A band of savage thirteen-year-old boys who reject the adult world as illusory, hypocritical, and sentimental, and train themselves in a brutal cal...
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Aug 18, 2011
mp
rated it: 
I had a slightly different review in mind until I read a little bit about Mishima's life. In light of what Mishima did to himself, I am not really sure what to make of The Sailor Who.... While it is dark, reading it I knew it was only a story. But knowing that this darkness could have emanated from Mishima's personal thoughts makes it extremely unnerving.
Fuskao, Noboru's mother, represents westernization; which Mishima despised. Noboru, a 13 year old, is more in the favor of traditio More...
Fuskao, Noboru's mother, represents westernization; which Mishima despised. Noboru, a 13 year old, is more in the favor of traditio More...
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May 31, 2008
Tosh
rated it: 
A very wicked book of sorts, but also a great book on children and how they think. Which is kind of devilish on my part to say - but Mishima captures the kids' view of something very grown-up. The book is very textural in that it is about a lonely woman's erotic impulses as well as her child picking that aspect of her personality or sensuality. Essential book in the Mishima world.
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Feb 26, 2008
Jessica
rated it:
Argh. Okay, so I've been agonizing since finishing this book about how many stars to grant it. What should the stars mean? Do they stand for how good I think a book is? Or do they signify how much I enjoyed reading it? I think this is a three-point-fiver for me, really. Argh! It's so tough to say....
This book contained a great deal of five-star material. While there were several words and phrases that really jarred, these could have been clunky translation glitches, and in general th More...
This book contained a great deal of five-star material. While there were several words and phrases that really jarred, these could have been clunky translation glitches, and in general th More...
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Jan 21, 2011
Evan
rated it:
HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION!
"If I were an amoeba, he thought, with an infinitesimal body, I could defeat ugliness. A man isn't tiny or giant enough to defeat anything."
Ryuji, the "emasculated" sailor in Mishima's great novel, thinks such thoughts on long sea voyages, standing watch on deck; his only friends being the stars. His vague notions of glory -- that something great awaits him at the next port -- allow him to avoid his sense of powerlessness and the More...
"If I were an amoeba, he thought, with an infinitesimal body, I could defeat ugliness. A man isn't tiny or giant enough to defeat anything."
Ryuji, the "emasculated" sailor in Mishima's great novel, thinks such thoughts on long sea voyages, standing watch on deck; his only friends being the stars. His vague notions of glory -- that something great awaits him at the next port -- allow him to avoid his sense of powerlessness and the More...
Apr 15, 2008
Amanda
rated it: 
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea follows the adventures of Noburu a 13 year old boy and his crazy gang of schoolmates, "all smallish, delicate boys and excellent students," who try to oppose their relative powerlessness in the world by developing a dark idealistic "philosophy" that glorifies inhumanity and emotional detachment.
We are also told the story of Fusako, Noburu's mother, the widowed proprieter of a successful high-end boutique, and her passionate More...
We are also told the story of Fusako, Noburu's mother, the widowed proprieter of a successful high-end boutique, and her passionate More...
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Dec 04, 2008
Louis
rated it:
The first Mishima I read, and I was instantly in love (of course) it's both oedipal and misogynistic, tender and brutal, erotic and filthy.
Like many 20th century Japanese authors, his life is one I would probably do best not to replicate, but his passion for writing is admirable. A little too much though.
Definitely, definitely, definitely has to be read through to the end.
Like many 20th century Japanese authors, his life is one I would probably do best not to replicate, but his passion for writing is admirable. A little too much though.
Definitely, definitely, definitely has to be read through to the end.
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Jul 12, 2007
Namrirru
rated it:
Mishima creates very evil characters but he doesn't condemn them or let them suffer the consequences of their actions. It's very unnnerving. But at the same time, he's an excellent writer and story-teller.
He unloads a lot of philosophy in the text but the reader can't trust that that is what the writer is espousing. Is it just part of the story? What does the author really think about this idea or the treatment of this person. Like the mother. Most of his books I've read, the women More...
He unloads a lot of philosophy in the text but the reader can't trust that that is what the writer is espousing. Is it just part of the story? What does the author really think about this idea or the treatment of this person. Like the mother. Most of his books I've read, the women More...
