Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Zbuciumul inimii

"A man capable of love, or I should say rather a man who was by nature incapable of not loving; but a man who could not wholeheartedly accept the love of another--such a one was Sensei." p.12

A university student comes across an older gent---a prickly and mysterious man. The narrator's curiosity (and ideas) about Sensei make it a formative summer, becoming a secondary father figure (and someone to impress).

"I learned to judge others harshly, but not myself. I thought that, in the midst of a corrupt world, I had managed to remain virtuous." p.238

Masculine loneliness, self-centeredness, and (old-fashioned) misogyny; women are seen an object of contempt, but also a pure ideal removed from the "sins" of man.

...true love is not so far removed from religious faith. Whenever I saw Ojosan's face I felt that I had myself become beautiful. Whenever I thought of her, I felt a new sense of dignity welling up inside me. If this incomprehensible thing that we call love can either bring out the sacred in man or, in it's lowest form, merely excite one's bodily passions, then surely my love was of the highest kind. I am not saying that I was not like other men. I am made of flesh too. But my eyes which gazed at her, and my mind which held thoughts of her, were innocent of bodily desire." p.155

Loneliness, compounded by guilt and resignation from one's self-induced punishment, is a hell of a drug. Voluntarily isolating yourself and not owning up to your actions have long-lasting consequences; lessons from young to old in a transitionary time. There are plenty of insightful bits scattered throughout all three parts.

"I have decided that no matter how many books I may read, I shall never be a very much better man that I am now."

"I used to consider it a disgrace to be found ignorant by other people. But now, I find that I am not ashamed of knowing less than others, and I am less inclined to force myself to read books. In short, I have grown old and decrepit." p.54

"When a man dies suddenly, his estate causes more trouble than anything else." p.60

Note to self: get started on a last will and testament.

Content Warnings

jellyjilli's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

Content Warnings

potterpav's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

genuinely gutted im only giving this two stars. i always feel bad dunking on classics but then in the next breath i must be true to myself. i had such high hopes for this book at the start and really enjoyed the first part! when it got to part 2 i started to lose interest and when part 3 started, i had hope it would pick up again .. sadly i was mistaken. i think its because what was going to happen was pretty obvious as soon as he started talking abt the woman's daughter that it just stopped interesting me. this book is a classic but in my experience, classics aren't really my thing LOL! anyway yeah this book is gonna pass by with a "omg i forgot i read that!" at the end of the year x

Content Warnings

vampireph4ze's review against another edition

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reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

truly, what got me was the title of this book. after reading the final paragraph, i went back to the foreword lovingly written by Edwin McClellan and reread it. i had forgotten what he'd said about it, and it even spoils the ending a little bit, but not enough so that it ruins the experience of reading it. Kokoro - the heart of things. what a beautiful title for a book about beautiful things, even if on the surface they are ugly. this isn't a particularly happy or sad book, overall i've felt a sense of calm wash over me reading it, but it definitely made my heart ache towards the end.

it's simple, it's easy to read and well-paced but so fruitful when it comes to human nature. the two main characters, the unnamed protagonist and Sensei, both have incredible flaws but never really gave enough cause to dislike them. they seemed so real. their actions and behaviors, though admittedly coming from an unreliable narrator, seem justified and real - like something you could see yourself doing if you were put in their shoes. Sensei's letter really wraps the title up into the story, "the heart of things" is the happiness and beauty of the world but also the pain and loneliness.

unfortunately, Sensei was not able to move past this (accompanied by what i take to he his immense guilt or maybe at the end of it all, a heavy heart) but the book does not leave me depressed.

it is hopeful, it is a lesson. it makes me appreciate all that i have had and will have and have.

i'm also realizing that this is the second book of Natsume Soseki's i've read and both of them have ended in the protagonist dying. i cannot wait to see what comes next.

Content Warnings

chinola's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

travisppe's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The structure was very intriguing, especially in Part III from Sensei’s letter. Look, this book is dense and parts of it are a slog but it is beautifully written and thoughtful, even if the characters are not particularly relatable. Highly recommended for folks interested in Japanese literature and culture.

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katievh's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

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reflective sad 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

3.5

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