You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
ejrathke 's review for:
Across the Nightingale Floor
by Lian Hearn
This book has a sort of breathless quality that makes it quite beautiful.
It's a solid book with plenty to chew on. Takes place in a vaguely Japanese empire, though it'd be wrong to think this is historical fantasy or anything like that. It's more of a reinterpretation of history, plus magic, plus whatever kind of worldbuilding Hearn felt was necessary to tell her story.
Which is perfectly acceptable to me. Seems some people in their goodreads reviews are pissed that this doesn't present a purist view of Japanese culture and history, which is, I think, kind of silly. What's the point in reading a book if you just want it to be exactly what you expect and desire?
But, yeah, it's interesting and I like it. I'll probably dig into the next one too, despite some of the more glaring issues in this novel.
I'll say a bit on that, actually.
The love story is kind of forced. Without ever speaking, they're in love, which is whatever. I mean, it's really hard for me to care when that's how it works. But, at the same time, Hearn puts a lot of heart and effort into this, which makes their coming together sweet and beautiful and a bit sad. So even though it's a key element that begins in a stupid way, it grows in an interesting one.
It's a solid book with plenty to chew on. Takes place in a vaguely Japanese empire, though it'd be wrong to think this is historical fantasy or anything like that. It's more of a reinterpretation of history, plus magic, plus whatever kind of worldbuilding Hearn felt was necessary to tell her story.
Which is perfectly acceptable to me. Seems some people in their goodreads reviews are pissed that this doesn't present a purist view of Japanese culture and history, which is, I think, kind of silly. What's the point in reading a book if you just want it to be exactly what you expect and desire?
But, yeah, it's interesting and I like it. I'll probably dig into the next one too, despite some of the more glaring issues in this novel.
I'll say a bit on that, actually.
The love story is kind of forced. Without ever speaking, they're in love, which is whatever. I mean, it's really hard for me to care when that's how it works. But, at the same time, Hearn puts a lot of heart and effort into this, which makes their coming together sweet and beautiful and a bit sad. So even though it's a key element that begins in a stupid way, it grows in an interesting one.