The Ginger Tree

“One of the few contemporary novels to show Japan as it was and is.” — Japan Times

The classic bittersweet story of love and betrayal in the Far East.

A stunning tour de force acclaimed throughout the world, The Ginger Tree is the spellbinding odyssey of one woman's strength and spirit in the face of terrifying odds.

In 1903, a young Scotswoman named Mary Mackenzie sets sail for China to marry her betrothed, a military attaché in Peking. But soon after her arrival, Mary falls into an adulterous affair with a young Japanese nobleman, scandalizing the British community. Casting her out of the European community, her compatriots tear her away from her small daughter. A woman abandoned and alone, Mary learns to survive over forty tumultuous years in Asia, including two world wars and the cataclysmic Tokyo earthquake of 1923.

In 1903, a young Scotswoman named Mary Mackenzie sets sail for China to marry her betrothed, a military attaché in Peking. But soon after her arrival, Mary falls into an adulterous affair with a young Japanese nobleman, scandalizing the British community. Casting her out of the European community, her compatriots tear her away from her small daughter. A woman abandoned and alone, Mary learns to survive over forty tumultuous years in Asia, including two world wars and the cataclysmic Tokyo earthquake of 1923.

"Wonderful." - New York Times

"Marvelous." - The Spectator (London)

"Ripping Yarn." - Daily Record (Scotland)

“One of the few contemporary novels to show Japan as it was and is.” - Japan Times

"A completely diverting and moving tracery of the hardening destiny of a nation and the quiet shriveling of one heart." - Kirkus Reviews