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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
loved loved loved the setting and characters, even better than the show which i loved
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Scheming, plotting, and subterfuge with a little bit of romance. Every bit a game of thrones.
The final 25% of the book left a lot to be desired re: pacing but it was overall a very enjoyable read. For the middle portion of the book, there were times where I couldn't put the book down. It's been a while since I enjoyed a book so much that it negatively impacted my day to day activities lmao.
The final 25% of the book left a lot to be desired re: pacing but it was overall a very enjoyable read. For the middle portion of the book, there were times where I couldn't put the book down. It's been a while since I enjoyed a book so much that it negatively impacted my day to day activities lmao.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Grief
http://mrlshelflife.wordpress.com/2014/09/28/42/
Shogun was not at all what I expected and in this case it was a pleasant surprise. I went into it expecting a swashbuckling adventure full of western attempts to colonize the East, lots of sword and gun fighting as the conquering westerners came to civilize and bring order to a heathen and pagan land. The book turned out to be nothing of the sort.
What I found was a more sensitive and introspective exploration of cultural values, differing priorities, mutual bigotry, and changes in personal paradigms. The story has its share of sword fights and gunplay as the themes play out against a background of civil unrest slowly building to an inevitable war but those scenes are not the driving force of the story.
When English ship’s pilot, Blackthorn, crashes ashore on the coast of Japan during a storm with what is left of the ship’s crew the expectations from both sides of the cultural fence set up an instant tension that springboards the story. The Japanese, already infiltrated by the Jesuits and Western silk traders, neither of which show much respect for the ancient culture of The Land of the Gods, are suspicious of these new arrivals, expecting they have come to cause more unrest than has already taken place at the hands of their predecessors. Blackthorn and his crew, having never seen anything remotely like the Japanese, assume they have landed in the realm of a most dangerous enemy. They are fearful, untrusting and ready to fight their way out of every situation.
Blackthorn, eventually called Anjin-san by the natives, is slowly seduced by the culture in which he finds himself captive. He is a long way from understanding their views on honor and duty, life and death, and love but there is an underlying order to the Japanese way of life that begins to break down his defenses. Eventually, he is made Samurai and Hatamoto at the hands of Toranaga, a powerful regional leader whose life he has saved. He is tutored by the wife of a Japanese general in the Japanese way of life. A very poignant moment comes about halfway through the book when Blackthorn/Anjin-san reflects on his life in England compared to his current condition in Japan. He compares his home there (a dirt floored and littered hovel) to his home here (an exquisitely clean and orderly cottage). He compares his wife in England whom he still loves, with the women he is now surrounded by. He compares the debris and disorder of life in London compared to the clean and orderly life in Osaka and other Japanese cities. He begins to wonder how he can ever go back to living in hovel, bathing once a year, and living in a way of life that dictates that hardship is merely penance for sinful existence. As this transformation takes place in him he has a chance to reunite with his shipmates. A year has gone by. The shipmates see him cleaned, dressed in a kimono, bearing the swords of a Samurai, and he sees his shipmates, drunken, dirty, unruly and savagely bigoted. Neither knows what to make of the other. Anjin-san is glad to leave their presence and they are relieved to see him go.
This theme of personal change, a theme that is also carried out to a lesser degree in such characters as Lady Mariko (his tutor and eventual friend and lover), Toranaga (jingoistic regional leader), Yabu (a general who starts out as Blackthorn’s enemy and slowy, reluctantly becomes Anjin-san’s friend and ally) is the theme that carried me forward through the story. Clavell deftly tracks the changes in paradigms and the growth that takes place as a result. The theme is expertly contrasted by those characters who resist change, who cling to their prejudices, whose pride overrides their ability to accept new ideas and ideals.
Despite the seemingly infinite cast of characters Clavell never allows the reader to lose track of anyone, always dropping in a careful reminder if you haven’t seen a particular person for several hundred pages. The pace of the plot rarely flags and when it does it picks up again like the brief ebb of the ocean before the next wave carries you further along.
This was definitely time well spent and Shogun is a book that will have an honored place on my shelf. It is this type of epic journey that enriches the experience of a pleasure reader.
