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Blog Tour/Book Review: Cultivating a Fuji by Miriam Drori

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Cultivating a Fuji Full Tour Banner

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Cultivating a Fuji by Miriam Drori.  My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the tour and to Crooked Cat Books for my review copy.

I’m thrilled to say that, to celebrate publication of Cultivating a Fuji, there’s also a giveaway (open internationally) with a chance for one lucky person to win copies of Neither Here Nor There and Social Anxiety Revealed. To enter via Rafflecopter, click here.

 

Giveaway Terms and Conditions

  • Worldwide entries welcome. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.
  • The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email.
  • If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner.
  • Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time the data will be deleted.
  • I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

Cultivating a FujiAbout the Book

Convinced that his imperfect, solitary existence is the best it will ever be, Martin unexpectedly finds himself being sent to represent his company in Japan. His colleagues think it’s a joke; his bosses are certain he will fail. What does Martin think? He simply does what he’s told. That’s how he’s survived up to now – by hiding his feelings.

Amazingly, in the land of strange rituals, sweet and juicy apples, and too much saké, Martin flourishes and achieves the impossible. But that’s only the beginning. Keeping up the momentum for change proves futile. So, too, is a return to what he had before. Is there a way forward, or should he put an end to the search now?

Gradually, as you’ll see when Martin looks back from near the end of his journey, life improves. There’s even a woman, Fiona, who brings her own baggage to the relationship, but brightens Martin’s days. And just when you think there can be no more surprises, another one pops up.

Throughout his life, people have laughed at ‘weirdo’ Martin; and you, as you read, will have plenty of opportunity to laugh, too. Go ahead, laugh away, but you’ll find that there’s also a serious side to all this…

Format: Paperback, ebook(235 pp.)    Publisher: Crooked Cat Books
Published: 15th May 2019    Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Cultivating a Fuji on Goodreads

My Review

Moving back and forth in time (but always clearly signposted by the author) the reader gradually learns of Martin’s experiences growing up, at school and at work. Approaching the book from the perspective of hopefully more enlightened times, I found it uncomfortable to hear other characters referring to Martin as ‘weirdo’ or ‘creep’. Reading about his horrible experiences at school was particularly troubling.

The author uses Martin’s story as a vehicle to enlighten the reader about social anxiety, staying just the right side of feeling like it’s a psychology lecture. Part of this is down to the engaging character of Martin and there are plenty of humorous episodes to lighten the mood. Not everyone is without sympathy for Martin either but sometimes, as the book shows, people willing to help him (such as his boss, John) don’t know the best way to go about it or may inadvertently choose the wrong way.

I found myself a little impatient for Martin to embark on his trip to Japan but once he arrived there were some great scenes full of humour, such as Martin’s first encounter with karaoke. I actually would have welcomed reading more about his trip, some of which is only recounted third hand. (The reader will also have to exercise patience for the relevance of the book’s title to become clear.)  The author puts a lot of effort into creating back stories for minor characters, even those who make only a brief appearance (such as the lady in the Passport Office).

I really enjoyed the second part of the book in which we learn of Martin’s life following his return from Japan and I wanted to believe that Martin’s experiences could be replicated for others suffering from social anxiety. After such a hopeful and uplifting message, the last chapter of the book came as somewhat of a surprise and, I’ll confess, left me slightly confused.

Cultivating a Fuji does a great job of highlighting the experiences of those with social anxiety disorder and the challenges they face using the medium of fiction.

I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, Crooked Cat Books, and Rachel’s Random Resources.

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In three words: Enlightening, humorous, engaging

Try something similar…600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster

Cultiveating Author PhotoAbout the Author

Miriam Drori has decided she’s in the fifth and best stage of her life, and she’s hoping it’ll last forever. It’s the one in which she’s happiest and most settled and finally free to do what she wants. Miriam lives in a delightful house and garden in Jerusalem with her lovely husband and one of three children. She enjoys frequent trips around the world. She dances, hikes, reads and listens to music. And she’s realised that social anxiety is here to stay, so she might as well make friends with it. On top of that, she has moved away from computer programming and technical writing (although both of those provided interest in previous stages) and now spends her time editing and writing fiction.

Neither Here Nor There (currently unavailable), a romance with a difference set in Jerusalem, was published in 2014. The Women Friends, co-written with Emma Rose Millar, is a series of novellas based on the famous painting by Gustav Klimt. Social Anxiety Revealed (non-fiction) provides a comprehensive description of social anxiety from many different viewpoints. Cultivating a Fuji takes the social anxiety theme into fiction, using humour to season a poignant story.

