tigerbeam 's review for:

Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima

3.0

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In all honesty, this book is an intellectual’s literary trophy. A type of Eastern Ulysses in terms of accomplishment. It’s a beautiful book but I’m afraid it’s cultural nuances are lost on me. The translation is beautiful but it feels like an incredibly slow burn. The characters, the setting, the thematic arcs are all of an era and of a specific context that I had no knowledge or understanding of when I read it and much like when I first experienced post modern art, the thematic importance of the story, the descriptive nuances and subtleties of the characters completely washed over me, leaving a faint imprint of awe and absolute non-understanding.
My star rating is based on my impressions alone and less to do with the intellectual or literary merit of the actual book.