Isabelle Allende is one of my favorite writers, I love everything she’s ever written. The Japanese Lover is her latest.

Now an old woman looking back on her life, Alma tells the story of coming to San Francisco from Poland when she was 8 years old and meeting 8 year old Ichimei, the Japanese gardener’s son. This is the beginning of a life long forbidden love affair that survives WWII.

Allende is a wonderful writer and a fantastic storyteller. This is not my favorite of her books, and I didn’t like some of the characters, but it’s still worth a read.