Sophie and the Rising Sun

Book Description

Salty Creek is a sleepy Georgia town where everyone knows everyone else's business. Strangers rarely enter their midst. When the mysterious Mr. Oto arrives in the spring of 1939, he immediately becomes the talk of the town.

A quiet, unassuming Japanese man with a secret history of his own, Mr. Oto meets Sophie soon after arriving in Salty Creek and immediately falls in love with her. Sophie, having lost her true love during World War I, spent her youth caring for her mother and maiden aunts. Now that they are gone, she has resigned herself to a lonely, passionless existence. That all begins to change as she finds herself drawn to Mr. Oto.

When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Mr. Oto's newfound life comes under siege and Sophie must decide how much she is willing to risk for a future with the man who has brought such joy into her life.

Sophie and the Rising Sun tells an unforgettable story of a time when the world lost its innocence-and of a town that finds its redemption in an extraordinary love.

Customer Reviews:

delicate as a paper crane.......2007-03-22

Simply, yet beautifully, written and poignant, SOPHIE AND THE RISING SUN -- a narrative, in the plaintive voice of various characters -- takes place in a sleepy southern town in Georgia.

Sophie, a refined lady and middle-aged spinster, finds she has depleted her "young and beautiful years" caring for her elderly mother and aunts, after her beau, Henry, never returned from WWI. Finds herself quite resigned to the idea of never finding love at her age, Sophie, finds solace in painting by the town?s beautiful river, and meeting with her dear friend Miss Anne -- that is, until Grover Oto moves into town, under mysterious circumstances.

Gentlemanly and kind, Mr. Oto, an American-born man of Japanese decent, is soon commissioned as Miss Anne's gardener. Despite being limited to mere greetings in passing, Oto and Sophie form a suppressed friendship. Discovering they both share a passion for creating art, they meet weekly at the river, painting in comfortable silence as their connection to each other flourishes. However, between the antics of Ruth - the prejudiced town meddler - and the rigid racial and social structure of the time, it is almost guaranteed that the unconventional duo of Sophie and Mr. Oto will be expected to keep a formal distance. Forced into hiding from the enraged townsfolk, after the Pearl Harbour bombing, Oto experiences the full consequences of the attack, as Sophie and Miss Anne courageously support him. Will he and Sophie ever be able to realize their true feelings for each other, in a society that is so obstinate regarding their cultural differences?

Through the words and reactions of her characters, the author offers a unique perspective of the events at Pearl Harbor. In its own way, the entire substance of the novel serves as a social commentary on the war's psychological fall-out -- including the malicious treatment (thinly veiled as patriotism) of Japanese immigrants, American citizens, living in United States.

And yet, the elegiac cadences of Trobaugh's prose, coupled with her tender imagery and ambiance, adds an emotional richness to this touching account. Lovely for a light, but unforgettable, weekend read, SOPHIE AND THE RISING SUN Sun is highly recommended by this reviewer.

A pleasant way to past the time, but..........2005-05-31

This book was really slow going for me, I just couldn't get into it. I think my main problem was right from the beginning I knew what the whole story was about and how it would go. I don't mind a little predictability now and then, but this book is VERY predictable.

Not to say it wasn't a sweet story though, because it was. Most of the tale is told from Miss Ann's viewpoint, a neighbor and friend to Sophie. She shares with us the gentle, quite love that Sophie and Miss Ann's former gardener Mr. Oto share. Set in 1941 Georgia, everything changes for everyone after Pearl Harbor is attacked, and Mr. Oto must stop working for Miss Ann, but with her help he goes into hiding. It's about this time that Sophie and Mr. Oto discover how they feel about one another, and the story goes from there (don't want to give anything away, not that you can't figure it out though).

Now, as sweet as the love story part of the book was, the ending was a disappointment for me. I like clean endings that wrap a story up, whether it be happy or sad...I do not however, like to be kept guessing, and that's exactly what this book did. Overall, I don't think I'd recommend this book, but I also don't discourage anyone from reading it. Many people here really enjoyed it, and that's great, but I just wasn't feelin it as much.

Beautifully written!.......2005-03-13

This is a great book. Beautifully written love story written in several different points of view and wonderfully executed. I will def be checking out more books by this author.

