The Garden of Evening Mists

The best listen of 2012

This story works on so many levels. The writing is effortlessly evocative and graphically descriptive of the settings. It seamlessly weaves together a number of disparate themes; loss, war, gardening and tatooing and is thought provoking without hammering any message home. Characters leap from the page and live with you while you're not listening. I cannot rate the narration highly enough. Anna Bentinck is quite superb - she renders Far Eastern accents perfectly and even manages to convey the age of the main character at different stages of the story. Her tone and pace are perfect. If there was an audio oscar, she should receive it!

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Wonderful text, narration problematic.

This lovely book is for the most part very well narrated.



However, there are a lot of characters where the narrator has decided to attempt accents. The Chinese and Japanese accents are eyebrow-raising, but the South African accent is shockingly bad, veering wildly between bad Dutch, bad New Zealand, some kind of weird growling and very occasionally a sentence that sounds approximately like a real South African accent.



This wouldn't be too bothersome except for the fact that there is a LOT of dialogue with the South African characters and it's incredibly distracting. Perhaps if you have never heard a South African accent before it won't bother you too much, but be warned - for anyone who knows the accent it may spoil your enjoyment of the book.



Apart from the accent problems the narrator has a beautiful voice and reads the text very well.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Absolutely brilliant

I don't understand why this didn't win the Booker prze. A beautifully crafted book which works on so many levels. Like a Japanese garden it drew me in until I was completely absorbed. This story of love, hate, loss, death and reconciliation doesn't shrink from the most compelling and harrowing revelations. Place and time weave in and out, held together by the calm and gentle pace of the text and the simple yet enchanting descriptions of the landscape. A book I will never forget. Also, the narration is superb. Anna Bentinck brings both the characters and the landscape vividly alive.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Haunting tale of rebirth

If you could sum up The Garden of Evening Mists in three words, what would they be?

Unforgettable EnlighteningBeautiful

Who was your favorite character and why?

Aritomo - he is the wise man of the story; we see in him the complexities of loyalty which conflict induce. A figure of mystery too - his presence haunts all sections of the story.

Which character – as performed by Anna Bentinck – was your favourite?

Yun Ling - such a prickly and opinionated woman on first acquaintance but, as her story is unfolded, we see what has made her the way she is and understanding grows. Anna Bentinck's voices cope well with the emotions Yun Ling confronts and avoid any confusion that might arise for a listener..

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

War is a palette of many colours.

Any additional comments?

I have learned a great deal about the Pacific War from reading Tan Twan Eng's two novels. (The gift of rain is his first). They confirm for me the power of fiction in helping one to understand the differing stresses and consequences that military action places on populations caught up in conflicts.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Deeply evocative, beautiful story

The story takes place through three distinct time periods: Yun Ling's older character as a recently retired judge, her teenage self in the POW camp and her 30ish year old character living near the Cameron Mountains.

On first listening to the narration, it took me the first 6 chapters or so to fully engage with the story, at which point I then had to flick back in my paper copy (reading group) to check details. Following that I was absolutely hooked! I listen to audio books instead of the radio on the drive to work, yet found myself having to continue reading as soon as I walked through the front door.

The intimacy that Eng creates with the most subtle of character gestures and the evocative depictions of the landscape and scenery leave a deep imprint in one's life after reading this book. I will often go through a day or so of 'mourning' after reading a particularly moving story during which I process the story and almost 'miss' the characters in my life, however I fear that it will take me considerably longer with Garden of...so great is the effect of the numerous sub plots and the heart-wrenching metafiction of the stories of love and loss.

A beautiful, beautiful story...do read/listen to it, your life will be richer for it...a particular favourite scene being the meteors in the garden...enchanting.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Complex and emotional

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Beautifully written story with many threads woven into the life of the central character. Examines and vividly paints the period of the Malaysian emergency and the aftermath of the war with the Japanese . Nothing is trite, easy or predictable and there is a deep understanding of cultural dilemma.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Magnus. This rough South African Boer and his uncompromising views on the British, his determination to succeed as a tea planter and his raw, plain speaking courage are part of a shell that protects a loving, caring and protective nature for those closest to him.

What about Anna Bentinck’s performance did you like?

She brings the characters to life and has a lovely voice. Sadly her South African accent is not the best, but it doesn't spoil the book as there is so much else to enjoy about her narration. I have been seeking out other stories she has read because of this one.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No - there is too much to take in.

Any additional comments?

I was completely engrossed and emotionally involved with this book. It needs to be listened to more than once - there is so much to experience.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Engaging and thought provoking

What made the experience of listening to The Garden of Evening Mists the most enjoyable?

Having read The Gift of Rain on my kindle (and very much enjoyed it), I was keen to get stuck into Tan Twan Eng's follow up. Although there are some similarities between the books and the characters portrayed, the story of Yun Ling Teoh is evokative and opens a window on a little known historical setting (in the western world anyway).

What about Anna Bentinck’s performance did you like?

Anna Bentinck has a fantastic voice for narration. She sensitively portays the growth and journey of the main character although I did listen to some of the accents with a general sense of discomfort.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Fantastic

A beautiful and unexpected story so well read it really transported me. My husband also raved about it (he doesn't normally 'do girly books'!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Lovely evocative account of South East Asia

Lovely evocative account of South East Asia - from the sounds and colours of the rainforest to the different cultures living alongside each other all wrapped into an interesting account of an unlikely friendship between a Japanese Prisoner of War and the Japanese Emporer's gardener.The unusual angle looking at the Japanese in Malaya in the war and the differing opinions of Brtish rule - from the Straits Chinese to the Africaans gave the story a different feel all together. Very well read as well

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Nee dankie!

I enjoyed this book and for the most part loved the narration, but I do have to agree that the South African accent was AWFUL! Perhaps if an accent can not be captured correctly, it would be better not to try. I had to pretend the South African characters were some other strange species altogether, before I really began to enjoy the telling of this story.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful