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Cloud of Sparrows (Samurai #1)
Once in a great while a new novelist comes along who dazzles us with rare eloquence and humanity, with flawless storytelling and a unique understanding of another place and time. Takashi Matsuoka is just such a writer.
His magnificent new novel, set amid the violence and beauty of nineteenth-century Japan, takes us beyond the epic tradition of James Clavell’s Shogun and in...more
His magnificent new novel, set amid the violence and beauty of nineteenth-century Japan, takes us beyond the epic tradition of James Clavell’s Shogun and in...more
Mass Market Paperback, 592 pages
Published
August 26th 2003
by Dell Publishing Company
(first published 2002)
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Cloud of Sparrows was a very enjoyable read first because of the writing. The author presents a scene and then lets the reader hear the thoughts of everyone in the scene. So, you get a surface view and the underlying thoughts and motives of all of the participants, which are not always apparent from their outward appearance and actions.
The cultural differences are really interesting and funny. For example, the Japanese cannot tolerate sitting in chairs, because it compresses the...more
The cultural differences are really interesting and funny. For example, the Japanese cannot tolerate sitting in chairs, because it compresses the...more
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Dibaca ulang, dalam rangka nggak ada bacaan hehe dan ceritanya juga udah agak lupa.
Buku ini menceritakan kisah hidup Daimyo (bangsawan agung) Akaoka yang bernama Okumichi Genji. Genji digambarkan sebagai laki2 muda yang tampan namun sering diremehkan karena penampilannya tidak seperti samurai sejati. Dikatai terlalu lunak, pesolek, dll. Belum lagi pemikirannya yang sering 'berbeda'. Yang paling membuat gerah adalah sikapnya terhadap orang2 asing yang datang ke Jepang. Genji menerima ...more
Buku ini menceritakan kisah hidup Daimyo (bangsawan agung) Akaoka yang bernama Okumichi Genji. Genji digambarkan sebagai laki2 muda yang tampan namun sering diremehkan karena penampilannya tidak seperti samurai sejati. Dikatai terlalu lunak, pesolek, dll. Belum lagi pemikirannya yang sering 'berbeda'. Yang paling membuat gerah adalah sikapnya terhadap orang2 asing yang datang ke Jepang. Genji menerima ...more
Cloud of Sparrows was a satisfying read, but it was not the best book that I've ever read. The plot and writing style were gripping and easy to read, and I learned a lot about feudal Japanese culture. I was, however, disappointed by the remaining loose ends at the conclusion of the book. The multiple plots did not all finish at the same time, and the last one seemed like a hasty ending.
It was fascinating to read the differences of culture between the American missionaries and the feu
...more
Pengetahuan bisa menghambat. Ketidaktahuan justru membebaskan. Tahu kapan untuk tahu dan kapan untuk tak tahu, sama pentingnya dengan pedang yang tajam. Suzume-no-Kumo (1434) Apakah kemampuan mengetahui masa depan bisa menguntungkan, atau justru membawa malapetaka? Mampukah pengetahuan seperti itu melahirkan seorang samurai sejati, yang tabu mengeluh ketika mengalami siksaan fisik paling hebat sekalipun, yang rela mati menjunjung tinggi kehormatan dan kesetiaan, namun tetap dianggap wajar untuk ...more
‘Those who succeed and those fail are both destined to die.’
This novel, a work of historical fiction with elements of fantasy, opens in Edo in 1861 as two centuries of Japanese isolation is forcibly ended by outsiders from the West. As foreign ships threaten to destroy the Shogun’s castle in Edo, a small group of American missionaries arrives. The missionaries are the Reverend Zephaniah Cromwell, his fiancée Emily Gibson, and Matthew Stark. Unsurprisingly, each has secrets and each...more
This novel, a work of historical fiction with elements of fantasy, opens in Edo in 1861 as two centuries of Japanese isolation is forcibly ended by outsiders from the West. As foreign ships threaten to destroy the Shogun’s castle in Edo, a small group of American missionaries arrives. The missionaries are the Reverend Zephaniah Cromwell, his fiancée Emily Gibson, and Matthew Stark. Unsurprisingly, each has secrets and each...more
Category: Books
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Author: Takashi Matsuoka
Buku ini cukup bagus mengingat saya memang pencinta segala sesuatu yg keJepang-Jepangan ^_^ Awalnya tertarik karna liat covernya ... he he jadi inget Manga taon 2000an Samurai X ....
