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kleonard's review
5.0
A beautiful and dream-like novel about a fox who loves a man, and how her enchantments are used to capture him, if only for a short time.
pekoegal's review
3.0
If The Little Mermaid had taken place in Heian-era Japan, this would be the story.
If you're familiar with Heian-era Japan you'll know that the role of women was greatly restricted. Consequently, telling the story from mostly female points of view results in a really listless feeling. After witnessing how a noble Japanese woman spends her time, I can't imagine that a fox would ever want to give up the freedom of her wild life to be human, especially for the sake of her rather boring object of her affections.
I didn't really feel like this was an especially romantic story. Although Kitsune wants to understand how humans view love and romance, mostly her view of love is based on mating and keeping a specific mate. And for his part, Kaya no Yoshifuji doesn't seem too bothered about maintaining a deep, romantic relationship with either of his wives when he can just dash off a poem and make a booty call later. I have to admire Kitsune's dedication to understanding humans and what it means to be human and love as one, though.
I liked the descriptive writing of the story. Johnson does a fantastic job of painting a vivid picture of Heian-era Japan.
Overall, this book was alright, but not great. It moves at a slow pace, and feels a little repetitive. It's hard to see what is so desirable about Kaya no Yoshifuji that he would have two women fighting to keep him. Mostly, you just feel sorry for Shikujo and Kitsune for being saddled with the burden of being female in high society and having such a bland guy for a husband.
On a side-note, the digital edition is riddled with typos. I think this is because it's taken from page-scans, and the original book must have had an unusual font that would make lower-case s's and d's look similar when scanned. If you do read the Kindle version of this, just be aware that it is mildly confusing.
If you're familiar with Heian-era Japan you'll know that the role of women was greatly restricted. Consequently, telling the story from mostly female points of view results in a really listless feeling. After witnessing how a noble Japanese woman spends her time, I can't imagine that a fox would ever want to give up the freedom of her wild life to be human, especially for the sake of her rather boring object of her affections.
I didn't really feel like this was an especially romantic story. Although Kitsune wants to understand how humans view love and romance, mostly her view of love is based on mating and keeping a specific mate. And for his part, Kaya no Yoshifuji doesn't seem too bothered about maintaining a deep, romantic relationship with either of his wives when he can just dash off a poem and make a booty call later. I have to admire Kitsune's dedication to understanding humans and what it means to be human and love as one, though.
I liked the descriptive writing of the story. Johnson does a fantastic job of painting a vivid picture of Heian-era Japan.
Overall, this book was alright, but not great. It moves at a slow pace, and feels a little repetitive. It's hard to see what is so desirable about Kaya no Yoshifuji that he would have two women fighting to keep him. Mostly, you just feel sorry for Shikujo and Kitsune for being saddled with the burden of being female in high society and having such a bland guy for a husband.
On a side-note, the digital edition is riddled with typos. I think this is because it's taken from page-scans, and the original book must have had an unusual font that would make lower-case s's and d's look similar when scanned. If you do read the Kindle version of this, just be aware that it is mildly confusing.
starg's review
3.0
This was a very different read for me. It was a good book, though. It is about a fox who falls in love with a human man, and he ends up falling in love with her. A lot of stuff, weird stuff, happens throughout the book.
midwinteraz's review against another edition
4.0
After languishing on my shelf for years, I finally got around to reading this. It's an adaptation of a Japanese fairy tale, told in journal entries from each of the main characters. The story is entrancing, much like the fox magic at the heart of the tale, and explores the nuances of propriety, society, and humanity itself. The story takes several dark turns--after all, magic always has its price--but the rich prose and evocative settings make it so much more than a simple fairy tale.
It's also a nice departure from Western tropes.
It's also a nice departure from Western tropes.
kipahni's review
sorry have a hard time wanting to read love stories anyway- let alone a beast and human love story
peppypenguin's review
5.0
Right away I fell in love with the writing style of this book. It's absolutely beautiful, and the addition of poetry is a nice touch.
At first I thought the sex portions were really too much; I didn't see the point in them being so gratuitous. But I later realized everything is there for a reason and everything has meaning.
This story isn't just about the events that happen when a fox capable of casting magic falls in love with a human. It's about what it means to be human, what it is to have a soul. It's about the illusions we cast and choose not to see through each day. It's about relationships and honesty, and how sometimes just love isn't enough. It's about the self and what it means to be truly who you are. All this is wrapped in a beautiful, heart-wrenching story rich with detail and fluid language. I certainly recommend giving this a read.
