A review by _kaylee_m_
The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon

3.0

This book is full of observations, opinions, and anecdotes written by a lady in waiting of the empress of Japan. Many of her stories and lists of things she loves/hates are so intimate and at the same time so universal to the human condition that the book has a surprisingly modern feel. At the same time, passages mentioning Japanese customs, Buddhist temples, and poetry sent me scurrying to the footnotes for explanations, and served as a reminder of how far apart in culture and time I am from Shonagon.