The Lady of the Decoration

Set between 1901 and 1905, the story is presented as the diary of a young missionary kindergarten teacher in Hiroshima, Japan who travels to Vladivostock, Russia as a consequence of the Russo-Japanese War. At the dawn of the 20th Century, most Americans knew almost nothing of Japan, and Little's novel presented a view of Japanese life that captured the imagination of the reading public, making it the No. 1 bestseller of 1907.