The Book of Loss - Poche

In the court of Kyoto, the imperial capital of Japan, a diary is stolen. Its pages are circulated throughout the court and reveal a tale of rivalry and deceit. Two women, both ladies-in-waiting to the Empress, have fallen in love with the same conniving man. He is living in exile, having seduced the Vestal of Ise, a young girl who is the protectress of the realm. The two women now scheme to bring him back - and to win first place in his affections.
This is a tale of jealousy and intrigue ; of a disgraced princess and the women who wronged her, set against the beautiful exotic backdrop of Japan in the late tenth century.