I love books about small Southern towns and this one was no different. Good pace, not slow but not too fast, this book is just an all around alright book. Lots of talk about fried chicken and biscuits, made me hungry!

This book is about Mr. Oto, Sophie, a crane and Ms. Anna, along with a few other smaller characters. Mr. Oto has to be hidden but secrets can't be kept in a small town as we all know and the story goes very quickly. You will read it in one small setting! Enjoy!

A Wonderful read!.......2005-02-07

SOPHIE AND THE RISING SUN by Augusta Trobaugh

February 6, 2005

What a wonderful book! I read this book in nearly one day and loved every page. SOPHIE AND THE RISING SUN by Augusta Trobaugh is the star crossed love story of Sophie and Mr. Oto, who because of the time era, are destined never to fulfill their dreams of being together.

It is WWII, and Mr. Oto is the gardener for Miss Anne, while Sophie is a middle-aged spinster who happens to be Miss Anne's oldest friend. The book delves into Sophie's history, narrated by Miss Anne, who has known her since she was a baby. We see Sophie's life through Anne's eyes, and learn about the love she lost in WWII and the reason why she never married. Sophie never thought she would love again. Instead, she took care of her aging mother and two elderly aunts, and felt this was her lot in life.

Mr. Oto's story is told through his point of view, in the third person. The reader will learn how he made his way to Georgia unintentionally and why he never left. He has no friends or family in Salty Creek, but he has no intentions of returning to California. When he finally meets Sophie, he finds that she is different from the other women in town, and he finds himself drawn to her.

When the Japanese invade Pearl Harbor, their worlds are changed forever. The fact that Mr. Oto is Japanese is significant, and fortunately the townspeople do not know (yet) that he is. They all think he is Chinese. Only Sophie knows Mr. Oto's true ethnicity, and both she and Miss Anne are worried for his life. What happens next is up to the reader to find out.

I greatly enjoyed SOPHIE AND THE RISING SUN. I am definitely picking up her other books. Ms Trobaugh has an obvious talent for writing, and did a great job with depicting her characters to make them feel as real and authentic as they should. SOPHIE AND THE RISING SUN is highly recommended by the Ratmamy.

Good book.......2004-07-04

This novel is ok - worth the read but only for entertainment. It is about a women from the South and her love for a Japanese-American and what they endure during WWII.

The Sun Is Rising (Uqp Young Adult Fiction)

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love, laughter, loss!

The Sun Is Rising (Uqp Young Adult Fiction)
Sophie Masson
Manufacturer: Univ of Queensland Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Love & Romance | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

love, laughter, loss!.......1997-08-25

This novel is a sequel to Sooner or Later(also available at Amazon).It tells of a 17 year old boy, Michel Khamis, who is working for the summer holidays for his mother, who's a rock music promoter.In walks Geraldine, a beautiful Aboriginal girl who's determined to be an opera singer--and the pair fall in love.But the course of true love does not always run smooth.. Although the book addresses a lot of 'issues', it does not preach, and presents all its dilemmas through the characters.

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Sophie and the Rising Sun
Augusta TROBAUGH
Manufacturer: Dutton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OP8346

Customer Reviews:

fantastical.......2007-07-31

this is one of the most beautiful books i have ever read. i come back to it because i feel that there is a very important message in it.

in buddhism there is a profound experience called anatta, also known as no self or the unborn. this experience where you no longer have an 'I' is an experience of pristine emptiness. a bit like the emptiness of pure water... you can see and feel it within you... well my emptiness was attacked by this grey meaningless 'nothingness' and i found that i had to create a new 'i' for myself. otherwise, i think i would have been lost totally in limbo.

since this experience, i have come even more to see this story as true and a real magical interface with our aspect of reality. nothingness is real and it is attacking our world. just look at the grey concrete tower blocks, the grey streets in some of our cities. the unemotional coldness and indifference so many people feel nowadays.

this man did not write this story, it birthed itself. michael ende merely held the pen and bastian bulthazzar bux leaped through a magical doorway into our world.

so watch out for the nothingness, the grey wolves are on the prowl...

love snow-flake xxx

Good Book.......2007-07-26

This book will take you away,,, to the neverending story. I like how the book differenciates the story itself with different color print (the book the boy reads is in a different color) so you know which part is the story and which part is the book the boy in the story is reading! Buy it in hardcover, it gives you a sense of permanence.

