Grass For His Pillow: Summary and book reviews of Grass For His Pillow by Lian Hearn, plus links to an excerpt from Grass For His Pillow and a biography of Lian Hearn.

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year, one of Book magazine's best novels of the year, and one of School Library Journal's Best Adult Books for High School Readers (2002), Across the Nightingale Floor was an international bestseller and critical success, named "the most compelling novel to have been published this year" by the Times (London). In this second tale, we return to the land of harsh beauty and deceptive appearances where we first met Takeo--the young orphan taken up by the Otori Lord and now a closely held member of the Tribe--and his beloved Shirakawa Kaede, heir to the Maruyama and alone in the world, who must find a way to unify the domain she has inherited. In a complex social hierarchy, amid dissembling clans and fractured allegiances, there is no place for passionate young love. Yet Takeo and Kaede, drawing on their unusual talents and hidden strengths, must make their way in this tale of longing, ambition, and intrigue. Grass for His Pillow is a tantalizing next installment in a brilliantly imaginative and critically acclaimed series.

Media Reviews

Locus The stuff of truly original fantasy.   The New York Times Book Review Lian Hearn has created a world I anticipate returning to with pleasure.   Kirkus Reviews The clash of armies and igniting of passions that mixed with such impressive power in that first book have been dampened in this moodier sequel.   Publishers Weekly ...Hearn catches fresh details of trees, birds, rivers and mountains. With quick, direct sentences like brushstrokes on a Japanese scroll, she suggests vast and mysterious landscapes full of both menace and wonder.   Booklist - Kristine Huntley In the second Otori book, Hearn maintains the epic scale of the first, and adds depth to the exotic world his characters inhabit. A prophecy and a surprising revelation towards the end of the novel set the stage for the third book.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Bitter
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I found this book a little depressing and less energetic than the former, but I guess it was aimed at crushing that 'fantasy world' that had been built around Takeo and Kaede, leaving them to fight their way out of reality with a flag in one hand...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Tiff
grass for his pillow
this book is so good but i liked thet frist book more i still could not put it down it is major page turner. Hearn captures real life thoughts and puts in with it. all i can really say is that this book is really good.

Rated of 5 by jlp
Hearn again draws, with understanding and affection, on the world of medieval Japan for her inspiration. Though it's not quite as good as Across the Nightingale Floor, that book was so good that it really doesn't matter! The...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Anonymous
This is one awesome book@!!

Rated of 5 by Raziel the MechWarrior
this is a great book to read if you are a fan of japanese anime and feudal times

Rated of 5 by namae
Just perfect!!! :)

...1 More Reader Reviews

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