Autumn Bridge Book

It is interesting how people react differently to books, just like people. When I finished "Autumn Bridge" I felt as if someone had just died. There was a moment during which I actually felt empty and wanted to grieve. I felt the same way after reading "Cloud of Sparrows", yet when I started to read this, its sequel, I remembered very little of that story... it came back to me in visions, like personal memories. There will be people who will read both books and wonder what all the fuss is about... I can't answer that, how the books affected me is a personal thing and could well be linked to the numerous facets that make up my interests and maybe in the sentimentality (I've chosen a word harsh critics might use) that runs through the stories. "Autumn Bridge" is suffused with a beautiful idea; it is about love and fate and about a period in Japan's history that was as difficult as giving birth (the quite rapid change from a static, almost mediaeval society to a modern, industrial power). When you know the outcome how do you behave? When all is frozen how can things flow?