Discussion date: June 14, 2004

What we thought:
This was one of the most uniformly praised of our selections. No one rated it less than 4 stars, and there were several votes for 5 stars. We all loved the characters and the feeling of peace and harmony the book generated. Although there was much sadness and strife in the story, it left us with a renewed faith in the quiet power of compassion and love -- the best kind of inspirational writing.

Marcia once again outdid herself in carrying out the theme of the evening (see below).

Two ladies of Japan