The year is 1858. Thomas Glover is a restless young man with dreams of escaping Aberdeen. Abandoning his childhood sweetheart, he takes a posting as a trader in Japan. Within ten years he amasses a great fortune, learns the ways of the samurai and helps overthrow the Shogun - a rapid rise from lowly shipping clerk to millionaire industrialist. Yet behind Glover's astonishing success lies a man cut to the heart. His love affair with a courtesan - a woman who, unknown to him, would bear him the son for which he had always ...
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The year is 1858. Thomas Glover is a restless young man with dreams of escaping Aberdeen. Abandoning his childhood sweetheart, he takes a posting as a trader in Japan. Within ten years he amasses a great fortune, learns the ways of the samurai and helps overthrow the Shogun - a rapid rise from lowly shipping clerk to millionaire industrialist. Yet behind Glover's astonishing success lies a man cut to the heart. His love affair with a courtesan - a woman who, unknown to him, would bear him the son for which he had always longed -- would form a tragedy so dramatic as to be immortalized in the story of Madame Butterfly.
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Good. Ships from UK in 48 hours or less (usually same day). Your purchase helps support Sri Lankan Children's Charity 'The Rainbow Centre'. Ex-library, so some stamps and wear, but in good overall condition. 100% money back guarantee. We are a world class secondhand bookstore based in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and specialize in high quality textbooks across an enormous variety of subjects. We aim to provide a vast range of textbooks, rare and collectible books at a great price. Our donations to The Rainbow Centre have helped provide an education and a safe haven to hundreds of children who live in appalling conditions. We provide a 100% money back guarantee and are dedicated to providing our customers with the highest standards of service in the bookselling industry.
If you like to read about Japanese historical novels this book fills that bill. It does seem to simplify some of the cultural and historical elements however which makes it less satisfying.
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Apr 4, 2007
How the West started World War II
In The Pure Land by Alan Spence we see through one man?s story how Europe and America in their greed to make profits and build wealth through corporate empires created the atmosphere that eventually led to World War II and the dropping of the first atomic bombs on Japan. The protagonist, Thomas Glover, escaped Scotland at the age of eighteen to live in Japan, which America forced to open for trade with the West. The same thing was going on at the same time in China. Corporate capitalism requires growth in profits and growth in profits requires new markets. The Pure Land, historical fiction at its best, clearly shows how greed and capitalism in partnership leads to death and destruction on a grand scale. The Pure Land makes an ominous connection to what is happening in the world today. There is nothing wrong with free enterprise except when it is allowed to run wild without restrictions and little or no oversight. In this book the reader will experience first hand how this type of corruption works and gets out of hand. Of course for the individual making the money and having all the success it is all fun and games but for those of us left in their wake, there is nothing but suffering, death and destruction. This was a very convincing, well-written story of the life of a real man, Thomas Glover. After reading The Pure Land, the reader should reevaluate what success in life really is and what is important to the individual.