In 1948, a nineteen-year-old Japanese pearl diver is in her fourth season of perfecting the techniques of her age-old occupation. But her dreams of spending her life diving in the waters of the Inland Sea are shattered when she discovers that she has leprosy. She knows that the shame attached to the disease is inescapable: rejection by her family is imminent, exile unavoidable. No more than two months elapse before authorities send her off to a leprosarium on the island of Nagashima, and although it is only seven miles from her home, it is a world away from all that is familiar to her. At once, she is instructed to forget her past, to strike her name from the koseki, the family register, and ordered to choose a new name.
As 'Miss Fuji' looks around her, she sees her own future in the debilitated bodies and the lives of the more than two thousand other patients. But her 'future' never comes; her own case of leprosy remains a mild one owing to the discovery of a medicine that impedes the disease's progression in its victims. Yet she is not permitted to leave Nagashima, and over time, she wonders whether she could even survive back on the mainland. In the end, it is her constant connection to the sea and her moving encounters with those around her - a writer, a Korean storyteller, a gardener, a tanka poet, an urn painter - that give her insight into her own true nature and the deep wellspring of courage she needs to reclaim her freedom.
Written with precision and eloquence, The Pearl Diver is an unforgettable and compassionate tale of one woman's search for wisdom, beauty, and self-worth; an extraordinary literary debut by Jeff Talarigo.
As 'Miss Fuji' looks around her, she sees her own future in the debilitated bodies and the lives of the more than two thousand other patients. But her 'future' never comes; her own case of leprosy remains a mild one owing to the discovery of a medicine that impedes the disease's progression in its victims. Yet she is not permitted to leave Nagashima, and over time, she wonders whether she could even survive back on the mainland. In the end, it is her constant connection to the sea and her moving encounters with those around her - a writer, a Korean storyteller, a gardener, a tanka poet, an urn painter - that give her insight into her own true nature and the deep wellspring of courage she needs to reclaim her freedom.
Written with precision and eloquence, The Pearl Diver is an unforgettable and compassionate tale of one woman's search for wisdom, beauty, and self-worth; an extraordinary literary debut by Jeff Talarigo.
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Used availability for Jeff Talarigo's The Pearl Diver
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Hardback Editions
April 2005 : Library Binding
| Title: Pearl Diver Author(s): Jeff Talarigo ISBN: 1-4177-4305-0 / 978-1-4177-4305-6 (USA edition) Publisher: Topeka Bindery Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
April 2004 : Hardback
| Title: The Pearl Diver Author(s): Jeff Talarigo ISBN: 0-385-51051-9 / 978-0-385-51051-6 (USA edition) Publisher: Nan A. Talese Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
2004 : Hardback
| Title: The Pearl Diver: A Novel Author(s): Jeff Talarigo ISBN: 1-4025-7951-9 / 978-1-4025-7951-6 (USA edition) Publisher: RB Large Print Availability: Amazon More details... |
Paperback Editions
April 2005 : Paperback
| Title: The Pearl Diver Author(s): Jeff Talarigo ISBN: 1-4000-3491-4 / 978-1-4000-3491-8 (USA edition) Publisher: Anchor Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
January 2004 : Paperback
| Title: The Pearl Diver Author(s): Jeff Talarigo Publisher: Doubleday & Co. Availability: Amazon More details... |
2004 : Paperback
| Title: The Pearl Diver. A Novel Author(s): Jeff Talarigo Publisher: A Nan A. Talese Book/Doubleday. New York. Availability: Amazon More details... |
Audio Editions
December 2004 : Audio Cassette
| Title: The Pearl Diver Author(s): Jeff Talarigo ISBN: 1-4025-8661-2 / 978-1-4025-8661-3 (USA edition) Publisher: Recorded Books Availability: Amazon Amazon CA More details... |
April 2004 : Audio Cassette
| Title: The Pearl Diver Author(s): Jeff Talarigo ISBN: 1-4025-7277-8 / 978-1-4025-7277-7 (USA edition) Publisher: Recorded Books Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
2004 : Audio CD
| Title: The Pearl Diver Author(s): Jeff Talarigo ISBN: 1-4025-8663-9 / 978-1-4025-8663-7 (USA edition) Publisher: Recorded Books Availability: Amazon More details... |
Other Editions
December 2007 : Kindle edition
| Title: The Pearl Diver: A Novel Author(s): Jeff Talarigo Publisher: Anchor Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
April 2005 : Turtleback
| Title: Pearl Diver Author(s): Jeff Talarigo ISBN: 0-606-33548-X / 978-0-606-33548-5 (USA edition) Publisher: Demco Media Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
2004 : Unknown
| Title: The Pearl Diver [Unabridged Library Edition] Author(s): Jeff Talarigo Publisher: Recorded Books, LLC Availability: Amazon More details... |
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