The Easy Life in Kamusari

Praise for The Easy Life in Kamusari

“Fans of all ages should enjoy the author’s blend of the traditional and the contemporary.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Miura (The Great Passage, 2017) takes readers on a journey with Yuki, a directionless young man, to the remote mountainside villages of Japan where the trees are plentiful, but cell reception is minimal. Miura lovingly depicts the shifting seasons and the challenges they bring to those who work in the forestry industry in Japan’s mountains.” —Booklist

“This tender and kaleidoscopic novel centers a young Japanese city boy and his coming-of-age in a remote village.” —Ms. Magazine

“This is the perfect novel to read if you plan to reconnect with nature this year and stop spending so much time staring at screens. When teenager Yuki Hirano’s parents send him to a forestry training program far from the city (or even cell signal), it feels like a punishment. But as he learns his way around the forest, gets to know the trees, and discovers mountain legends, he finds much to love about Mt. Kamusari.” —Book Riot

“I closed the pages in whole-hearted support of author Shion Miura’s call to slow down and appreciate and respect nature, especially as I think more about traveling responsibly in our age of climate change and a global pandemic. As Yuki learned about the culture and way of life around Mount Kamusari over the span of a year—celebrating each season and the festivals that surround them—I began to wonder if one can truly know a new place without spending a full year there.” —Undomesticated Magazine

Praise for The Great Passage

Winner of an Earphones Award, Fiction

“Mastery of words may not result in masterly communication, and a great dictionary, like a love story, is ‘the result of people puzzling over their choices’—a classic tension that has made The Great Passage a prizewinner in Japan, as well as both a successful feature film and an animated television series.” —The New York Times

“Swirling with witty enchantment, The Great Passage proves to be, well, utterly great. Readers should be advised to get ready to sigh with delighted satisfaction and awe-inspiring admiration.” —Booklist (starred review)

“The Great Passage has a philosophy of thoughtfulness and dedication to words that any reader will understand…Miura’s prose—and Carpenter’s translation—glides along, smooth and precise, with flashes of quiet poetry.” —Metropolis

“The Great Passage is interwoven with romantic love stories, but ultimately it is the passion of the characters, their friendship, and their devotion to their task that direct and complete the narrative and turn it from simply a good book to a great one.” —Talia Franks, Three Percent