Reviews

Beautiful Star by Yukio Mishima

Only show reviews with written explanations

cjamargo's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

samjack's review

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funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

brandonychoi's review

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5.0

Powerfully clear and philosophical
Captivating mix of sci-fi, social criticism, politics, philosophy, and good-old fiction
Can definitely see myself coming back to this one many many times
Satisfying and subtle intertwining of storylines

Favorite passages:

'How can I help? asked Juichiro quietly.
'It is nothing special,' answered Haguro courteously. He was struck by how extremely exhausted Juichiro looked, in fact as tired as he himself felt. It occurred to him that they were both hoping for a situation in which at least one of them could stop being so shattered.

"I have sought to give humans a clear vision, from the perspective of the present moment in time, of what the Earth would look like after a nuclear war. To let them savour right now an instantaneous rapture in their hearts that would reveal the terrifying, inorganic, eternal peace in the immediate aftermath of such a war. If my aim was successful, humans would be able to savour with their own tongues the utter freshness of peace in a post event world. In tasting it, no person on Earth would any longer feel a need to press the button. I decided to give them some delicious sake to drink that had the force of an anaesthetic. On that point, you might say I'm just a hair's breadth away from you and your ideas about euthanasia.”

‘Pot of flowers? Pot of flowers? I bet they’re cyclamens!’

“Here sleeps the human species.
They ended up lying all the time,
They offered up flowers for both good and bad fortune,
They often kept small birds.
They were frequently late getting to appointments
And they often laughed
May they rest forever in eternal peace.”