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Dec 07, 2011
I've never read Mishima before, but he's definitely got a skill for psychological characterization, especially when it comes to developing his characters hang-ups and disappointments. A lot of authors seem to rely in uber-dense prose, or on fragmentary narrative techniques to get inside people's heads, Mishima has a lighter touch, but one that's no less effective. The contrast he builds between the adult world and the adolescent one is especially effective, 13 year old boys ARE a bunch of insecu
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May 19, 2010
Kyle
rated it:
If Mishima were an artist, I'd assume he'd paint with only an oily black paint that would run down the canvas, but of course he'd add remarkable detail beyond that. The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea is a dark book, certainly, and the kitten scene was enough to nearly make me put the book down. But Mishima knows how to work this, to control the ebb and flow of bile, and as the book ends he progressively chooses to flow with it. The prose is absolutely beautiful, poignant, and striking a
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Sep 15, 2009
Maren
rated it:
It's been a really long time since I've read a book that affected me as much as this one did. I don't want to say too much about it plot-wise, because it relies so much on suspense and revelation, but it is definitely in the same vein as Lord of the Flies and deals with the relationship between children and adults (particularly boys and men).
The second I put this book down I gasped and went right back to glimpse through how I had gotten there. Its pacing is perfect and the language, More...
The second I put this book down I gasped and went right back to glimpse through how I had gotten there. Its pacing is perfect and the language, More...
Jul 30, 2011
Jeremy
rated it:
Cliffhanger ending!
"There is no such thing as a good father because the role itself is bad. Strict fathers, soft fathers, nice moderate fathers--one's as bad as another. They stand in the way of our progress while they try to burden us with their inferiority complexes, and their unrealized aspirations, and their resentments, and their ideals, and the weaknesses they've never told anyone about, and their sins, and their sweeter-than-honey dreams, and the maxims they've never had th More...
"There is no such thing as a good father because the role itself is bad. Strict fathers, soft fathers, nice moderate fathers--one's as bad as another. They stand in the way of our progress while they try to burden us with their inferiority complexes, and their unrealized aspirations, and their resentments, and their ideals, and the weaknesses they've never told anyone about, and their sins, and their sweeter-than-honey dreams, and the maxims they've never had th More...
Sep 03, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
So much to say. You could spend probably two weeks purely on discussion of Mishima's landscape and setting descriptions, let alone the intricacies of his characters.
The plot itself is fairly straightforward: a sailor and a widow who runs a business meet and fall for each other, and the majority of the book is taken up by the woman's son's reaction to the sailor's appearance in his life.
The boys in Noboru's (the son's) gang abide by an understanding that the world is emptiness More...
The plot itself is fairly straightforward: a sailor and a widow who runs a business meet and fall for each other, and the majority of the book is taken up by the woman's son's reaction to the sailor's appearance in his life.
The boys in Noboru's (the son's) gang abide by an understanding that the world is emptiness More...
May 18, 2011
David
rated it:
Beauty and the beast! As that teapot sang "It's a tale as old as time". Noboru watches his mother in her room through a chink in the wall that was chiselled by billeted soldiers during the occupation (those kinky gaijin). He then watches his new sailor hero and mother have sex. The sailor compromises on his notions of death and glory. Noboru, with his weird nihilistic friends, forces him back on that pedestal.
Note to animal lovers: no kittens were harmed in the reading of thi More...
Note to animal lovers: no kittens were harmed in the reading of thi More...
Apr 28, 2011
David
rated it:
Mishima’s a strange beast. I once heard him described as a bit adolescent, which seems unfair to me, but it is true he’s pretty preoccupied with sex and death. Certainly I remember that part of adolescence. This book features a disturbing and vividly imagined gang of 13-year-old boys, but also a well-drawn pair of adults. Sure, Mishima’s sometimes a little baroque and other times a little clumsy (a painful stretch of dialogue here, though I do allow for the possibility that blame might be laid u
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Dec 30, 2009
Heather
rated it: 
Mishima is clearly a brilliant writer--his prose (at least, the English translation of it), puts you right in the situation. Unfortunately, this is part of the problem for me, for as well as a brilliant writer he was a profoundly disturbed man (he eventually committed seppuku, Japanese ritual suicide).