At first I thought the sex portions were really too much; I didn't see the point in them being so gratuitous. But I later realized everything is there for a reason and everything has meaning.
This story isn't just about the events that happen when a fox capable of casting magic falls in love with a human. It's about what it means to be human, what it is to have a soul. It's about the illusions we cast and choose not to see through each day. It's about relationships and honesty, and how sometimes just love isn't enough. It's about the self and what it means to be truly who you are. All this is wrapped in a beautiful, heart-wrenching story rich with detail and fluid language. I certainly recommend giving this a read.
sharkysharko's review
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Very slow book, but really enjoyable and vivid! The first 100 or so pages are just very cute and fox focused
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Infidelity, and Incest
ginnikin's review
It's not grabbing me. "Ooh, a man! shiny" gets old fast. I'd stay a fox.
siria's review
3.0
A really beautiful retelling of a Heian-era Japanese folk-tale, The Fox Woman tells of the intersecting lives of disillusioned nobleman Kaya no Yoshifuji, his wife Shikujo and his fox-wife Kitsune. Johnson uses the story to look at what it is to be human, what it is to be real, what it is to be true to yourself, and manages it with some skill, particularly towards the close of the novel. That said, for some reason I didn't find The Fox Woman to be quite as effective or as affecting as the other novel of Johnson's that I've read, Fudoki; the characters didn't come alive so vividly, and the book was perhaps a quarter again as long as it needed to be. Those flaws aren't enough to make me regret reading it, however, and I do think it makes a good companion to her other works.
catnipped's review
Though this novel has many strengths, I couldn't bring myself to finish it.
As it progressed, I became more and more disinterested in the actual story, because I was so caught up in different aspects in the novel. It became so convoluted, maybe on purpose, as I tried to work through the whole theme of fantasy vs reality.
Mild Spoilers from here on (as I only got half way through the novel to begin with):
Yoshifuji himself became exceedingly annoying. At first, I related to his depression about losing the spark for life, especially in comparison to his son, but this feeling didn't last much longer following his son's departure to the capital.
Shikujo, for her part, was the character I was least looking forward to when I began The Fox Woman, but she quickly became my favorite and the one I could relate to most. However, even she wasn't enough to make me continue reading.
As I said, this novel did have its strengths: Johnson can create quite a picture with imagery and it is obviously well researched and shines a light on this period of Japanese history.
But, it generally was not what I was expecting or hoping for. As I was familiar with Kitsune or Fox Woman myths, I didn't think the novel would go about in this manner, and I was disappointed for this reason.
Also, the graphic sex scenes (incest, bestiality) and the way they were written made me exceedingly disgusted and uncomfortable. I am not a prude, but the writing itself was not erotic or enjoyable in any manner.
I understand that they might be a more realistic portrayal of fox relations, but I believe they could have been avoided in a novel or at least portrayed in a different manner.
In general, I wish many pieces of the novel had been executed differently.
As it progressed, I became more and more disinterested in the actual story, because I was so caught up in different aspects in the novel. It became so convoluted, maybe on purpose, as I tried to work through the whole theme of fantasy vs reality.
Mild Spoilers from here on (as I only got half way through the novel to begin with):
Spoiler
I liked Kitsune in the beginning. I wanted to learn about her fascination with being human and leaving behind this life that she should have been satisfied with as a fox. Her grandfather was an interesting character as well, perhaps more interesting than her. However, as she transforms into a human, it became so dull to read through her day to day life as a woman. Even she was bored. And so selfish, because she never recognized the sacrifices her family made for her to be humanYoshifuji himself became exceedingly annoying. At first, I related to his depression about losing the spark for life, especially in comparison to his son, but this feeling didn't last much longer following his son's departure to the capital.
Shikujo, for her part, was the character I was least looking forward to when I began The Fox Woman, but she quickly became my favorite and the one I could relate to most. However, even she wasn't enough to make me continue reading.
As I said, this novel did have its strengths: Johnson can create quite a picture with imagery and it is obviously well researched and shines a light on this period of Japanese history.
But, it generally was not what I was expecting or hoping for. As I was familiar with Kitsune or Fox Woman myths, I didn't think the novel would go about in this manner, and I was disappointed for this reason.
Also, the graphic sex scenes (incest, bestiality) and the way they were written made me exceedingly disgusted and uncomfortable. I am not a prude, but the writing itself was not erotic or enjoyable in any manner.
I understand that they might be a more realistic portrayal of fox relations, but I believe they could have been avoided in a novel or at least portrayed in a different manner.
In general, I wish many pieces of the novel had been executed differently.