Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So sorry. that was pillowing awesome.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The start to an epic tale. Clavell knows how to build words and characters, and I loved how faceted they are. Whenever I thought I knew who’s behind a plot, there comes the twist. And I love the fluency of this book. It changes character perspective frequently ,but not too often, and fluently without interrupting the story line. Also how it teaches Japanese culture, thinking and morals in stark contrast to western standards at the time. It provoked me to stop and think a couple of times.
Definitely recommend but with a warning: It’s sooo long and at times incredibly slow. But there’s a need for that to build this fantastic story which overall moves along at a steady pace.
Definitely recommend but with a warning: It’s sooo long and at times incredibly slow. But there’s a need for that to build this fantastic story which overall moves along at a steady pace.
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a book! This book was one of the most epic I've ever read. There are lots of moving pieces and I learned a lot of contextual history (with a hefty grain of salt of course). One of my favorite aspects of this book was how much Blackthorn valued gaining any piece of information from anyone. It was like treasure to him and it felt refreshing to read.
adventurous
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have got mixed feelings about this book. From the start till about halfway it really grabbed me and I liked the storyline a lot. It was however pretty poorly written (or maybe poorly translated.) Halfway it really started to bother me and the storyline collapsed. I wanted to finish this book so I managed somehow to get through. I loved the last part though. It was unpredictable and it picked up the pace.
I will take from this book quite some details about Japan and Japanese way of living, but all and all would probably nog recommend it to anybody.
I will take from this book quite some details about Japan and Japanese way of living, but all and all would probably nog recommend it to anybody.
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fantastic epic that managed to retain my attention and surprise me throughout its more than 1100 pages. Excellent relationship-building, masterful writing of a clash of cultures and how the brain could adapt or change when immersed in another culture, the contradictions that someone caught between two worlds could face.
The only reason I would not give this 5 stars is some of the depiction of the Japanese women felt not as whole as those of the men (would they all really be so content with their roles, even the consorts? Hard to know as there is likely no written material left behind revealing their true thoughts, but sometimes I did think “can this white man really give a full depiction of women caught in such a complex culture?”).
The only reason I would not give this 5 stars is some of the depiction of the Japanese women felt not as whole as those of the men (would they all really be so content with their roles, even the consorts? Hard to know as there is likely no written material left behind revealing their true thoughts, but sometimes I did think “can this white man really give a full depiction of women caught in such a complex culture?”).