The book is, loosely, about a sailor who turns his back on dreams of glory on the sea to love a woman, and how that relationship and the world is seen by the woman's son, Noboru. Nobo More...
The book is, loosely, about a sailor who turns his back on dreams of glory on the sea to love a woman, and how that relationship and the world is seen by the woman's son, Noboru. Nobo More...
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Feb 13, 2011
JoAnn
rated it:
I read this book many years ago, as part of an extra credit project in high school, so this is based on what I remember.
This story of a group of boys who decide to deal with a sailor who has embarrassed one (or more?) of them by just being a nice guy is one of the most disturbing stories I have read, but it is one that has stayed with me. I think it speaks even more to the times now than when it was written.
Even thought I hate this story, it was a compelling read and, as I said, it has More...
This story of a group of boys who decide to deal with a sailor who has embarrassed one (or more?) of them by just being a nice guy is one of the most disturbing stories I have read, but it is one that has stayed with me. I think it speaks even more to the times now than when it was written.
Even thought I hate this story, it was a compelling read and, as I said, it has More...
Apr 25, 2008
Cheron
rated it:
If you've known me for longer than a month, I've mentioned this book to you--so you have already heard me compare it to The Lord of the Flies. I just mean in spirit. It gets uncomfortably lost in the grey matter of a young, disturbed boy who struggles with his sexuality and who has serious mother issues.
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Mar 16, 2011
Brendan
rated it:
This is short Japanese fiction at some of its finest. The book doesn't really have much of a plot, which is what kept me from giving it five stars, but the rest is pure gold.
The English translation is well-done, and has some beautiful moments of description. It says a lot with a little, and opens up wide avenues for discussion.
The characters, and the novel as a whole, are rather fatalistic from the start. It is obvious that they easily confuse the ideas of honor and glory More...
The English translation is well-done, and has some beautiful moments of description. It says a lot with a little, and opens up wide avenues for discussion.
The characters, and the novel as a whole, are rather fatalistic from the start. It is obvious that they easily confuse the ideas of honor and glory More...
Jan 13, 2011
Taylor
rated it:
I read this book almost two years ago, and just recently stumbled upon it while doing some cleaning. The anger I felt back when I read it came flooding back, so it obviously had an effect on me.
I've read and enjoyed Mishima before (Forbidden Colors and Confessions of a Mask), but words cannot describe how much I hated this book. The children in this story are the embodiment of evil. They are horrible, horrible monsters who deserve to be locked up for life. Based on the glowing rev More...
I've read and enjoyed Mishima before (Forbidden Colors and Confessions of a Mask), but words cannot describe how much I hated this book. The children in this story are the embodiment of evil. They are horrible, horrible monsters who deserve to be locked up for life. Based on the glowing rev More...
Aug 30, 2011
David
rated it:
The sailor in the title of the book refers to Ryuji Tsukazaki, a sailor who falls in love with Fusako, the mother of Noboru. Noboru is a 13-year-old boy with an oedipal complex who suffers from the cold influence of an unnamed boy known only as "the chief" who acts as leader to his group of friends. The novel is quite short, so I can't say much else about it without giving too much away.
This novel is almost deceptive in how dark it is. You almost don't realize how disturbing More...
This novel is almost deceptive in how dark it is. You almost don't realize how disturbing More...
Dec 19, 2010
Amie
rated it:
I'm so torn over this book. If I was judging it on the prose alone I would say five stars. The writing was absolutely amazing. Poetic and beautiful. The story, however, was disturbing. I would give it one star. It was dark, depressing and graphic. I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked it up. It was recommended to me by a friend. The fact that the book evoked so much emotion in me, positive or negative, earned it an extra star. The juxtaposition between the beautiful writi
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Mar 27, 2010
Syed
rated it: 
"The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea", was a good book. I had difficulty reading because of the change in perspective in each chapter, but the language was at an average level allowing me to read it in ease. The book also had many descriptions of the areas that Noburo, Ryuji, and Fusako were. I really did not understand the plot with all the little things but I only know that the book ended in a sad way. There was really no interesting parts in the book either and it got boring
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Apr 18, 2008
Raegan
rated it:
Strange tale of lust, voyeurism and cruelty from one of Japan's weirdest and most interesting writers. Very macabre yet strangely beautiful and unique.
