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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
really thought i wasn’t gonna like it at the beginning but i kept reading cause the post meiji restoration era is interesting to me. beautiful flowing descriptions of the people or scenery or religious ideas. bored me in some cases but the more i read the more i wanted to pick it back up to see what happens
This thing is extraordinary, it sparkles like a jewel, it carries a reader far beyond where she expects to go. Those who come to the book with no predisposition to enjoy dioramic symbolism related to Buddhist enlightenment might not experience these pages in the same way, though.
Not as enjoyable or thematically coherent as Mishima's book about the sailor, but still decent. Good prose, good bromance.
I wish more was done with Honda. The imperial bureaucracy scenes reminded me of the worst of Dostoyevsky - people talking about honour and nobility and arranged marriages and whatnot, as if I care about their incomprehensible, antiquated social fabric.
The ending is kind of mediocre, but I'm glad that it sets up that one character to be the protagonist of the next book, since I found him to be the more interesting and relatable one.
I wish more was done with Honda. The imperial bureaucracy scenes reminded me of the worst of Dostoyevsky - people talking about honour and nobility and arranged marriages and whatnot, as if I care about their incomprehensible, antiquated social fabric.
The ending is kind of mediocre, but I'm glad that it sets up that one character to be the protagonist of the next book, since I found him to be the more interesting and relatable one.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ugh this was beautifully sad. The imagery and atmosphere in this book was beyond words. There’s a love affair, political tension, blackmail, and twist and turns that really had me shocked. One day I will commit to learning Japanese so I can experience translated literature the way it was meant to be read. I can’t imagine the beauty of this book in its native language.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Will maybe come back. The protagonist frustrated me, but perhaps that was the authors intention.
A gorgeous, poetic masterpiece that left me thoughtful from start to finish.