A very simple and quick read. I suspect it lost some of it's magic in translation.

This book was purchased as a 12th anniversary (a.k.a. Silk anniversary) gift in Happy Valley, OR. Left in the Marchesi tasting room on the bookshelves to the right.

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I found this book at our favorite winery, and right away loved the Italian author/Italian wine maker connection! I love the story concept, short read, repetitive writing style re: Hervé’s successive journeys to Japan. Written by an Italian, translated into English (perhaps that is part of my issue), set in France and Japan, and about a mesmerizing subject, silkworms. I see that it has been made into a film, though I have not seen it. The characters are well drawn and distinct. The settings are rich and lush. But the storytelling, while beautiful, has holes and left me asking more questions than I would like.

I am a big fan of books that have been translated from another language into English. I have so much respect then not only for the author, but for the translator who carries the book forward in my language. This book is written by an Italian author and translated into English, about a Frenchman, but much of the book is set in Japan, so it is quite an enigma! The protagonist, a silk merchant who must travel illicitly to Japan when silkworms are no longer viable in other parts of the world, leaves behind a loving and devoted wife during his travels, and is mesmerized by a Japanese woman, a concubine who thoroughly and unwittingly captivates him! Absolutely amazing detail into the world of silk worms and the manufacture of this gorgeous fabric.