Genji Okumichi si Tokoh utama dalam buku ini diceritakan sebagai seorang bangsawan Jepang yang cukup terbuka dengan intervensi negara Asing sehingga mengakibatkan dirinya banyak dimusuhi oleh masyarakat sekitarny...more
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Author: Takashi Matsuoka
Buku ini cukup bagus mengingat saya memang pencinta segala sesuatu yg keJepang-Jepangan ^_^ Awalnya tertarik karna liat covernya ... he he jadi inget Manga taon 2000an Samurai X ....
Genji Okumichi si Tokoh utama dalam buku ini diceritakan sebagai seorang bangsawan Jepang yang cukup terbuka dengan intervensi negara Asing sehingga mengakibatkan dirinya banyak dimusuhi oleh masyarakat sekitarny...more
"Воробьиная Туча", изданная у нас как "Стрелы на Ветру", формально считается первой книгой дилогии, и повествует об истории Гэндзи Окумити - последнего князя клана, его ближайших родственников, вассалов, а также нескольких американцев, чьи судьбы окажутся неразрывно переплетены с судьбой всего клана. После скачущего по эпохам "Осеннего Моста" практически линейное за некоторыми исключениями повествование "Воробьиной Тучи" кажется читерством :) Гэндзи Окумит...more
Ако човек иска да научи нещо повече за традициите на японското общество през 19 век, за сблъсъка на японските нрави с навлизащите западни влияния, това е добро начало.
Ако на човек му се чете роман, в който се преплитата криминална нишка и любовна история на фона на исторически събития, няма да сбърка с тази книга.
Аз обаче след тази книга за пореден път се питам как е възможно да се възхищаваш на замръзналата капчица върху гола вишнева клонка през зимата, да онемяваш пред красот...more
Ако на човек му се чете роман, в който се преплитата криминална нишка и любовна история на фона на исторически събития, няма да сбърка с тази книга.
Аз обаче след тази книга за пореден път се питам как е възможно да се възхищаваш на замръзналата капчица върху гола вишнева клонка през зимата, да онемяваш пред красот...more
really great melodrama set in samurai japan. Beautifully told at times and emotionally strong characterisation make this an interesting and satisfying jaunt into feudal life and the politics of the way of the samurai
it is a must for anyone who enjoyed Clavell's Shogun novel
my only personal gripe with this book and Shogun is the need to use american missionaries or sailors and their reactions to 'japanness' as the tool of telling the story. i personally find it annoying to not have a samurai tale...more
it is a must for anyone who enjoyed Clavell's Shogun novel
my only personal gripe with this book and Shogun is the need to use american missionaries or sailors and their reactions to 'japanness' as the tool of telling the story. i personally find it annoying to not have a samurai tale...more
Cloud of Sparrows was a good book to understand the feudal Japanese mindset and it is interesting to see the differences between what Americans and Japanese thought of each other.
There are many plots and subplots in the story that I feel the book was not concluded well. However, knowing that there is indeed a sequel to the book, I see that perhaps this was done intentionally.
The second book follows the life of Genji and also other people.
The style of writing ...more
There are many plots and subplots in the story that I feel the book was not concluded well. However, knowing that there is indeed a sequel to the book, I see that perhaps this was done intentionally.
The second book follows the life of Genji and also other people.
The style of writing ...more
This book (and its sequel) are amazing, close to flawless. How the author manages to hold on to so many plot lines and amazing characters. Eache character has a voice and are as they should be- the women beautiful and the men courageous. But the characters are so much deeper than that. This book brings a rowld to life and every character has a voice. It keeps you utterly absorbed until the last page.
