A review by musicdeepdive
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu

4.0

I'd feel dirty if I recommended folks read an abridged version of this, but fact is: the complete version is a slog to anyone adjusted to modern ideas of pacing. 1100 or so pages of dialogue and situations that seem pulled straight out of a Downton Abbey-esque drama in terms of how insignificant they are in the grand scheme of things, yet how significant they *must* be because the story is about royalty. Historical importance does mean a lot, yes, and a lot of the writing is good in this translation - just set your expectations appropriately is all I ask.