This compact but engaging historical novel takes one to Japan right after WWII when MacArthur was a star. Our typist protagonist rises quickly as he can type 95 WPM which connects him to MacArthur's personal life and an interesting connection to his son. Post wartime Japan is a bleak place, but Knight brings it to life in this well-written page turner. Fans of early James Michener will find simliar themes/plot development in this novel. I got this book because my grandpa was a typist in during WWII after being injured in Iwo Jima, and had told me some interesting stories about it, so it was intriguing to me. This book was rather boring though, and didn't talk much about the character's role as a typist - it was just an excuse to talk about all the other boring things he did. I don't know - it didn't do it for me. I do really like just about anything in this time period, though.
The blurb from the Los Angeles Times calls it "wistful and romantic," and it is.
—Beatriz11
The final image of this sweet, sparse novella resonates.
—arisaperez
What I consider a quiet book, well written.
—jhytaz