For all his flaws, I love Genji and his half smile. I loved Emily despite or perhaps becua...more
For all his flaws, I love Genji and his half smile. I loved Emily despite or perhaps becua...more
1.
The demons of the past,
the treachery of the present,
an uncertain future are about to collide in the most terrifying ways.
As past and present collide,
a hidden history comes to life,
and with it a secret prophecy that has been shrouded for centuries and may now finally be revealed.
2.
Dahulu, di pertengahan semester VI, saya mendapatkan novel Samurai Kastel Awan Burung Gereja. Novel ini saya pilih karena novel Musashi, yang beberapa tahun lalu sudah...more
The demons of the past,
the treachery of the present,
an uncertain future are about to collide in the most terrifying ways.
As past and present collide,
a hidden history comes to life,
and with it a secret prophecy that has been shrouded for centuries and may now finally be revealed.
2.
Dahulu, di pertengahan semester VI, saya mendapatkan novel Samurai Kastel Awan Burung Gereja. Novel ini saya pilih karena novel Musashi, yang beberapa tahun lalu sudah...more
Ketika lelaki itu berpaling menatapnya, Heiko berharap dia akan melihat :
Rambutnya : sekelam malam tanpa bintang tergerai di alas sutra biru.
Wajahnya : sepucat salju pada musim semi, bersinar dengan cahaya yang dicuri dari bulan (hal.24)
Itulah serangkaian kalimat pembuka novel epik berjudul asli Cloud of Sparrows : An Epic Novel of Japan karya Takashi Matsuoka atau diterjemahkan oleh penerbit Qanita Mizan menjadi Samurai Kastel Awan Burung Gereja. Kalimat tadi telah memi...more
Rambutnya : sekelam malam tanpa bintang tergerai di alas sutra biru.
Wajahnya : sepucat salju pada musim semi, bersinar dengan cahaya yang dicuri dari bulan (hal.24)
Itulah serangkaian kalimat pembuka novel epik berjudul asli Cloud of Sparrows : An Epic Novel of Japan karya Takashi Matsuoka atau diterjemahkan oleh penerbit Qanita Mizan menjadi Samurai Kastel Awan Burung Gereja. Kalimat tadi telah memi...more
I nearly put down this book before finishing the second chapter. A ninja-geisha spy who falls in love with her quarry, a zealous and lecherous priest, a pure and ignorant young girl, and a gifted, attractive and progressive samurai lord: all these together almost made one-too-many stereotypes.
Rewards await those ready to struggle through a seemingly predictable opening, however. None of these things are quite what they seem (except the priest, but there's a surprise there, too), and ...more
Rewards await those ready to struggle through a seemingly predictable opening, however. None of these things are quite what they seem (except the priest, but there's a surprise there, too), and ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Takashi Matsuoka, Cloud of Sparrows (Delacorte, 2002)
Takashi Matsuoka's debut novel, Cloud of Sparrows, is quite a treat. The similarities between the code of the Samurai and the code of the Wild West gunfighter have been done before, of course, but never within such an elaborate framework. The novel begins on New Year's Day 1861, with the arrival of three American missionaries to Akaoka. Akaoka's present Great Lord, Genji, has a reputation as an effeminate dilettante, keeps company wi...more
Takashi Matsuoka's debut novel, Cloud of Sparrows, is quite a treat. The similarities between the code of the Samurai and the code of the Wild West gunfighter have been done before, of course, but never within such an elaborate framework. The novel begins on New Year's Day 1861, with the arrival of three American missionaries to Akaoka. Akaoka's present Great Lord, Genji, has a reputation as an effeminate dilettante, keeps company wi...more
This book was great - right up to the last 40 or so pages. It's a richly developed cast of characters (so much so that it requires a cast list in the beginning of the book to keep them all straight for reference). The protagonist, Lord Genji, is the Lord of a Japanese Clan at the time of Japan's border openings to the West. As the lord of his fief, he is the most recent lord to be born with the family's curse - the ability to see the future. Prophecy plays a huge part in the tale, and it leads i...more
"Klan Okumichi telah menguasai wilayah Akaoka dengan gelar Bangsawan Agung Akaoka. Sudah menjadi buah bibir di masyarakat kalau pewaris klan Okumichi memiliki kemampuan meramal. Belum lagi tindakan mereka yang dianggap aneh karena menerima kehadiran orang asing. Itulah yang dilakukan Genji Okumichi dengan menerima 3 misionaris Kristen ke wilayahnya. Selain masalah itu, Genji juga harus menghadapi pengkhianatan dari orang-orang kepercayaannya, pamannya yang dianggap gila dan... 3 pertanda ya...more
I picked this up at random at a paperbackbook exchange, and ended up just being floored by it!
