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bede03's review
challenging
dark
reflective
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
sambiddlestone's review against another edition
5.0
incredibly insightful into the psyche of a deeply troubled author over a decade before he went fully insane - the seeds are clearly there, but it’s early enough, particularly compared to The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, that this is a coherent and incredibly well written piece of work. mishima’s decline into fascism is one of the great literary tragedies
m_a_j's review
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Suicide
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Minor: Body shaming, Violence, Sexual content, and War
jaquep's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jaden_umeh's review
4.0
Mishima offers a wonderful meditation on the impermanence of beauty, both structural and biological, as well as depicting the inevitably flawed human reaction to said impermanence.
hadia_00's review against another edition
5.0
Unlike the other two books I have read by Mishima, this had a pretty slow start. So much so that at one point, around the 50-page I put it down for over 3 weeks before picking it back up. But after those few chapters the book became unputdownable. So, even though I was initially thinking of giving this a lower rating, the overall story was worth the wait.
We follow a young boy named Mizoguchi, who becomes a stutterer due to some childhood trauma. This gives his schoolmates a reason to make fun of him which affects his self-image severely. He hates his disability and finds himself ugly because of it. On top of that, he now has to become an acolyte at The Golden Temple in Kyoto to fulfil his father's dying wish.
It's the same temple whose beauty his father used to describe in great detail to him as a child. But he doesn't believe it'll be as beautiful in person, that is until he sets his eyes on it. He becomes unnaturally consumed by the temple's beauty, to the point that it inevitably destroys him.
The book is loosely based on a true event and is a brilliantly written psychological study of a young, traumatised mind. Mishima's way of making something banal seem worthy of deeper analysis and conveying complex emotions in an accessible manner is unmatched till date.
We follow a young boy named Mizoguchi, who becomes a stutterer due to some childhood trauma. This gives his schoolmates a reason to make fun of him which affects his self-image severely. He hates his disability and finds himself ugly because of it. On top of that, he now has to become an acolyte at The Golden Temple in Kyoto to fulfil his father's dying wish.
It's the same temple whose beauty his father used to describe in great detail to him as a child. But he doesn't believe it'll be as beautiful in person, that is until he sets his eyes on it. He becomes unnaturally consumed by the temple's beauty, to the point that it inevitably destroys him.
The book is loosely based on a true event and is a brilliantly written psychological study of a young, traumatised mind. Mishima's way of making something banal seem worthy of deeper analysis and conveying complex emotions in an accessible manner is unmatched till date.
mimmaz's review
5.0
Really powerful narration. I was totally entrenched by Mizuguchi’s delusions, isolation, and inaction and the final pages just felt like relief.
lisky's review
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
tomstbr's review against another edition
5.0
I know I'm too old for it, but I'm going through my nihilist/existentialist phase now in my late twenties. This book really hits the spot. It's about two things: beauty and death. Or three things if you count beauty in death. It actually reminded me of Catcher in the Rye, but not terrible and way more intelligent. The protagonist is similar in terms of having a young brashness, a certain naivety. It's beautifully written with so many perfect sentences/paragraphs. Absolutely a book I will read again.
lien_entre_'s review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0