The Teahouse Fire

“Provides true pleasure to the intellect and all the senses.”
—Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Ellis Avery studied tea ceremony for several years, so it makes sense that the ritual dominates her first novel. She shares every subtlety of the ancient art…Attention to detail is admirable…Urako is a compelling character.”
—Entertainment Weekly

“Saturated with color and detail; [Avery] manages to make nineteenth-century Japan both accessible and exotic, infusing her story with a sense of dignified calm…[A] deeply engrossing, multifaceted work.”
—The Boston Globe

“A magisterial novel that is equal parts love story, imaginative history and bildungsroman, a story as alluring as it is powerful.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A memorable saga…Avery adroitly conveys the intricacies of the tea ceremony, ‘the language of diplomacy,’ and the subtle ways in which it was transformed as Japan moved from a Shogun society to one ruled by the emperor. At the same time, she illuminates vivid period details.”
—Booklist

“Avery writes with a self-assured lyricism…Quite arresting…confident [and] original.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Readers who enjoy historical fiction will be dazzled by Avery’s attention to detail, savoring her descriptions…Those who like plot twists will relish the epic cast of characters…An homage to Virgina Woolf’s Orlando in both style and theme, Avery’s ambitious andeavor is the perfect companion for a series of cold winter nights.”
—Library Jounral

“In The Teahouse Fire, aesthetic rules vie with politics, sex, and human feeling. Avery has whipped up a heady brew.”
—Liza Dalby, author of The Tale of Murasaki