Shogun
by James Clavell
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 2851)
Read in December, 2007
There's a lot to like about Shogun, and it definitely held my interest throughout, but ultimately I didn't quite like it enough to recommend it. My main problem with it is the end; or rather, its lack of an ending. Given the situation, plot, and characters that James Clavell created over the course of the first 1150 pages, I think he really needed another 1000+ pages to wrap everything up satisfactorily. Instead, the climactic battle that everything in the book was leading up to--as well ...more
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Read in June, 2008
James Clavell's book gives you more background on Japanese history and 17th century society than the TV series. All key cultural items are referenced in the book, which would make it a great introduction before traveling to this country, were it not for its 1200 pages length.
The plot is thick and engaging. I can't put it down.
Stylistically, Clavell uses a couple of awkward devices which bother me, interjection of spanish words in the dialog, to suggest portuguese speech (leche, cabr...more
The plot is thick and engaging. I can't put it down.
Stylistically, Clavell uses a couple of awkward devices which bother me, interjection of spanish words in the dialog, to suggest portuguese speech (leche, cabr...more
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Read in April, 2007
i got this book from friends as a present when i was going to go to japan.. i started reading about the time i landed in japan and i sort of felt similarly to the way 'anjin-san' - the protagonist.. was feeling about japanese culture and people.. which makes me think.. although they've obviously changed since the time he came here.. the change's not been huge .. in fact much of those days japan is the same now - 500 years later.
i'd recommend to any foreign person visiting japan to read this ...more
i'd recommend to any foreign person visiting japan to read this ...more
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Read in January, 2000
recommends it for:
Anyone
This is the Clavell novel that most people have read -- which is too bad, because in many ways, it is not his best.
Which is not to say it's not very good -- it is. It's amazing. It's... well, just ask anyone who's read it -- you'll not find someone who didn't like it. But the historical anthropology of the book isn't as well integrated into the narrative as it is in, say, Whirlwind or Noble House.
That being said, this is a remarkable work -- it is perhaps the most swee...more
Which is not to say it's not very good -- it is. It's amazing. It's... well, just ask anyone who's read it -- you'll not find someone who didn't like it. But the historical anthropology of the book isn't as well integrated into the narrative as it is in, say, Whirlwind or Noble House.
That being said, this is a remarkable work -- it is perhaps the most swee...more
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Read in January, 1991
So I reread this book for maybe the 10th time this week and was struck again by its sheer captivating power. It is gripping narrative in the purest sense. No, it is not the work of a great writer in terms of thematic elements or prose styling. Very little of it rings with remarkable language. But as a plot? As a description of riveting scenes with powerfully drawn characters? As an escapist work of fiction that takes you to another world, immerses you in it, and absorbs all of your attenti...more
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Read in January, 2002
One of my favorite books, also the longest book I ever read. I have loved studying Japanese culture for awhile, and it was really cool to read about traditional Japanese culture and the rise of the shogunate. What originally inspired me to read this was seeing a clip of the condensed mini-series in one of my social studies classes, so I went and found my parents' copy of the book and started reading it. It took me awhile, but the story was just so well written and got to the point where I wou...more
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Read in June, 2008
I feel like Clavell's career lived on the cusp of the tell don't show era of storytelling.
Despite all of the thrills, excitement, and Japanese intrigue packed in Shogun, the author breaks most, if not all, of the golden rules of modern day fiction writing. Repetition, interior monologue, said adverbs, narrative summary; it all comes down to one word: tiresome. It's no wonder this book took me three months to finish.
I still gave it a four because the characterization and story were ...more
Despite all of the thrills, excitement, and Japanese intrigue packed in Shogun, the author breaks most, if not all, of the golden rules of modern day fiction writing. Repetition, interior monologue, said adverbs, narrative summary; it all comes down to one word: tiresome. It's no wonder this book took me three months to finish.
