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A review by bookswithleigh
Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda
I'm going to be leaving this collection unrated star-wise because I'm honestly not sure how to go about handling or reviewing it.
Where the Wild Ladies Are is a collection of folklore, kabuki, and other miscellaneous Japanese source material recrafted for the modern age. These stories are inspired by characters from what I must assume are beloved Japanese legends, and going into this novel I'd thought I knew enough about the context to read this without worry. I was wrong. Of all the legends this book sources, I was only familiar with the zashiki-warashi (and the kitsune, though they don't quite feature the way these other legends do) -- everything else was completely new to me, and to be honest, I felt that not having the context played a large role in my lack of enjoyment in the stories.
I can only assume that those with a deeper understanding of Japanese legends would really enjoy this book. I think that if the translator had put the context of the legends either before or after each tale, rather than at the conclusion of the book, it would have been better understood myself -- but by that same token, if I'd had a physical copy, I could have just flipped back and forth between them.
I was most intrigued by the stories revolving around Mr. Tei and the mysterious company he worked for that continued to pop up throughout the collection. Others, notsomuch. Overall, this collection was difficult to read, but I wouldn't discourage people from giving it a try themselves.
Star Rating: Unrated
✔ Quite a Catch - wherein the narrator fishes up a girlfriend from the river
✔ Where the Wild Ladies Are - wherein a young man realizes there's something strange about his new job
✔ Loved One - wherein the narrator finds incense that will allow her to see a requested loved one, and she chooses her cat
✔ The Missing One - wherein a woman is consumed with a plate that's missing from her collection and contacts the shipping company about the loss
Where the Wild Ladies Are is a collection of folklore, kabuki, and other miscellaneous Japanese source material recrafted for the modern age. These stories are inspired by characters from what I must assume are beloved Japanese legends, and going into this novel I'd thought I knew enough about the context to read this without worry. I was wrong. Of all the legends this book sources, I was only familiar with the zashiki-warashi (and the kitsune, though they don't quite feature the way these other legends do) -- everything else was completely new to me, and to be honest, I felt that not having the context played a large role in my lack of enjoyment in the stories.
I can only assume that those with a deeper understanding of Japanese legends would really enjoy this book. I think that if the translator had put the context of the legends either before or after each tale, rather than at the conclusion of the book, it would have been better understood myself -- but by that same token, if I'd had a physical copy, I could have just flipped back and forth between them.
I was most intrigued by the stories revolving around Mr. Tei and the mysterious company he worked for that continued to pop up throughout the collection. Others, notsomuch. Overall, this collection was difficult to read, but I wouldn't discourage people from giving it a try themselves.
Star Rating: Unrated
**STORIES OF NOTE**
✔ Quite a Catch - wherein the narrator fishes up a girlfriend from the river
✔ Where the Wild Ladies Are - wherein a young man realizes there's something strange about his new job
✔ Loved One - wherein the narrator finds incense that will allow her to see a requested loved one, and she chooses her cat
✔ The Missing One - wherein a woman is consumed with a plate that's missing from her collection and contacts the shipping company about the loss