Connect with Miriam

Website  ǀ  Blog | Facebook  ǀ  Twitter  ǀ  Goodreads

Buchan of the Month/Book Review: The Three Hostages by John Buchan

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buchan of the month 2019 poster

20190510_130630-1About the Book

After the war and newly knighted, Richard Hannay is living peacefully in the Cotswolds with his wife, Mary, and son, Peter John.

Unfortunately, a day arrives when three separate visitors tell him of three children being held hostage by a secret kidnapper. All three seem to lead back to a man named Dominick Medina, a popular Member of Parliament.

Hannay uncovers a dastardly plot involving hypnotism and the black arts, as well as the more earthly crimes of blackmail and profiteering.

Format: Hardcover (379 pp.)    Publisher: Thomas Nelson & Son
Published: [1924]   Genre: Crime, Mystery

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find The Three Hostages on Goodreads

My Review

The Three Hostages is the fifth book in my Buchan of the Month reading project for 2019.  You can find out more about the project and my reading list for 2019 here.  You can also read my spoiler-free introduction to The Three Hostages here.

In The Three Hostages, John Buchan puts into the mouth of one of the characters (Dr. Greenslade) what was very likely his own recipe for creating his adventure stories (or what he termed his ‘shockers’).

“Look here. I want to write a shocker, so I begin by fixing on one or two facts which have no sort of connection… You invent a connection – simple enough if you have any imagination – and you weave all three into a yarn.  The reader, who knows nothing about the three at the start, is puzzled and intrigued and, if the story is well arranged, finally satisfied.  He is pleased with the ingenuity of the solution, for he doesn’t realise that the author fixed upon the solution first, and then invented a problem to suit it.’

Indulging in a further in-joke at his own expense, Buchan has Dr. Greenslade glance at the detective novel his friend, Hannay, has been reading and remarks, “I can read most things…but it beats me how you can waste time over such stuff.  These shockers are too easy, Dick.  You could invent better ones for yourself.’   As it happens, the three facts Greenslade gives as examples turn out to have more relevance than he initially realises and provide part of the key to the ensuing mystery.

What I particularly enjoyed about The Three Hostages is the prominent role given to Hannay’s wife, Mary (whom the reader – and Hannay – first encountered in Mr.Standfast).   John Buchan was not known for creating credible or positive female characters but I think Mary is the exception in this book.  She comes across as bright, brave and as equally adept at intrigue as her husband, as well as acting as his conscience.  It is Mary who encourages Hannay to take up the search for the three hostages when he is initially disinclined to get involved and sustains him with the thought of what is at stake when he becomes discouraged with progress.

In The Three Hostages, Buchan also has some interesting and quite prescient things to say about the power of propaganda, or what we might term today ‘fake news’.  At one point, Hannay’s old police chum, Macgillivray, remarks, ‘Dick, have you ever considered what a diabolical weapon [propaganda] can be – using all the channels of modern publicity to poison and warp men’s minds.  It is the most dangerous thing on earth. You can use it cleanly…but you can also use it to establish the most damnable lies.’  

The Three Hostages also sees the welcome return of other supporting characters from previous Hannay adventures, such as Sandy Arbuthnot and Archie Roylance.   Less attractive, certainly to modern day readers, is some of the crude racial stereotyping that Buchan puts into the thoughts of his character, Richard Hannay.  There is also use of the ‘n’ word in one particular scene that I found unpalatable.

Despite the reservations just mentioned, The Three Hostages is certainly an entertaining and well-paced mystery.  It builds to a dramatic final reckoning between Hannay and the villain on a Scottish mountainside, in which Buchan’s own knowledge of – and fondness for – mountaineering and deer-stalking is put to good use. All in all, the book is a great example of John Buchan’s ability to create an exciting story line.

June’s Buchan of the Month will be The Dancing Floor. Look out for my spoiler free introduction to the book shortly and my review towards the end of the month.

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In three words: Pacy, adventure, mystery

Try something similar: Mr. Standfast by John Buchan (read my review here)

John BuchanAbout the Author

John Buchan (1875 – 1940) was an author, poet, lawyer, publisher, journalist, war correspondent, Member of Parliament, University Chancellor, keen angler and family man.  He was ennobled and, as Lord Tweedsmuir, became Governor-General of Canada.  In this role, he signed Canada’s entry into the Second World War.   Nowadays he is probably best known – maybe only known – as the author of The Thirty-Nine Steps.  However, in his lifetime he published over 100 books: fiction, poetry, short stories, biographies, memoirs and history.

You can find out more about John Buchan, his life and literary output by visiting The John Buchan Society website.

buchan of the month 2019