Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne - Softcover

Hills, Ben

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1585426105 ISBN 13: 9781585426102

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2007

Synopsis

The tragic true story of Japan's Crown Princess-with a new afterword by the author.

It's the fantasy of many young women: marry a handsome prince, move into a luxurious palace, and live happily ever after. But that's not how it turned out for Masako Owada. Ben Hills's fascinating portrait of Princess Masako and the Chrysanthemum Throne draws on research in Tokyo and rural Japan, at Oxford and Harvard, and from more than sixty interviews with Japanese, American, British, and Australian sources-many of whom have never spoken publicly before-shedding light on the royal family's darkest secrets, secrets that can never be openly discussed in Japan because of the reverence in which the emperor and his family are held. But most of all, this is a story about a love affair that went tragically wrong.

The paperback edition will contain a new afterword by the author, discussing the impact this book had in Japan, where it was banned.

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
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1585426105
• ISBN 13: 9781585426102
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 306