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benrogerswpg's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoyed this collection.
A few good ones, and a few okay stories, but all-in-all a good one.
3.8/5
A few good ones, and a few okay stories, but all-in-all a good one.
3.8/5
paul_cornelius's review against another edition
4.0
I have only just begun to look into Japanese literature and folk tales. Accordingly, I decided to start with two of the most important people to introduce Japanese culture into the West, Lafcadio Hearn and, A. B. Mitford. Lafcadio Hearn is much more "literary" than is Mitford. But Mitford does a superior job of providing context and historical discussion of the people, institutions. and belief systems incorporated into his stories. And, again, as with Hearn, you are getting a unique look at Japan in transition, from the end of the Tokugawa shogunate to the Meiji Restoration. Thus we get an eyewitness account of Japan moving towards modernization. It's also an era now lost to history.
anitaboeira's review against another edition
2.5
A book written in 1870 by a white man who lived in Japan for 4 years.
firerosearien's review against another edition
5.0
The tales themselves are entertaining, but the in depth descriptions of Japanese culture are especially riveting.
aprille_storychick's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting, but you need to remember that this is all reported through the filter of the Victorian-era traveler, Mitford. I wonder what wasn't selected. This selection seems a bit heavy on honor and hara-kiri.
seasidefaye13's review
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
ninjamuse's review against another edition
Read as much as I realized I was going to. Got bogged down in the sermons.