the details and really picture the scene in their mind. Her tones with s......more

Goodreads review by Nancy (playing catch-up) on August 07, 2022

It was the title and the book cover that led me to request The Kimono Tattoo by Rebecca Copeland. Ruth Bennett is an American expat living in Japan and working as a translator. When she is asked by a mysterious woman to translate a book by a famous author who hasn't been heard from in years, she fin......more

Goodreads review by Dana-Adriana B. on July 27, 2022

I enjoyed this audiobook. Ruth lives in Japan. She translates Japanese novels into English. One day she gets an offer to translate a new novel by a famous author. In the book, she finds a murderer that looks to be from. real life. As she continues her translation, she discovers more clues to the mur......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on June 24, 2022

I experienced this Rebecca Copeland novel, The Kimono Tattoo, in audiobook format, narrated by Theresa Bakken. I enjoyed Bakken's performance of the book, though I don't think you would miss much by going for the traditional written format if that's your preference. Brakken maintains clear diction,......more

Goodreads review by Suzanne on October 13, 2021

Up till now, Copeland has been best known as the author of academic (though highly readable) books about Japanese women, and translator of Japanese literature. (She's the English voice of superstar writer Natsuo Kirino, for example.) With THE KIMONO TATTOO, Copeland adds novelist to her list of acco......more

Quotes

“A delicate and intricate novel, pieced together like a mosaic, that just blew me away. The author shows a strikingly deep knowledge of Japanese literature and kimono culture.” Natsuo Kirino, Edgar Award–nominated author

“An intriguing mystery wrapped inside the beautifully rendered world of Kyoto. Rebecca Copeland’s intimate knowledge of Japanese culture and custom shine throughout this novel. ” Susan Perabo, author of The Broken Places

“It is not simply an exciting page-turner you cannot put down, but also an intricate thriller uniquely informed with the ‘kimono and tattoo philosophy.’” Xiaolong Qiu, author of the award-winning Inspector Chen series

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