© 2014 M. Romeo LaFlamme
Shogun was not at all what I expected and in this case it was a pleasant surprise. I went into it expecting a swashbuckling adventure full of western attempts to colonize the East, lots of sword and gun fighting as the conquering westerners came to civilize and bring order to a heathen and pagan land. The book turned out to be nothing of the sort.
What I found was a more sensitive and introspective exploration of cultural values, differing priorities, mutual bigotry, and changes in personal paradigms. The story has its share of sword fights and gunplay as the themes play out against a background of civil unrest slowly building to an inevitable war but those scenes are not the driving force of the story.
When English ship’s pilot, Blackthorn, crashes ashore on the coast of Japan during a storm with what is left of the ship’s crew the expectations from both sides of the cultural fence set up an instant tension that springboards the story. The Japanese, already infiltrated by the Jesuits and Western silk traders, neither of which show much respect for the ancient culture of The Land of the Gods, are suspicious of these new arrivals, expecting they have come to cause more unrest than has already taken place at the hands of their predecessors. Blackthorn and his crew, having never seen anything remotely like the Japanese, assume they have landed in the realm of a most dangerous enemy. They are fearful, untrusting and ready to fight their way out of every situation.
Blackthorn, eventually called Anjin-san by the natives, is slowly seduced by the culture in which he finds himself captive. He is a long way from understanding their views on honor and duty, life and death, and love but there is an underlying order to the Japanese way of life that begins to break down his defenses. Eventually, he is made Samurai and Hatamoto at the hands of Toranaga, a powerful regional leader whose life he has saved. He is tutored by the wife of a Japanese general in the Japanese way of life. A very poignant moment comes about halfway through the book when Blackthorn/Anjin-san reflects on his life in England compared to his current condition in Japan. He compares his home there (a dirt floored and littered hovel) to his home here (an exquisitely clean and orderly cottage). He compares his wife in England whom he still loves, with the women he is now surrounded by. He compares the debris and disorder of life in London compared to the clean and orderly life in Osaka and other Japanese cities. He begins to wonder how he can ever go back to living in hovel, bathing once a year, and living in a way of life that dictates that hardship is merely penance for sinful existence. As this transformation takes place in him he has a chance to reunite with his shipmates. A year has gone by. The shipmates see him cleaned, dressed in a kimono, bearing the swords of a Samurai, and he sees his shipmates, drunken, dirty, unruly and savagely bigoted. Neither knows what to make of the other. Anjin-san is glad to leave their presence and they are relieved to see him go.
This theme of personal change, a theme that is also carried out to a lesser degree in such characters as Lady Mariko (his tutor and eventual friend and lover), Toranaga (jingoistic regional leader), Yabu (a general who starts out as Blackthorn’s enemy and slowy, reluctantly becomes Anjin-san’s friend and ally) is the theme that carried me forward through the story. Clavell deftly tracks the changes in paradigms and the growth that takes place as a result. The theme is expertly contrasted by those characters who resist change, who cling to their prejudices, whose pride overrides their ability to accept new ideas and ideals.
Despite the seemingly infinite cast of characters Clavell never allows the reader to lose track of anyone, always dropping in a careful reminder if you haven’t seen a particular person for several hundred pages. The pace of the plot rarely flags and when it does it picks up again like the brief ebb of the ocean before the next wave carries you further along.
This was definitely time well spent and Shogun is a book that will have an honored place on my shelf. It is this type of epic journey that enriches the experience of a pleasure reader.
© 2014 M. Romeo LaFlamme
Wow. I didn't realize that the last time I wrote a book review was a month ago. Yes, it took me a month to read and finish this grand epic. I remember buying this book from a bookstore in Seattle, and was captivated by it. So, how do I begin?
This book is about the story of a bold English adventurer who found his way to Japan, and his adventures with Japanese feudal society back in 1600. He encounters an invincible Japanese warlord, and a beautiful woman that becomes his interpreter, and later on, lover. It details many aspects of historical Japan, including the trade between the Portuguese and the Chinese, aspects of Japanese society such as the courtesans and the geisha, samurai methods and customs, sex practices in historical Japan, among others. It is a very meaty book in my opinion.