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Aug 16, 2011
Dennis
rated it:
Did I like it nor not? I'm not sure. It's a very puzzling book; so many ideas crammed into its 181 pages, each one worthy of a novel on its own and yet, when gathered together in one book, it reads like a pseudo-philosophical rant. My gosh, each character is a walking talking wannabe-philosopher.
No matter what, though, you've got to read the book to its disturbing end. It's foreshadowed by an even more disturbing kitten scene, which sickened me throughout.
When reading thi More...
No matter what, though, you've got to read the book to its disturbing end. It's foreshadowed by an even more disturbing kitten scene, which sickened me throughout.
When reading thi More...
Feb 09, 2011
Marcelo
rated it:
Chilling, in part due to its austerity. Not sure what to think of the whole story yet - a mother, her son (a 13 year old in thrall to a nihilistic teenage lead that espouses that all adults are weak and threatening to the kids' "unlimited potential") and a sailor who always felt he belonged at sea to fulfill some great destiny, tragically intertwine their fates through the course of a year with disturbing results. A good read, don't want to say too much - suffice it to say that Mishima
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Feb 20, 2011
Stefanie
rated it:
Once again, this is a book that his incredibly hard to describe. The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea centers around three characters - Noburo, a 13 year old boy, his mother Fusako and her lover Ryuji.
Fusako and Noburo live in a Japanese port town. Five years ago they lost the the man of the house, and it is only when the sailor Ryuji enters their lives during shore leave that Fusako feels her desires for a new man awaken. Their budding love affair is (sometimes too closely) w More...
Fusako and Noburo live in a Japanese port town. Five years ago they lost the the man of the house, and it is only when the sailor Ryuji enters their lives during shore leave that Fusako feels her desires for a new man awaken. Their budding love affair is (sometimes too closely) w More...
Sep 28, 2009
Veronika
rated it:
This is mature work of Mishima. His heroine is real woman, not projection of Mishima as before, his first main hero, sailor Ryuichi, is one s not Omi-like. And I don´like it. :o)
But, his other main hero Noboru is young boy, 13 yers old (14 at the end) and he is projection of Mishima. Noboru is half orphan, his mother (heroine) is widow. She is single long time, but she falls in love with Ryuichi and she wants to marry him again (this is heterosexual romance - I don´t like it). Ryuichi is More...
But, his other main hero Noboru is young boy, 13 yers old (14 at the end) and he is projection of Mishima. Noboru is half orphan, his mother (heroine) is widow. She is single long time, but she falls in love with Ryuichi and she wants to marry him again (this is heterosexual romance - I don´t like it). Ryuichi is More...
May 25, 2011
Brady
rated it:
I've always heard of Mishima because of his unique perspectives on glory, death, honor, and grace. I feel like "The Sailor..." is a compact introduction to a number of interesting themes: freedom, peace, death, inertia, disgrace, violence, sex, etc. Reminding us that children aren't always as innocent as we would like, "The Sailor..." conveys the paradox of adult doting against the actual inner monologue of a child without a father.
This book is definitely recomm More...
This book is definitely recomm More...
Nov 12, 2011
Frank
rated it:
An author without fear, Mishima has not only mastered his craft of using words for description but easily enters parallel universes of people who seem to share space and circumstances. This dark tale of a sailor who falls in love with a widowed upscale shopkeeper in Yokohama shows how simple daily life activities are viewed and interpreted rather differently; how the quality of articulateness comes and goes; and the difficulty of real communication, regardless of whether it is attempted.
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Aug 28, 2011
Kurt
rated it:
This book, along with Lord of the Flies, almost makes me believe in original sin. How can children be so evil? So wanton? And yet look at those school shootings by boys from 11 to 17.
Mishima knows way too much about evil. He was a sadomasochist who found militarism to be a sexual turn-on. We should be grateful to him that he shared himself with us, and did it so beautifully. You can see by reading him how the Japanese could be so monstrous in the 30s and 40s. But he has no answer More...
Mishima knows way too much about evil. He was a sadomasochist who found militarism to be a sexual turn-on. We should be grateful to him that he shared himself with us, and did it so beautifully. You can see by reading him how the Japanese could be so monstrous in the 30s and 40s. But he has no answer More...
