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hazeclarke's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Xenophobia
mt0698's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Murder, Suicide, Classism, Racial slurs, Death, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, and Violence
josiah17's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Edit 2/29/24: Bumping to 4.5 stars. I've been thinking about this book a lot, especially with the amazing premiere of the FX TV adaptation. It's a historical epic that I will surely revisit sometime down the road.
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I'm very glad I finally read this book. From the brief research that I've done, it seems to be a fairly accurate depiction of 17th century feudal Japan. You have the daimyos fighting over their regions and the Shogunate. The religious clash between Buddhism, Christians, and Catholics. The different gender roles of men and women and the formalities of respect and obedience when interacting with each other. It seems Clavell did his due diligence with studying the historical Japanese culture. However there's definitely some exaggeration of some cultural aspects for the sake of the fictional narrative, such as the absurd frequency of seppuku.
In regards to the overall narrative, it was quite compelling. The political tension was very well written. There's plenty of double-crossing, betrayal, and dishonesty for personal and regional gain. Blackthorne's story also kept me engaged once the whole book started to pick up. At first he's this deplorable Englishmen who views the Japanese in a very negative light, but then comes to appreciate the Japanese culture and becomes accustomed to the ways of the land. And there's even a surprisingly wonderful romance later on with his story.
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I'm very glad I finally read this book. From the brief research that I've done, it seems to be a fairly accurate depiction of 17th century feudal Japan. You have the daimyos fighting over their regions and the Shogunate. The religious clash between Buddhism, Christians, and Catholics. The different gender roles of men and women and the formalities of respect and obedience when interacting with each other. It seems Clavell did his due diligence with studying the historical Japanese culture. However there's definitely some exaggeration of some cultural aspects for the sake of the fictional narrative, such as the absurd frequency of seppuku.
In regards to the overall narrative, it was quite compelling. The political tension was very well written. There's plenty of double-crossing, betrayal, and dishonesty for personal and regional gain. Blackthorne's story also kept me engaged once the whole book started to pick up. At first he's this deplorable Englishmen who views the Japanese in a very negative light, but then comes to appreciate the Japanese culture and becomes accustomed to the ways of the land. And there's even a surprisingly wonderful romance later on with his story.
"How beautiful life is and how sad! How fleeting, with no past and no future, only a limitless now.”
There are some other really great characters too. Toranaga, Mariko, Yagu, Omi, Fujiko. Particularly Toranaga and Mariko. Just excellent character work from Clavell.
I've said this many times before, but a Japanese setting is just one of my favorite settings. I love the aesthetic, and I love how the setting and culture is at the forefront of this novel as Blackthorne is thrusted into this foreign land and forced to adapt and learn. It never felt like I was reading a history book or a cultural textbook. It felt almost seamless because the reader is also learning alongside Blackthorne.
"Only by living at the edge of death can you understand the indescribable joy of life.”
For criticisms, I would say it took me about 200 pages to feel immersed. But I was interested, it was just felt like a lot at the beginning. But maybe that was a me thing and just what I was feeling when I picked up the book. But also, the prose is a little off-putting at first. It's not a knock on Clavell, it's just how the dialogue is because he's writing as Japanese, Portuguese, and Latin translated to English. So the dialogue can often feel disjointed or unusual, but I did get pretty used to it. Otherwise I think Clavell writes pretty well. The action scenes were maybe a little lackluster though, although there were not that many for a 1300 page book which was completely fine.
Altogether, a very intriguing and valuable read. I think I'll continue reading the rest of Clavell's Asian Saga.
"What are clouds
But an excuse for the sky?
What is life
But an escape from death?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, and Suicide
Moderate: Physical abuse
lanid's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Death, Gore, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Confinement
Moderate: Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Gun violence, and Racial slurs
beeness's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Lots of surprisingly funny interactions, worth a read if you like adventure and historical Japan
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Torture, Alcohol, Excrement, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Colonisation, Homophobia, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexism, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Racial slurs
knenigans's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Torture, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual content, Sexism, Racism, Racial slurs, Violence, and Religious bigotry
theneverendingtbr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I'd been wanting to read this book for quite some time, due to the overall positive feedback and reviews on it; so here we have it - and after finishing this 1152 page lump of a book...I am exhausted. 😂
It's an epic read don't get me wrong, the writing is admirable but it is hard work as the plot is very complex and over-long.
The story contains ruthless samurai, scheming priests, impenetrable fortresses, dishonourable ninja and everything else about feudal Japan which captures the imagination.
If you like large books that you can get lost in, give this one a try.
Although not for the faint-hearted as there's so many decapitations, a diabolical execution and overall violence within these pages.
Now for some light-hearted reading I think.
It's an epic read don't get me wrong, the writing is admirable but it is hard work as the plot is very complex and over-long.
The story contains ruthless samurai, scheming priests, impenetrable fortresses, dishonourable ninja and everything else about feudal Japan which captures the imagination.
If you like large books that you can get lost in, give this one a try.
Although not for the faint-hearted as there's so many decapitations, a diabolical execution and overall violence within these pages.
Now for some light-hearted reading I think.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Suicide
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