To Find What You Truly Want.......2007-07-06

If you've never seen the movie version of "The Neverending Story," then read the book first. If you have seen one of the movies, then read the book as soon as possible, since neither of the movies do the book justice.

The story starts out with young Bastian Balthasar Bux going into a bookstore and stealing a book entitled "The Neverending Story." For reasons he can't explain, Bastian felt that he had to have the book. Shutting himself up in the school attic, he reads about Atreyu, the chosen messenger to find a cure for the Childlike Empress and prevent The Nothing from destroying Fantastica. Atreyu discovers that the Childlike Empress needs a new name, and that only someone from the human world, the savior, can give her one. The savior turns out to be none other than Bastian himself! He thinks of a new name for her once he reads about her, but he must say her name out loud for Fantastica to be saved. Fearing what the Childlike Empress will think of him once she sees him, Bastian holds off saying the name aloud. Eventually, when Fantastica's destruction is imminent, Bastian says her new name out loud, and he is drawn into Fantastica, and transformed into a handsome, heroic-looking figure. The Childlike Empress tells Bastian that whatever he wishes for will come true, until he finds out what he truly wants. Unfortunately, he soon finds out that for every wish, he loses a memory of his life in the human world. I will leave off at this point, except to point out that Bastian journeys in his wishes from self-centeredness to self-giving.

"The Neverending Story" is a multi-layered work that people of all ages can enjoy. In addition to being a wonderfully readable fantasy/adventure story, it is rich in philosophy and symbolism. For example, The Nothing that is slowly destroying Fantastica could be symbolic of people losing their capacity for imagination and creativity. In addition, Bastian's quest to find out what he really wants is immensely rich in its philosophical implications, not to mention Campbell-ite hero quest overtones. Hopefully a movie will be re-made (possible as a mini-series) that will follow the book more closely and do this great work justice.

Present.......2007-07-03

I like many other people have seen the movie, and I love it. Last Christmas a friend gave me the book.
It is a beautiful story and a classic.

Neverending Story.......2007-05-17

This is a wonderful story that draws you into it just like it did Bastian. It's a must read for adults as well as children. I was looking for the same printing of the book I had found in a local library in the 1980's which was larger and printed in different color inks. Even though this edition of the book is like a hardbound paperback, the story is just as good.

Average customer rating:

Adventure & Allegory.
One of the best young teen stories I've ever read.

The Neverending Story
Michael Ende
Manufacturer: Penguin/
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

The Princess Bride: S Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure

ASIN: 0140063854

Customer Reviews:

Adventure & Allegory........2007-03-13

The movie was simply a neat children's adventure. The book...amazing. As a fantasy adventure, it was very well done. However, for those who enjoy allegory and philosopy, read this as a source to start you thinking about many deep things such as: the relationship between free will and predestination; the courage to find what it is that only YOU can contribute to this world, and accept the call; think of wishes as prayers and you'll learn some timeless ideas about God. I have no idea if the author intended the allegory or not, because I didn't research it. All I know is that I grew as a person from reading this book (and I was 37 when I read it!) I'm now buying it for my teenage nephews, both lovers of fantasy, to help them get excited about the mark they can make on our world for the betterment of all. This book is also a good one for those who love great literature and the analysis thereof. "Great Literature" makes you think, has timeless themes and ideals, and is applicable to real life. This book is as timeless as the Narnia books, and may even be in league with The Lord of the Rings.

One of the best young teen stories I've ever read........2003-11-29

I read this book when it came out, and I rate it as one of the best books I ever read at the time. The plot engulfs you and takes you into another world. The character development is excellent. This book teaches hope, teaches one to confront their fears, and empowers younger teens and pre-teens. Highly recommend (much better than the movie).

