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A review by sara_shocks
The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon
4.0
4/5 stars
A delightful translation of a Heian period diary/humblebrag-list-of-sick-burns. Would highly recommend reading when traveling to Kyoto, for historical color on some of the places that many tourists visit (Kiyomizudera, Fushimi Inari, etc.).
The translator did a nice job of conveying Sei Shonagon's wit, which, as explained, would have been highly situational. I wish some of the endnotes had been better integrated into the main text (perhaps as footnotes), because I found myself flipping back and forth frequently. But I suppose if I pick this up to read it again, the lack of footnotes on the main pages will keep the text flowing.
A delightful translation of a Heian period diary/humblebrag-list-of-sick-burns. Would highly recommend reading when traveling to Kyoto, for historical color on some of the places that many tourists visit (Kiyomizudera, Fushimi Inari, etc.).
The translator did a nice job of conveying Sei Shonagon's wit, which, as explained, would have been highly situational. I wish some of the endnotes had been better integrated into the main text (perhaps as footnotes), because I found myself flipping back and forth frequently. But I suppose if I pick this up to read it again, the lack of footnotes on the main pages will keep the text flowing.