Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne - Hardcover

Hills, Ben

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1585425680 ISBN 13: 9781585425686

Publisher: Tarcher, 2006

Synopsis

A portrait of Princess Masako, the Harvard- and Oxford-educated woman who sacrificed her career as a diplomat to marry Crown Prince Naruhito, offers a look into the mysterious world of Japan's imperial family.

About this title

About the Author:

Ben Hills is an award-winning Australian journalist. In 1969 he was hired as an investigative reporter for The Age. He also worked for the Sydney Morning Herald. In 1991 he won the Walkley Award for investigative reporting. His books include Blue Murder, Japan Behind the Lines, and Princess Misako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne.

From Booklist:

True tragedy or simply a bad marriage decision? That is up to the readers--if they decide to make the effort to slog through this less-than-compelling portrait of Princess Masako. Initially packaged as the "Japanese Princess Di," Masako was an intelligent Western-educated woman who probably should have known better than to consign her life to the stringent imperial dynasty of Japan. Intelligence aside, the lure of the royal life proved to be too much, and Masako gave up her budding diplomatic career to marry Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito. She soon discovered, like Diana before her, that life in a fishbowl can be incredibly deflating. Unsuccessful in her efforts to modernize the monarchy, unable to produce a male heir, and hounded by a relentlessly curious public, she currently suffers from serious bouts of depression and lives the life of a virtual recluse. Unable to secure any interviews with the principals themselves, Hills' effort lacks depth but will nevertheless appeal to inveterate royal watchers. Margaret Flanagan
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About this edition

• Publisher: Tarcher
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1585425680
• ISBN 13: 9781585425686
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336