Stories NeverEnding: A Program Guide for Schools and Libraries (Peddler's Pack Series)

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Stories NeverEnding: A Program Guide for Schools and Libraries (Peddler's Pack Series)
Jan Irving
Manufacturer: Libraries Unlimited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1563089971

Book Description

Brimming with inspiration and creative ideas, this guide presents you with a wealth of thematic programs and lively, book-based activities for public library, school library, and elementary classroom settings, complete with practical instructions for implementation. Each chapter focuses on a theme or curriculum area--from Red Hot Readers and Math Countdown to Barrel of Fun and Poetry Place--and offers an annotated list of picture books and chapter books for use with the topic. Also included are complete programs containing step-by-step instructions, materials lists, reproducible patterns, scripts, and stories. Grades 2-6. Children will delight in creating their very own art museum, participating in a storytelling festival, holding a yummy dinner theatre, creating a keen jeans book bag, and much more. In addition, each chapter contains a list of ideas that serve as springboards for activities that you can develop on your own. With writing projects, wordplay, arts and crafts, dramatics, math problems, history lessons, and more, this guide makes it easy to engage young learners while building literacy and reading skills, along with a love of books and reading. Grades K-6

Average customer rating:

A very imaginative Book

The Neverending Story: Picture Album
Michael Teitelbaum
Manufacturer: Golden Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0307118908

Customer Reviews:

A very imaginative Book.......2001-10-20

This is a book you have to read. The story is about a boy named Bastian Balthazar Bux who runs away and steals a book titled "The Neverending Story". He reads about a land, another world, named Fantastica and it is in desperate need for a human to come from earth. A thing, a 'nothing' is spreading through Fantastica and the people of Fantastica beginning to suck into it. For once you go in, you become lies or evil beings in earth and tell humans that there is no such thing as Fantastica. There is also another problem in the land, the Childlike Empress is sick and if she dies, all of Fantastica will die. A boy is sent to find out how to cure her. The boy's name is Atreyu. The book goes on to Atreyu's journey to the Swamp of Sadness, the Desert, an horrible encounter with a huge and poisonous spider, meeting a fire-dragon named Falcor and becoming friends with it, going to Uyulaya, a near death in Spook City while trying to find the border of Fantastica, and finally, going back to the Childlike Empress.
This author has lots of imagination. I like Atreyu's journey the best. I kind of get mad at Bastian sometimes when he goes into the book.But you have to read the story to know why. It is lots of fun to read the "Neverending Story"

Die Unendliche Gesschichte (Von A bis Z)

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Die Unendliche Gesschichte (Von A bis Z)
Michael Ende
Manufacturer: Buchclub Ex Libris Zurich
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

All German Books | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: B000KRR8IK

La Historia Interminable/the Neverending Story

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Literatura para todos / Literature for all
um.. That was weird
un libro magico
un libro que te hara respirar afuera de estos limites

La Historia Interminable/the Neverending Story
Michael Ende
Manufacturer: Lectorum Pubns (Juv)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Momo

ASIN: 8420425222

Customer Reviews:

Literatura para todos / Literature for all.......2007-05-15

Este libro deja volar la imaginación a lugares realmente asombrosos. Mi hijo de 11 años lo devoró en unos cuantos días y yo no podía esperar a que él lo terminara. Realmente lo disfrutamos.
This book lets your immagination fly to really amazing places. My 11 year old son devouered it in just a few days y I couldn't wait for him to finish. We both really enjoyed it.

um.. That was weird.......2005-01-19

I liked the movie so I read the book. The book is strange and philosophical and much less concrete than the movie. For now I'm going to chalk it up to being some German thing.

The story follows Bastian, an awkward bookworm of about 11. He visits a book store and finds a book called, "The Neverending Story" He knows that he must have the book and so he steals it and locks himself into the attic of his school to hide from the law and read. The story he is reading is printed in red and green, just like the book we are reading. Gradually Bastian notices that characters in the story react to things he does and realizes that the fate of the fictional (or not so fictional) world he is reading about hangs on his actions. This is the first half of the book. It plays with breaking the fourth wall.

In the second half of the world the fourth wall is broken. Bastian is in the world of ideas. He can trade memories for wishes that come true as he wishes them. So this explores identity. The world of Fantastica is like a medieval painting. Gargoyles etc come from here and there. Anywhere you look archetypes are playing out morals and ideas. But when you step back and look at the whole picture you see that there are only these small thoughts and scenes. Anyone of them is more planned out than is the picture as a whole. This didn't work for me in book form. By the end of the book I didn't care what happened to any of the characters.

