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Just Arrived

A Tale for the Time Being

by Ruth Ozeki
$9.90
Compare to estimated retail price: S$27.90  

The item you've got your eye on is secondhand. You probably already know that, but just in case!

The estimated retail price shown next to any listed item represents the first-hand prices we've seen elsewhere, or the estimated original retail price of a comparable item of the same quality, construction and material offered elsewhere in new condition.

A Tale for the Time Being
A Tale for the Time Being
A Tale for the Time Being

Cross-continental journey of introspection and connection.

If you're drawn to novels that weave together distinct narratives across cultures and time, then "A Tale for the Time Being" is a book you shouldn't miss. Ruth Ozeki crafts a story that binds the loneliness of a Tokyo teenager with the curiosity of a novelist in British Columbia, creating a tapestry that feels both intimate and expansive. It's a thoughtful exploration of our shared humanity, striking a delicate balance between light-heartedness and the profound search for meaning.

  • Booker Prize Nominee (2013)
  • Sunburst Award for Adult (2014)
  • Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction (2013)
  • PEN Open Book Award Nominee for Longlist (2014)
  • National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Fiction (2013)
  • The Kitschies for Red Tentacle (Novel) (2013)
  • Andrew Carnegie Medal Nominee for Fiction (2014)
  • Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction (2013)
  • Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature for Adult Fiction (2013)
  • Metų verstinė knyga Nominee (2016)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
Just Arrived

A Tale for the Time Being

by Ruth Ozeki
$9.90
Compare to estimated retail price: S$27.90  

The item you've got your eye on is secondhand. You probably already know that, but just in case!

The estimated retail price shown next to any listed item represents the first-hand prices we've seen elsewhere, or the estimated original retail price of a comparable item of the same quality, construction and material offered elsewhere in new condition.

Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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ISBN: 9780143124870
Authors: Ruth Ozeki
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date of Publication: 2013-12-31
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary
Related Topics: Asian Literature, Literature, Feminism, Race, Philosophy, Japanese Literature
Goodreads rating: 4.06
(rated by 137358 readers)

Description

Hi! My name is Nao, and I am a time being. Do you know what a time being is? Well, if you give me a moment, I will tell you. On a remote island in the Pacific Northwest, a Hello Kitty lunchbox washes up on the beach. Tucked inside is the diary of a sixteen-year-old Japanese girl named Nao Yasutani. Ruth, a writer who finds the lunchbox, suspects that it is debris from Japan's 2011 tsunami. Once she begins to read the diary, Ruth is drawn into the mystery of Nao's fate. Meanwhile in Tokyo, Nao, uprooted from her home in the U.S., bullied at school, and watching her parents spiral deeper into disaster, has decided to end her life. But first, she wants to recount the story of her great-grandmother, a 104-year-old Zen Buddhist nun, in the pages of her secret diary...
 

Cross-continental journey of introspection and connection.

If you're drawn to novels that weave together distinct narratives across cultures and time, then "A Tale for the Time Being" is a book you shouldn't miss. Ruth Ozeki crafts a story that binds the loneliness of a Tokyo teenager with the curiosity of a novelist in British Columbia, creating a tapestry that feels both intimate and expansive. It's a thoughtful exploration of our shared humanity, striking a delicate balance between light-heartedness and the profound search for meaning.

  • Booker Prize Nominee (2013)
  • Sunburst Award for Adult (2014)
  • Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction (2013)
  • PEN Open Book Award Nominee for Longlist (2014)
  • National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for Fiction (2013)
  • The Kitschies for Red Tentacle (Novel) (2013)
  • Andrew Carnegie Medal Nominee for Fiction (2014)
  • Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction (2013)
  • Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature for Adult Fiction (2013)
  • Metų verstinė knyga Nominee (2016)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.