This fabulist, time-shifting novel is set at the death of the samurai tradition in feudal Japan. The conflicted Lord Genji has one foot in the past and one in the future he knows is inevitable. Enter a widowed missionary considered gorgeous by Western standards and hideous by Japanese. Genji is torn between a growing love for her and for his mistress, whose origins become one of the most intriguin...more
This fabulist, time-shifting novel is set at the death of the samurai tradition in feudal Japan. The conflicted Lord Genji has one foot in the past and one in the future he knows is inevitable. Enter a widowed missionary considered gorgeous by Western standards and hideous by Japanese. Genji is torn between a growing love for her and for his mistress, whose origins become one of the most intriguin...more
"Cloud of Sparrows," the first novel from Takashi Matsuoka, spins a complex yarn set in 1861 Japan. The plot involves a trio of American missionaries who go to Japan to set up their church, and the fate of the Tokumichi samurai clan from Akaoka. It has everything: love, intrigue and violent struggles for power -- in a truly exotic setting. This was a very entertaining book to read and I look forward to reading another book by this author.
Membaca buku ini, mungkin kita akan teringat novel ‘Shogun’ – James Clavell. Novel ini berbicara tentang samurai, shogun dan geisha.
Buku ini lumayan tebal, tapi cukup menarik, terutama bagi yang suka sejarah. Buku ini meramu intrik di antara para samurai, kehidupan percintaan dengan geisha, dan pertentangan antara ‘penglihatan’ dan kenyataan, kegelisahan Jepang dengan masuknya orang asing. Menggambarkan Jepang yang masih kolot dan kurang bisa menerima perbedaan dan keterbukaan. Di aw...more
Buku ini lumayan tebal, tapi cukup menarik, terutama bagi yang suka sejarah. Buku ini meramu intrik di antara para samurai, kehidupan percintaan dengan geisha, dan pertentangan antara ‘penglihatan’ dan kenyataan, kegelisahan Jepang dengan masuknya orang asing. Menggambarkan Jepang yang masih kolot dan kurang bisa menerima perbedaan dan keterbukaan. Di aw...more
Set at the time of Japan's opening to the west. There is a little bit for everybody romance, battles, spies, vengeance, samurais, geishas, American gun-slingers, prophecies... The writing is a little uneven and there are some factual errors (i.e. a ripe apple on a tree in winter). Also it was annoying to me to have the story suddenly step back two or three days to follow another character without any preamble.
But it is an interesting tale.
But it is an interesting tale.
Good book, good story.
Hmmm... sukanya kenapa yah... mungkin karena walaupun settingannya dalam keadaan perang, tapi ada sisi romantismenya juga kali yah... huehue...
Trus, dia juga menyisipkan perjalanan spiritual tokohnya juga... ^__^
Overall, bagus deh... pengen beli lanjutannya, tapi masih blom sempet aja sampe sekarang... selalu keduluan ma beli buku lain... :P
Hmmm... sukanya kenapa yah... mungkin karena walaupun settingannya dalam keadaan perang, tapi ada sisi romantismenya juga kali yah... huehue...