I think that the approach here is very much a love it, hate it one. I don't even know that you would know if the book is for you from reading the first few chapters. For me monotony set in about a third of the way through. It is very tenuous and has philosophical aspirations. If you saw the movie and liked it, that is no guarantee of liking the book. My recommendation is to read this only if someone who knows you has pointed you toward it.

This book is good for learning Spanish at a Spanish 3 or higher level. Ende is doing interesting things with the way he narrates, but it is actually easy to follow these narrative twists. There are many fake words - ie fantasy names. But these are easily separated from the text.

un libro magico.......2002-12-20

Muchos libros me han transportado a otro mundo, y me han hecho soñar, pero claramente este es el unico libro que me dio la sensacion de leer algo especial, de leer un libro realmente magico.

un libro que te hara respirar afuera de estos limites.......1999-08-10

Lei este libro hace ya algunos años pero aun no he podido olvidar a todos los mundos que el libro me transporto y por eso se lo recomiendo a todos los que que quieran viajar sin ni siquiera cerrar los ojos o moverse de casa.

Neverending Stories: Toward a Critical Narratology

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Neverending Stories: Toward a Critical Narratology

Manufacturer: Princeton Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 069106895X

Book Description

In these compelling new essays, leading critics sharpen our understanding of the narrative structures that convey meaning in fiction, taking as their point of departure the narratological positions of Dorrit Cohn, Grard Genette, and Franz Stanzel. This collection demonstrates how narratology, with its attention to the modalities of presenting consciousness, offers a point of entry for scholars investigating the socio-cultural dimensions of literary representations. Drawing from a wide range of literary texts, the essays explore the borderline between fiction and history; explain how characters are constructed by both author and reader through the narration of consciousness; show how gender shapes narrative strategies ranging from the depiction of consciousness through intertextuality to the representation of the body; address issues of contingency in narrative; and present a debate on the crucial function of person in the literary text. The contributors are Stanley Corngold, Gail Finney, Kte Hamburger, Paul Michael Ltzeler, David Mickelsen, John Neubauer, Thomas Pavel, Jens Rieckmann, Shlomith Rimmon-Kenan, Judith Ryan, Franz Stanzel, Susan Suleiman, Maria Tatar, David Wellbery, and Larry Wolff.

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Never Judge a book by its Movie
It's a fantastic book for everyone !!!!!
um.. That was weird

Neverending Story
Michael Ende
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Customer Reviews:

Never Judge a book by its Movie.......2006-05-16

A lot of people claim to have been put off by this book because of its unwillingness to stick to the film that came out in the mid-eighties. However, if you actually read the book, it becomes clear that Bastian's adventure is very similar, but far more complex than the film was able to capture. The second film that they made actually delved quite a bit closer to the story, carrying on Bastian's adventure, but without seperating the two. The overall moral standing out that when one has the power to do exactly as he wishes, those wishes will overpower him, until all he knows about himself is his own greed and lust for power.

It is a very powerful and compelling story, fun to read with children and containing what some might consider the lost values of yesteryear.

It's a fantastic book for everyone !!!!!.......2005-10-06

Greetings from Germany.
I am german and I've read the german book. I do not know how good the translation to english is done but the book is much more complex than the first movie maybe because they weren't able to film all the details because of the technical status back in 1984 but I love both the movie and the book. I first saw the movie when I was 5 years old and for me it appeared to be real until my mother told me that it wasn't. I really got into the movie and I still do the same way when I watch it. At the end of 2004 I read the book and I found out that there were some minor differences between the storyline of the movie and the book. The first movie shows only about one half of the book and the second movie shows a lo of the second part but not as close to the book as the first one and it does not have the deepness of the first because there are other actors and a classic soundtrack like in the first movie is missing. For me !!! Noah Hathaway !!! is the best Atréju (german pronounciation), Barret Oliver is the best Bastian and Tami Stronach is the best Childlike Empress! The book is really enhancing the movie and is changing and deepening some details. I really love it like I love the first movie and its soundtrack. Maybe I'll purchaise the english book some day to find out the quality of translation.
Thank you for your attention and I hope this review is a helping hand.

um.. That was weird.......2005-01-19

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The Neverending Story
Michael ENDE
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OPC64O

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The Neverending Story
Michael ENDE
Manufacturer: SOLD
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OP1VPY

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