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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book just continued to get better until the very end. I will admit the introduction was quite slow and although Mishimas writing style is beautiful it was also at times unnecessarily detailed.
With that being said the writing was still beautiful and the story was gripping. This book is sad, tense, and complicated. I found myself to really like Koji to then detest him and back and forth throughout. The same can be said for each of the 3 main characters.
With that being said the writing was still beautiful and the story was gripping. This book is sad, tense, and complicated. I found myself to really like Koji to then detest him and back and forth throughout. The same can be said for each of the 3 main characters.
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Once more, Mishima dives into the dark recesses of human consciousness and explores our deepest, darkest thoughts and desires that make us human. His writing is tight and right to the point, but still full of metaphors and hidden meanings or alternative interpretations that give depth to the thoughts and feelings of his characters. His use of narration is interesting in this book, a sort of "looking inward" perspective by the protagonist Koji that makes it seem like everything in the world is tainted by his guilt-ridden, violence-seeking mind. There is a beast within and it is barely able to control itself throughout this short novel. The climax is very effectively built up and the motives of characters are complex and seemingly counterintuitive, but such is how things are in real life.
The reason I give this book a 3.5 is because I feel it is not Mishima's best execution. I believe The Temple of the Golden Pavilion is a more powerful exploration into the darkness of our human nature, the seemingly evil and beastly inclinations that drive us towards violence and greed and hate. In a lot of ways, I think of Sigmund Freud when I read Mishima, I think because of their shared interest in such dark topics and a belief in an innate drive towards death and destruction. But, again, I do not think that Mishima achieves as effectively an exploration as he does elsewhere. It may be a product of the shorter length of this story, but I am not sure. It certainly cannot be a matter of time - as this was published after Golden Pavilion. Maybe a re-reading will enlighten me to things not seen this first time around. All of that being said, this may be a more approachable work by Mishima for new readers of this literary titan.
The reason I give this book a 3.5 is because I feel it is not Mishima's best execution. I believe The Temple of the Golden Pavilion is a more powerful exploration into the darkness of our human nature, the seemingly evil and beastly inclinations that drive us towards violence and greed and hate. In a lot of ways, I think of Sigmund Freud when I read Mishima, I think because of their shared interest in such dark topics and a belief in an innate drive towards death and destruction. But, again, I do not think that Mishima achieves as effectively an exploration as he does elsewhere. It may be a product of the shorter length of this story, but I am not sure. It certainly cannot be a matter of time - as this was published after Golden Pavilion. Maybe a re-reading will enlighten me to things not seen this first time around. All of that being said, this may be a more approachable work by Mishima for new readers of this literary titan.
dark
reflective
tense
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
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
‘Koji thought only of Yuko. He wasn’t to know until much later how much of a hopeless love affair theirs would prove to be, and absorbed in his fantasy he formed an exceedingly simple schematic picture in his mind.’
.
Is it just me or this novel was entirely confusing? I was expecting a torrid love affair and instead of that I got two people who were never given the chance to live their love and one despicable guy whose only presence messed up everything. At some point Koji says this about Ippei ‘This man’s soul is beginning to struggle behind a wall that has no exit’ but that’s actual such a good description of both himself and Yuko.
.
Yeah, the writing was beautiful and based on the reviews I read there are better Mishima novels, but this one left me super frustrated and mad at the world. And the epilogue written in the first person threw me off for a second.
.
What other Yukio Mishima novel should I read?
.
Is it just me or this novel was entirely confusing? I was expecting a torrid love affair and instead of that I got two people who were never given the chance to live their love and one despicable guy whose only presence messed up everything. At some point Koji says this about Ippei ‘This man’s soul is beginning to struggle behind a wall that has no exit’ but that’s actual such a good description of both himself and Yuko.
.
Yeah, the writing was beautiful and based on the reviews I read there are better Mishima novels, but this one left me super frustrated and mad at the world. And the epilogue written in the first person threw me off for a second.
.
What other Yukio Mishima novel should I read?