At the Foot of the Cherry Tree
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At the Foot of the Cherry Tree
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Narrated by:
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Takaya Honda
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Kaori Maeda-Judge
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By:
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Alli Parker
About this listen
The bestselling stirring story of love and hope, based on the incredible true story of Australia's first Japanese war bride and a love that changed a nation forever.
SHORTLISTED FOR 2023 DYMOCKS BOOK OF THE YEAR AND THE 2024 ABIA MATT RICHELL AWARD FOR NEW WRITERS. LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 INDIE BOOK AWARDS
Gordon Parker is an eager eighteen-year-old Australian boy desperate to fight for his country, and Nobuko 'Cherry' Sakuramoto is a sixteen-year-old girl struggling to survive in Japan in the aftermath of World War II. But when they fall in love, they change the course of history.
When Gordon arrives in Japan, he expects ruthless samurai, angry Japanese men ready to kill Australians at every corner. Instead, he finds Cherry, terrified of ex-enemy soldiers, a survivor of the atomic bomb. Against all the rules and all the odds, they fall in love. But when Gordon discovers the White Australia Policy prevents Cherry coming home with him as his war bride, he does what any 20-year-old soldier would do. He vows to fight. Leaving Cherry alone and pregnant in post-war Japan, Gordon has to convince his family to accept his marriage and wage a desperate campaign against a xenophobic and war-scarred government to allow his wife and children to come home.
A sweeping story spanning seven years and two countries reeling from the aftermath of war, At the Foot of the Cherry Tree is a powerfully moving novel about faith, trust, and the power of a love that alters history - written by Gordon and Cherry's granddaughter, accomplished scriptwriter, Alli Parker.
'A stunning story of faith, hope and love ... Parker's debut into historical fiction is beautiful in every sense.' The Australian
'An impressive debut novel ... a standout ... beautifully done. At the Foot of the Cherry Tree delivers both educational value and emotional impact. The connection to real-life individuals adds a wonderful dimension to the novel, reminding readers of the genuine struggles faced by these brave and resilient Australians.' Books+Publishing
'Based on a true story. Screenwriter [Alli] Parker, granddaughter of Australia's first Japanese war bride, has the family resilience and a sweeping writing style to take on one of the most devastating wartime atrocities in history ... A gentle love story expands into an epic novelisation.' Australian Women's Weekly
©2023 Alli Parker (P)2023 HarperCollins PublishersWhat listeners say about At the Foot of the Cherry Tree
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Antoinette Squibb
- 06-09-2024
Excellent book, great story!
I loved this book, because it shows the other side of WWII. It hits home for me, because my father was in a POW camp near Nagasaki and he owed his life to Japanese civilians, who also were forced to work in the same mine as him and who smuggled in food and medicine when he was very ill. He survived the camp thanks to them.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JACQUELINE WEBB
- 04-10-2024
value of persistance
what a lovely, sad but joyful story. A man of strong ethics and determination to follow through.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Lynnette A
- 26-11-2024
Beautiful, tragic, touching and hopeful
Loved this book. Couldn’t stop listening to it and when I wasn’t able to listen to it, I picked up the paperback and read that instead. This story isn’t just about love. It is about hopeful resilience, kindness and tenacity. A beautiful story. Great read and listen (wonderful performances from the narrators). Author, Alli crafted a beautiful story woven with emotions and moments that made me sad, made me angry and gave me hope. Highly recommend!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anne Farrell
- 07-11-2023
These characters will stay with me a long time
This is an exquisite and deeply moving story, beautifully told. The central characters are decent, noble people who fell in love in the most trying of circumstances. It’s even more special having been written by their granddaughter. A treasure. Narration is pitch perfect too.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amanda
- 10-01-2024
A deeply moving account
Well written and well narrated. Really touched my heart and I found I was often angry at the past, the prejudices and treatment of people. Sadly as humans we still hold these traits. I applaud the bravery, perseverance and courage of Cherry and Donsun who had to battle all this. Thank you for sharing this amazing story!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 02-08-2024
My heart was melting
This was a great read a fascinating story of true love and determination. How we have grown and changed as a compassionate and accepting society. Human is human we are all the same and we are all different
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-09-2024
True story
Lovely story about love and determination. Characters seemed a little simplistic, or perhaps naive.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 05-09-2023
Wow, what a book.
Wow, what a book. I don't usually give 5 stars but this book was amazing. A little slow to start but very well written and worth the read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-09-2023
educational and inspirational
Absolutely loved every minute of this book. A beautiful story of love and devotion coupled with the heartache and devastation of war
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- F J VARGA
- 07-10-2023
A must! Alli parker writes so beautifully
Thank you Alli Parker for giving us a chance to learn about your grandparents true love story. It is so exceptional and evaluated by having two Japanese-Australian narrators who brilliantly captivated the characters personalities with easy tone, pace, pronunciation to develop the listeners visual connection. I was so inspired by the cultural and historical references to learn more about Australian history and stories.
Well done!
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