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Mariko Tatsumoto
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Blossoms On A Poisoned Sea: A Novel of Love & Betrayal in Minamata, Japan Kindle Edition

by Mariko Tatsumoto (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 10 ratings
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This elegantly told yet ultimately horrifying novel is based on the true story of one of history’s most shocking corporate betrayals and industrial disasters.

Yuki is the daughter of a poor fisherman. Kiyo is the son of a senior executive at Chisso, a huge chemical conglomerate. In 1956, they meet and become friends, then gradually fall in love. But then all living things in the once beautiful Minamata Bay suddenly die. The impoverished people living around it begin suffering from a terrifying disease that causes agonizing pain, paralysis, and death . . . including Yuki’s family. With no fish to catch and incapacitated from the disease, her parents are starving. As the sole wage earner, Yuki’s reduced to low-paying, backbreaking work as a laborer, then as a house cleaner.

The citydwellers, who work at Chisso, turn their backs on the lower-class fisherfolk, who largely tend to get the disease. The corporation stonewalls, denying culpability. Kiyo fails to convince his father to get the company to help. As the suffering spreads, Kiyo helps researchers find answers to the devastating neurological disease. But they’re blocked by the government and the corporate-influenced media.

Together Yuki and Kiyo must fight both the Japanese government and a powerful and ruthless corporation to save her family and the bay.
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  1. Print length
    411 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    January 5, 2024
  5. File size
    1834 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CRBDST3P
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Northampton House Press (January 5, 2024)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 5, 2024
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1834 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 411 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 195066824X
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 10 ratings

About the author

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Mariko Tatsumoto

Mariko Tatsumoto

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After emigrating from Japan at the age of 8, Mariko Tatsumoto was detoured from her love of books by becoming the first Asian woman attorney in Colorado before unchaining herself from law to pursue writing. AYUMI'S VIOLIN and SWEPT AWAY (originally titled GUTLESS), have garnered a total of seven awards. When not penning her stories in her home in the Rocky Mountains, she hikes, skis, and kayaks.

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
10 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kevin
5.0 out of 5 stars A Review of "Blossoms on a Poisoned Sea" by Mariko Tatsumoto
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2024
Verified Purchase
In a world saturated with fiction, Mariko Tatsumoto's "Blossoms on a Poisoned Sea" stands out as a rare and luminous pearl. It tackles the harrowing true story of the Minamata disaster, a horrific environmental poisoning that ravaged a Japanese island community in the 1950s, but Tatsumoto does so with the deft touch of a master storyteller.

The brilliance of the novel lies in its characters. We are not presented with distant statistics or impersonal tragedy. Instead, we enter the lives of Yuki, a fisherman's daughter grappling with a terrifying illness plaguing her family, and Kiyo, the son of a powerful executive entangled in the web of corporate greed. Through their eyes, we witness the devastation of Minamata disease firsthand, the contorted bodies, the stolen lives, the fear that hangs heavy in the air.

Yet, "Blossoms on a Poisoned Sea" is not merely a documentary in prose. It is a story of resilience, of love blossoming in the face of despair. Tatsumoto masterfully portrays the complexities of human nature. We encounter not just villains and victims, but individuals forced into impossible choices. The weight of loyalty strains against the yearning for justice, creating characters we can't help but empathize with, even those who falter.

This is a compelling read on every level. The prose is evocative, bringing the beauty of the poisoned sea and the desperation of the afflicted village into sharp focus. The plot weaves a suspenseful narrative, keeping us invested in the fates of Yuki, Kiyo, and the entire community.

"Blossoms on a Poisoned Sea" is a must-read. It stays with you long after the final page is turned, a haunting reminder of the human cost of environmental negligence, but also a testament to the enduring power of love and hope, even in the most seemingly desolate landscapes.
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Jim Walton
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable story inside important but sad history
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2024
Verified Purchase
An important piece of history we all need to know about. The author did an awesome job of researching
, and includes a moving love story. A great Book Club selection.
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Karen
5.0 out of 5 stars Love, greed and heart ache
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2024
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This wonderful story about the heart ache caused by greed is a must read. You will get involved with the characters and hate what they have to go through to finally make a life for themselves and their families. True history takes a role in making this work of fiction a page turner you won’t want to miss. This is definitely headed for a best seller list.
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Jane M. Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful on so many levels!
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2024
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This is a beautifully written story, with richly developed characters, about corporate corruption and greed and the resulting devastation to a small fishing village in Japan. Historically accurate, this book magically transported this reader to that place and that time.
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Paul Matlock
5.0 out of 5 stars A Thrilling Page Turner
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2024
Most of my reading for pleasure centers around action novels from authors such as Lee Child, Vince Flynn, David Baldacci, legal thrillers by John Grisham, and westerns by Louis L'Amour and William Johnstone. When I obtained Mariko's newest historical novel, I was in the middle of one of Vince Flynn's novels, but I went ahead and started Blossoms. Slowly at first since I was into Flynn's The Third Option. After a few days of gingerly approaching a love novel, I found myself really getting into it, intrigued by the true events of corporate greed and betrayal, the Japanese customs and traditions, and found myself falling in love with Yuki. A beautiful intelligent young lady from a poor fisherman's family, fighting against all odds to provide and care for her family. The twists and turns and humor in the book prevented me from putting the book down. The unexpected ending made me stand up and cheer for Yuki and Kiyo. This beautifully written book by Mariko is her best yet. While reading the book, I kept thinking of John Grisham and his novels: wait a year for his newest and then reading it in a few days, and then wait another year. Can't wait for her next work. A must read!
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Phyllis W
5.0 out of 5 stars Blossoms on a Poisoned Sea is a story well-told
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2024
In the historical novel, Blossoms on a Poisoned Sea, Mariko Tatsumoto tells the story of two young people navigating a horrifying human-caused event that occurred in Minamata, Japan during the 1950’s. The writing is engaging, descriptive, and provides insights into the actions and responses of those involved and affected. I did not know of this event, even though it occurred when I was a child. I appreciate the telling of the story and the breadth and depth of research that the author applied in the writing of the book.
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AJ Pagosa
5.0 out of 5 stars A young couple desperately tries to uncover the cause of Minimata disease in post WWII Japan
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2024
One of the most horrific instances of industrial pollution and corporate malfeasance in modern history provides the backdrop for a genuinely engaging novel of romance, murder, perseverance and redemption. Set in immediate post-WWII Japan the author provides an abundance of detail about daily life and the hardships people faced struggling to survive in the ruins, as well as the terrible choices one corporation made in trying to return Japan to industrial prominence. It is on the one hand a romantic-mystery thriller but also an historically accurate and sobering tale about the massive human cost of unmitigated greed. Highly recommended.
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M.J. Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars Touching Story
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024
I loved this book. It had me hooked from the very first page. The story is compelling and the characters are beautifully portrayed. Two very unlikely teens find love even as they face the challenge of exposing a large corporation that is causing a fatal illness throughout a little fishing village. Great for young adults and up. Fun book for book clubs. This story is based upon true events.
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