So, what did I like about this novel? I like the fact that James Clavell seems to be a very successful storyteller. He captivated my attention during the whole book: I never had a moment where I thought that the book was boring. I remember reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and though I have respect for that book, there were times in which it felt more like a history textbook than a novel. This book, on the other hand, even though it is historical fiction, is full of action among the characters of the book.
With a book this thick, Clavell made the choice of developing multiple main characters. It is not just John Blackthorne who is the main character, but also Yoshi Toranaga and Toda Mariko. This book also provided me with the insight to Japanese politeness and the theory of face. The characters were crafted in a way that their actions always preserved or destroyed the face of their interlocutors, depending on their intentions. In this way, I admire the amount of research that the author must have put into when writing this book.
Another aspect of this book that I liked is the intricate descriptions of war theory and espionage. There might be actions that are not explained at the outset when they are described, but every loose knot is always explained later on. The last 20 pages in fact are very crucial, because all of the unexplained scenes are finally revealed, such as the sabotage of Blackthorne's ship, the arrangement between Mariko and the rest of the shogunate, and so on.
The book does not provide a very conclusive ending. It is not a fairy-tale story, where the ending is that everyone lives happily ever after. Instead, it provides a road for further exploration, which is indeed the intent of the author. In fact, this is the first of six books in his Asian Saga, a collection of books that talk about the Far East. In fact, I liked this book very much that I already have the copy of the second book, Tai-Pan. I won't pick that up for the time being though, since Clavell's books tend to be long, and I want a break from the Far East.
All in all, this is a very recommendable book. It will totally engage you. Pick it up and be immersed in a dynasty 400 years ago.
This book is about the story of a bold English adventurer who found his way to Japan, and his adventures with Japanese feudal society back in 1600. He encounters an invincible Japanese warlord, and a beautiful woman that becomes his interpreter, and later on, lover. It details many aspects of historical Japan, including the trade between the Portuguese and the Chinese, aspects of Japanese society such as the courtesans and the geisha, samurai methods and customs, sex practices in historical Japan, among others. It is a very meaty book in my opinion.
So, what did I like about this novel? I like the fact that James Clavell seems to be a very successful storyteller. He captivated my attention during the whole book: I never had a moment where I thought that the book was boring. I remember reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and though I have respect for that book, there were times in which it felt more like a history textbook than a novel. This book, on the other hand, even though it is historical fiction, is full of action among the characters of the book.
With a book this thick, Clavell made the choice of developing multiple main characters. It is not just John Blackthorne who is the main character, but also Yoshi Toranaga and Toda Mariko. This book also provided me with the insight to Japanese politeness and the theory of face. The characters were crafted in a way that their actions always preserved or destroyed the face of their interlocutors, depending on their intentions. In this way, I admire the amount of research that the author must have put into when writing this book.
Another aspect of this book that I liked is the intricate descriptions of war theory and espionage. There might be actions that are not explained at the outset when they are described, but every loose knot is always explained later on. The last 20 pages in fact are very crucial, because all of the unexplained scenes are finally revealed, such as the sabotage of Blackthorne's ship, the arrangement between Mariko and the rest of the shogunate, and so on.
The book does not provide a very conclusive ending. It is not a fairy-tale story, where the ending is that everyone lives happily ever after. Instead, it provides a road for further exploration, which is indeed the intent of the author. In fact, this is the first of six books in his Asian Saga, a collection of books that talk about the Far East. In fact, I liked this book very much that I already have the copy of the second book, Tai-Pan. I won't pick that up for the time being though, since Clavell's books tend to be long, and I want a break from the Far East.
All in all, this is a very recommendable book. It will totally engage you. Pick it up and be immersed in a dynasty 400 years ago.
The most exciting book I've read in recent memory! I've always liked historical fictions but this novel reaches such heights that it can rightfully be called an epic. The endless schemes and manipulations of a man who becomes one of Japan's legendary shoguns is so intelligently written that I often found myself gasping in disbelief as each page revealed a new plan, a new move in his Great Game. Combined with references to the ways of the Japanese, from village life to the women of the Willow World to bushido it is a masterpiece. Granted, that I have lived in Japan probably increased my appreciation for it but Clavell's artful narratives from a foreigner's perspective is flawless. The writing style is equally poetic and lyrical as much as it is callous at times, wonderfully conveying the clash between two cultures, civilizations, way of life, and also way of loving.