I have to agree with some of the other reviewers; this book started out with a lot of promise but quickly became frustrating and pointless. I think that more insight as to why the relationships were the way the were would have been helpful. As it was, I lost interest long before the end of the book.

This was good but not as well written as Memoirs of a Geisha. The Scent of Sake tells the story of one brewing family in the 19th century. Interesting insights into traiditonal sake brewing and Japanies culture prior to westernization. ( )

This was a very good story, and reading how the book came to be, made it all the more wrorthwhile. I was shocked at the ruthlessness shown by Rie in her business choices and then surprised that I wasn't taken aback by the same hardness with the family. It all ran together and wove a groundbreaking story for her time that was full of scandle. ( )

Japan is my passion and I have 400+ books about that country. I was disappointed by this book. The characters seem "wooden", I didn't learn enough about them for them to be sympathetic. The story takes place during the transition from Edo era Japan to Meiji - a time of extreme turmoil, change in culture, political systems, etc - I wanted to learn more about how this change would affect the people living thru it. ( )

This book is about a family dynasty, Japanese style. The Omura family have been sake brewers for generations. Women are not allowed into the brewery for fear their presence will sour the sake. Sole heir, young Rie is forced to turn the business to the philanderer she has been forced to marry and whose children by other women she is expected to raise. But Rie is not ready to give up the fight and follow her mother's advice to "kill the self" in order to bear the demands the strict Japanese society places on a woman. The book presented tidbits regarding the rules of family and the sake brewing industry in Japan. It follows Rie and her family in an evolving world, such as the impact of the Euopeans. If you enjoy intergenerational books about families, you will find this one interesting. ( )