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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I’ve been wanting to read a book on Japanese folklore for a long time, so I’m so happy I found something like this!
Kwaidan has some ghost stories, yes, but most of these are simply stories that give the reader an insight on Japanese culture and beliefs. Most Japanese terms are kept and explained, so not learning is impossible really! I really enjoyed this overall, though I must admit I was waiting for a story that completely blew my mind, and it never came. The stories are mostly really good though, my favorites were “The story of mimi-nashi-hoichi”, “Jikininki”, “Mujina”, “Rokuro Kubi” and “Yuki Onna”. I also really liked the section on butterflies, the poems and essay were so beautiful!
Anyway, you might not find any interest in this if you don’t care for Japanese culture or you might become interested because of this book, who knows! But I specially recommend to people who love ghost stories, folklore and Japanese culture. The stories were so atmospheric you really felt like you were in traditional Japan at times!
Kwaidan has some ghost stories, yes, but most of these are simply stories that give the reader an insight on Japanese culture and beliefs. Most Japanese terms are kept and explained, so not learning is impossible really! I really enjoyed this overall, though I must admit I was waiting for a story that completely blew my mind, and it never came. The stories are mostly really good though, my favorites were “The story of mimi-nashi-hoichi”, “Jikininki”, “Mujina”, “Rokuro Kubi” and “Yuki Onna”. I also really liked the section on butterflies, the poems and essay were so beautiful!
Anyway, you might not find any interest in this if you don’t care for Japanese culture or you might become interested because of this book, who knows! But I specially recommend to people who love ghost stories, folklore and Japanese culture. The stories were so atmospheric you really felt like you were in traditional Japan at times!
«Kwaidan» es un nombre con fuerza propia. Un pequeño adelanto al review y consejo, el aprecio por lo fantasioso puede variar según el contexto del lector pero el resultado de la mística a través del tiempo es invalorable.
Surprisingly beautiful. At first, I didn't know what I was getting into, since I had never heard of this author or his work, but I'm glad I gave it a shot. The stories are short and yet they have a haunting, ethereal quality to them. It's almost funny that I was expecting traditional horror story endings to many of them, as that's a big genre today, but they never ended as I expected and it always kept me guessing. Near the end was where this book really cemented itself in my memory; there are a few studies, so to speak, on common motifs in the form of insects, and at times the writing becomes so beautiful and lyrical despite being partly philosophical discourse. I'm glad to have found this book and to learn more about its background - during a time where certain countries and cultures were at odds with each other, these stories crossed the divide just a little bit, reminding us that human hopes, dreams, and fears are universal.
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Hearn's short volume is enthralling. It retells ghost stories of ancient Japan. But it does so in a way both illuminating and engaging. His prose is sparse. Sometimes the stories are sparse. But there is always just enough hints in his descriptions to a allow the reader to engage in their own imagination. Nothing is better when it comes to tales of ghosts and suspense. And nothing is better when you want to let the readers themselves capture the essence of long lost times and places.
Some famous Japanese stories here but they all really showed their age and a lot abrupting finished in the middle of the story. Skipped the 2nd half of the book as it was all about Hearns studies on insects which didn't interest me in the slightest. Yuki-onna is probably his most famous translated story and it was my favourite as well.
A really good read. Once you get used to his writing style, it's a really fast but interesting read. :)
This was one of the few English books available in a local Japanese bookstore I recently visited. It was only after reading the entire novel that I discovered that it was almost 120 years old, and that it had been so out of place among the small selection of popular new releases that made up the severely limited English section.
Had I known of this novel's history, I think I would have enjoyed it much more as it is incredibly easy to read and has aged quite well in terms of the language used - obviously since I did not recognise its antiquity whilst reading. If you approach this book with the knowledge of it's background, it will surely be quite a fascinating read - but as a modern reader without this context, I found the book to be perfectly 'fine'. A few stories stood out and my Japanese co-workers recognised a couple of the more well-known writings, but overall it was somewhat forgettable. I am wracking my brain as I write this review, trying to remember more of the content of this novel, but am finding nothing.
So I leave you with this; this book was an easy, enjoyable read, but of little to no impact.
Had I known of this novel's history, I think I would have enjoyed it much more as it is incredibly easy to read and has aged quite well in terms of the language used - obviously since I did not recognise its antiquity whilst reading. If you approach this book with the knowledge of it's background, it will surely be quite a fascinating read - but as a modern reader without this context, I found the book to be perfectly 'fine'. A few stories stood out and my Japanese co-workers recognised a couple of the more well-known writings, but overall it was somewhat forgettable. I am wracking my brain as I write this review, trying to remember more of the content of this novel, but am finding nothing.
So I leave you with this; this book was an easy, enjoyable read, but of little to no impact.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Hearn is referenced by zelazny in 24 views of mount Fuji. Watched the movie.