Trus, dia juga menyisipkan perjalanan spiritual tokohnya juga... ^__^
Overall, bagus deh... pengen beli lanjutannya, tapi masih blom sempet aja sampe sekarang... selalu keduluan ma beli buku lain... :P
Historical fiction interweaving stories of political intrigue among native Japanese and Americans in forcibly opened Japan in the mid 19th century. Character driven story. Graphic violence among both Americans and Japanese. I wonder how accurate the portrayal of the respective cultures really is. Almost 4 stars. Complex and thought provoking.
Buku fiksi yang telah lama saya baca.. Tapi ingin saya baca lagi... Cerita yang menggambarkan kedatangan bangsa barat ke Jepang. Dengan menggunakan setting cerita penguasa muda yang menikah dengan wanita yang berasal dari barat. Kekuasaan, peperangan, usaha untuk mengusir bangsa barat, dan sedikit mistis di dalam ceritanya.
Okay, Goodreads does not have the English cover.
I started reading this and realized I probably read it already.
I checked my book list and found I had read in 2003.
I like books set in this time period of Japanese history; 1800's.
There are a few X words to pass over in the beginning only.
I started reading this and realized I probably read it already.
I checked my book list and found I had read in 2003.
I like books set in this time period of Japanese history; 1800's.
There are a few X words to pass over in the beginning only.
buku yg lumayan tebal tapi g bisa ditinggal begitu kamu membacanya. inilah kesan sederhana yg bisa diungkapin untuk buku ini.
tetang isinya sendiri sangat-sangat tidak monoton. novel yg sedikit banyak menyisipkan sejarah pemerintahan jepang dan perjuangan klan-klan samurai yg ada. penuh strategi untuk menghadapi musuh, tetapi juga tak kalah banyak cerita romantis yang membuat buku ini semakin manis.
menilik dari sisi pria (okumichi no kami genji) bangsawan agung yg segala mcm kebijaksa...more
tetang isinya sendiri sangat-sangat tidak monoton. novel yg sedikit banyak menyisipkan sejarah pemerintahan jepang dan perjuangan klan-klan samurai yg ada. penuh strategi untuk menghadapi musuh, tetapi juga tak kalah banyak cerita romantis yang membuat buku ini semakin manis.
menilik dari sisi pria (okumichi no kami genji) bangsawan agung yg segala mcm kebijaksa...more
Saya ingat saat membaca buku ini saya menangis. Dua kali. Susah menghentikan emosi dan air mata, padahal buku ini sedikit lagi menjelang akhir.
Tangis pertama waktu Lord Mukai sang bangsawan rendahan mengabdikan seluruh hidupnya demi membela Genji. Sebuah cinta yang aneh. Tidak bersih dari awal, tapi murni saat akhir.
Berikutnya, tidak lama kemudian, waktu Matthew Stark akhirnya menemui Jimbo. Duel yang kejam dan tak imbang, karena yang satu hanya ingin melepas dosa duniany...more
Tangis pertama waktu Lord Mukai sang bangsawan rendahan mengabdikan seluruh hidupnya demi membela Genji. Sebuah cinta yang aneh. Tidak bersih dari awal, tapi murni saat akhir.
Berikutnya, tidak lama kemudian, waktu Matthew Stark akhirnya menemui Jimbo. Duel yang kejam dan tak imbang, karena yang satu hanya ingin melepas dosa duniany...more
This book was given to me by a friend. It took me a while to start reading it, but once I started it, I couldn't put it down. Not always a fast read due to the constant change in time and place, it was nonetheless a great book that I look forward to reading the sequel to.
The book started out interesting enough, set during Japan's transition between closed and open to the West. The main character, whose name I no longer remember, was fairly satisfying as he interacted with Westerners and evaded his countrymen who wanted to kill him for this. What killed it for me was the end. Now, I am all for relationships between Asian men and Western women, especially since the current ratio is so small and the fetishization of Asian women is so rampant, but there is just s...more
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Takashi Matsuoka is a first-generation Japanese American writer living in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Before commiting full time to the writing profession, he used to work at a Zen Buddhist temple. His books, historical novels depicting American missionaries' visits to Japan, are often compared to Shōgun and the rest James Clavell's series. In addition to writing novels, Matsuoka also worked ...more
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