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kkonda's review
4.0
I thought this book was a worthy investment of time. The pace of reading, for me, was very different than a typical book. I usually gobble books up and move on very quickly. Somehow, I could be content to read 20 pages of Spring Snow each day, digesting the heavy story, anticipating the next chapters but not anxiously so. The characters are complex but so far removed from my own life and culture. It was a pleasure to feel like a total observer in a story instead of being caught up in it. The ending was perfect. A very satisfying experience.
gelainmariaelena's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bluehaneul's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
richard1510's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lilreaderbug's review
3.5
Very beautiful writing, sad, check content warnings before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Abortion, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
casparb's review
nor avoice from afire bellowsed mishe mishe to tauftauf thuartpeatrick...
Mishe Mishe again and unsurprisingly he's very good again. Spring Snow is closer to Confessions of a Mask than the blended depravity & beauty of The Sailor... but there are notes of all. I do detect a fairly Western swing in a way which is odd as this is one of YM's last novels before everything went a bit upsy-daisy.
I could see this as a screenplay for a film though it seems to fit better with more midcentury Japanese cinema than the 70s as this was written. But I wouldn't describe Mishima as somebody that loves progress. (the cinema industry a possible exception for him, interestingly). The issue with that is that the most exquisite features of Spring Snow are Mishima's descriptions, and while the force of his prose is consistently powerful and beautiful across his works, I feel often his narratives are capable of standing aside from that and I'm less sure for Snow. It's the first of a tetralogy ( The Sea of Fertility ) so perhaps will be seeing how things develop. I suspect they're not continuous in that sense.
Purity is the word for YM and is one of my favourites to spot. A crucial litmus test for any of his scenes. His relationship with 'purity' is of course very troubled in that he died for it. There's an incredible pathos - and disturbance - to encountering it in his fiction.
Mishe Mishe again and unsurprisingly he's very good again. Spring Snow is closer to Confessions of a Mask than the blended depravity & beauty of The Sailor... but there are notes of all. I do detect a fairly Western swing in a way which is odd as this is one of YM's last novels before everything went a bit upsy-daisy.
I could see this as a screenplay for a film though it seems to fit better with more midcentury Japanese cinema than the 70s as this was written. But I wouldn't describe Mishima as somebody that loves progress. (the cinema industry a possible exception for him, interestingly). The issue with that is that the most exquisite features of Spring Snow are Mishima's descriptions, and while the force of his prose is consistently powerful and beautiful across his works, I feel often his narratives are capable of standing aside from that and I'm less sure for Snow. It's the first of a tetralogy ( The Sea of Fertility ) so perhaps will be seeing how things develop. I suspect they're not continuous in that sense.
Purity is the word for YM and is one of my favourites to spot. A crucial litmus test for any of his scenes. His relationship with 'purity' is of course very troubled in that he died for it. There's an incredible pathos - and disturbance - to encountering it in his fiction.
black_kray's review
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes