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Sweet Bean Paste cover art

Sweet Bean Paste

By: Durian Sukegawa, Alison Watts - translator
Narrated by: Cindy Kay
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Summary

A charming tale of friendship, love, and loneliness in contemporary Japan

Sentaro has failed. He has a criminal record, drinks too much, and his dream of becoming a writer is just a distant memory. With only the blossoming of the cherry trees to mark the passing of time, he spends his days in a tiny confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with sweet bean paste. 

But everything is about to change. 

Into his life comes Tokue, an elderly woman with disfigured hands and a troubled past. Tokue makes the best sweet bean paste Sentaro has ever tasted. She begins to teach him her craft, but as their friendship flourishes, social pressures become impossible to escape and Tokue's dark secret is revealed, with devastating consequences.

Sweet Bean Paste is a moving novel about the burden of the past and the redemptive power of friendship. Translated into English for the first time, Durian Sukegawa's beautiful prose is capturing hearts all over the world.

©2013, 2015 Durian Sukegawa; English translation copyright 2017 by Alison Watts (P)2022 Tantor

What listeners say about Sweet Bean Paste

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Utterly beautiful entrancing and moving

This is an utterly beautiful story. I loved the characters and was moved by them. The writing was exquisitely simple and delightful. The narration was perfect. It is a long time since I have read such a perfect book.

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The sensitivity and gentleness of the writing most.

I like that assumptions were questioned throughout, about leprosy, business decisions, kindness and debt. Enjoyable indeed.

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very sweet

very sweet book loved every second makes you think about life in a good way. the audio performance was good too.

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A lesson for all.

I genuinely loved this story so much. A lesson for all about not judging by appearances and that a person's past does not define them.

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