Stranger in the Shogun's City - A Woman's Life in Nineteenth-Century Japan

Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2020, a vivid work of history that explores the life of an unconventional woman in Edo - now known as Tokyo - and a portrait of a great city on the brink of momentous change

''Compelling... Deeply absorbing'' Guardian

The daughter of a Buddhist priest, Tsuneno was born in 1804 in a village in Japan''s snow country and was expected to lead a life much like her mother''s. Instead - after three divorces and with a temperament much too strong-willed for her family''s approval - she ran away to follow her own path in Edo, the city we now call Tokyo.

Stranger in the Shogun''s City is a rare, captivating portrait of one woman as she endeavours to recreate herself and her life, and provides a window into the drama and excitement of Japan at a pivotal moment in history.

''Marvellous... Stanley builds up a picture of Tsuneno''s world, immersing us in an experience akin to