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gotossmycausticsalad's review against another edition
3.5
I picked this up because I loved the Tales of the Otori when I was a kid but I found this quite disappointing. The different tensions in the narrators character sound interesting but put together they somehow fell flat. The only character I ended up really interested in by the end was the painter.
moireach's review against another edition
4.0
Geisha are my pet peeve - or specifically, the (very American) assuption that geisha = courtesan/prostitute. Geisha were and are artists, are paid for conversation, singing, playing shamisen and other instruments, dancing - and the same person was not allowed to be a geisha and a prostitute at the same time during the times shown in the book (this was illegal as per the laws made by the shogunate).
If geisha weren't shown as prostitutes - and there were no Japanese language errors in the book - I would have rated it 5 stars as I enjoyed it a lot.
If geisha weren't shown as prostitutes - and there were no Japanese language errors in the book - I would have rated it 5 stars as I enjoyed it a lot.
samstillreading's review against another edition
1.0
Ugh. I don’t really know how to say this eloquently but here it is: this book sucked. Dreadfully. It had so much promise – Japan, historical fiction, a strong female character, a beautiful cover…and yet I had to force myself to read it. It was boring, I couldn’t keep track of the characters and it jumped around a lot. I think I know even less now of the samurai era than before I started.
Blossoms and Shadows is set in 1860s Japan, as Westerners began to enter the country and Japan itself was in a revolution. We follow Tsuru, a doctor’s daughter, as she grows up, gets married and works in war-ravaged Japan. She has an illicit relationship with a family member while pretending to be a man, suffers a breakdown, goes back to her husband and eventually adopts her sister’s child. Tsuru occasionally disappears during the book and we follow a Japanese historical figure for a chapter. I found this particularly difficult as I couldn’t keep track of their names (and I studied Japanese for six years!) nor did they have a lot of meaning or anything memorable to keep them in my head.
While beautifully presented, this novel has little to recommend it. Perhaps if you are already familiar with this period in Japanese history, you might enjoy it. Tsuru is an uncomfortable character, chopping and changing in sex, her ambition and loves. It’s hard to follow and frankly, quite boring.
Blossoms and Shadows is set in 1860s Japan, as Westerners began to enter the country and Japan itself was in a revolution. We follow Tsuru, a doctor’s daughter, as she grows up, gets married and works in war-ravaged Japan. She has an illicit relationship with a family member while pretending to be a man, suffers a breakdown, goes back to her husband and eventually adopts her sister’s child. Tsuru occasionally disappears during the book and we follow a Japanese historical figure for a chapter. I found this particularly difficult as I couldn’t keep track of their names (and I studied Japanese for six years!) nor did they have a lot of meaning or anything memorable to keep them in my head.
While beautifully presented, this novel has little to recommend it. Perhaps if you are already familiar with this period in Japanese history, you might enjoy it. Tsuru is an uncomfortable character, chopping and changing in sex, her ambition and loves. It’s hard to follow and frankly, quite boring.
charlmax's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lozzyd's review against another edition
2.0
I've given this book a fairly low rating by my standards, but by no means was this a terrible book. I enjoyed the characters and the story had real promise, however I just could not get into it. In many ways I felt that it was dragging on and could not motivate to get it finished. When I did finally finish, I put it down and was not blown away. but overall, not as terrible as the rating suggests.
frizzbee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
weemargaret's review
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
thunguyen's review against another edition
2.0
Because every time when I gave a book 3 star, goodreads thought I like that book, so this time, to make it clear, I'm gonna give this 2 stars only.
I admit I totally bought this book because of its cover. And what a fool I was! Instead of a nice, romantic story, I've got a boring story about historical Japanese war. Back then I didn't know Lian Hearn and her cold, cold way of killing characters without the blink of an eye. Totally too dark compared to the cover art.
And the romance in this book makes me flinch every time I think about it. I just don't like this book at all. This was years before I read Across the nightingale floor, but I don't think I will change my mind.
I admit I totally bought this book because of its cover. And what a fool I was! Instead of a nice, romantic story, I've got a boring story about historical Japanese war. Back then I didn't know Lian Hearn and her cold, cold way of killing characters without the blink of an eye. Totally too dark compared to the cover art.
And the romance in this book makes me flinch every time I think about it. I just don't like this book at all. This was years before I read Across the nightingale floor, but I don't think I will change my mind.
annesophie_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
jonathanbutlerauthor's review against another edition
3.0
I am a huge fan of the Otori series ([b:Across the Nightingale Floor|77160|Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori, #1)|Lian Hearn|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347954422s/77160.jpg|161332]), as i think Hearn can portray characters and create an engaging plot extremely well. The era and locations were not pin pointed, but were obviously set in Japan. This enriched and supported the novels perfectly.
Blossoms and Shadows also had good character development and dramatic climaxes, but was weighed down by the historical elements. In one of the early chapters, Hearn describes ALL of the main characters in a confusing array of names. These characters continue to reappear throughout the novel, even occasionally referred to by nick name, with Hearn assuming the reader will recall them. It took me the entire novel to recognise half of the key players.
The problem is that the history isn't THAT interesting. The basic gist of the political storyline is that a group of progressive men are challenging the conservative government of Japan. This doesn't change much throughout the entire novel, but Hearn insists on reiterating this fact. The novel builds up to the final battles, which are told in third person and after the event, which is unfortunate as the drama was lost.
As previously mentioned however, I throughly enjoyed the principal characters and story elements. Characters from friends, teachers, lovers, family, children or fleeting encounters all are distinct and interesting. Hearn has clipped her indulgent descriptions of the scenery with Blossoms and Shadows (as compared to the Otori Series), only including descriptions if they were integral to the plot. Hearn cleverly communicates what Western culture may of looked like through the eyes of ancient Japan, convincing the reader of the fascination with photography or a gun. Hearn's comments on gender equality, western influences, medicine and dip into a taboo territory keeps the novel moving.
Overall it was a good summer read, with interesting gender/sex/society comments, character development and dramatic climaxes but unfortunately weighed down by historical content.
Blossoms and Shadows also had good character development and dramatic climaxes, but was weighed down by the historical elements. In one of the early chapters, Hearn describes ALL of the main characters in a confusing array of names. These characters continue to reappear throughout the novel, even occasionally referred to by nick name, with Hearn assuming the reader will recall them. It took me the entire novel to recognise half of the key players.
The problem is that the history isn't THAT interesting. The basic gist of the political storyline is that a group of progressive men are challenging the conservative government of Japan. This doesn't change much throughout the entire novel, but Hearn insists on reiterating this fact. The novel builds up to the final battles, which are told in third person and after the event, which is unfortunate as the drama was lost.
As previously mentioned however, I throughly enjoyed the principal characters and story elements. Characters from friends, teachers, lovers, family, children or fleeting encounters all are distinct and interesting. Hearn has clipped her indulgent descriptions of the scenery with Blossoms and Shadows (as compared to the Otori Series), only including descriptions if they were integral to the plot. Hearn cleverly communicates what Western culture may of looked like through the eyes of ancient Japan, convincing the reader of the fascination with photography or a gun. Hearn's comments on gender equality, western influences, medicine and dip into a taboo territory keeps the novel moving.
Overall it was a good summer read, with interesting gender/sex/society comments, character development and dramatic climaxes but unfortunately weighed down by historical content.