I still gave it a four because the characterization and story were ...more
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Read in October, 2007
Perhaps I only liked Shogun because I am so like the main character--basically a foreigner living in Japan. The main character, Blackthorne, happens to be male and living in Japan hundreds of years ago... nonetheless, I enjoyed reading about his experience because it mirrors my own and I don't know how others would like it.
It is also one of the longest books I have ever read. Maybe not the longest based solely on page number, but on a combination of the immense number of pages, the detailed ...more
It is also one of the longest books I have ever read. Maybe not the longest based solely on page number, but on a combination of the immense number of pages, the detailed ...more
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This is a fun and fascinating read, not only on its own merits, but also as part of what I like to call the 'male romance' genre. This, along with other manly titles like 'From Here to Eternity', make me giggle because they so closely parallel women's romance novels in the point-by-point adherence to a checklist of what their reader desires. And Shogun hits all the points: a handsome, tall, well-endowed man is, by virtue of his awesomeness, the ONLY person who could succeed in a dangerous sit...more
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Read in January, 1996
recommends it for:
anyone
Prevedena kao: SHOGUN
Nemojte da vas obeshrabri broj njenih stranica, ovo je knjiga koja se čita u ritmu disanja, a pije poput vode.
Osim što je jedna od najboljih napetica, povijesnih i ljubavnih romana, bojno polje spletki, intrige i pravih vojski, ona je riznica japanske kulture gledane kroz oči stranca (s kojim ćemo se, htjeli - ne htjeli, poistovjetiti). Otvara vrata u tajanstveni svijet te otočne zemlje koja i u ovo doba, kada je u svakom pogledu povezana sa ostatkom svijeta, p...more
Nemojte da vas obeshrabri broj njenih stranica, ovo je knjiga koja se čita u ritmu disanja, a pije poput vode.
Osim što je jedna od najboljih napetica, povijesnih i ljubavnih romana, bojno polje spletki, intrige i pravih vojski, ona je riznica japanske kulture gledane kroz oči stranca (s kojim ćemo se, htjeli - ne htjeli, poistovjetiti). Otvara vrata u tajanstveni svijet te otočne zemlje koja i u ovo doba, kada je u svakom pogledu povezana sa ostatkom svijeta, p...more
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Read in June, 2007
Ok, so when I first started reading this book I didn't like it. Not say I didn't immediately think it was well written, but I was actually so offended by how hateful and devious the characters were, that I almost put it down and walked away. I kept reading though, and it has turned out to be one of my favorite books. Not only does Clavell skillfully craft the mind-set and mental workings of each character, he paints an incredibly clear picture of the time period and Japanese culture in the er...more
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Read in July, 2005
recommends it for:
People who like intrigue and adventure
"Oh my God." That's generally the first response to this book once you get about 20 pages into it. This is definitely the best single volume work of fiction I have ever laid eyes one. Just...WOW. It hooks you early and doesn't let up for a second. The pace is amazing, the characters are enthralling, the constant twisting and turning leaves you completely unable to predict where things will go, yet when you see it happen it makes all the sense in the world. Really, this book is absolute...more
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recommended to George by:
Mom
recommends it for: Anyone who likes historic epics.
recommends it for: Anyone who likes historic epics.
If you love long epics, this book is for you. Ashleigh, that means you will hate this book. It is over 1100 pages and I didn't start loving it until the 300's. I am not done yet but it is my third favorite book ever behind Pillars of the Earth and Gone with the Wind. The story is about the English captain of a Dutch ship that lands in Japan on a quest to find new riches and trade routes. They are the first of their kind to land there (the story is set in the late 1500's). The ship lands just as ...more
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Read in March, 2008
This is a great book. A great love story, but not just a love story. It's a story about an honorable people who live by a code of ethics. Set in Japan in the 17th century, the story follows the British sea pilot John Blackthorne as he maneuver's and is maneuvered in Daiymo Toranaga's bid for the shogunate. The plot has many twists and turns,and often the downfall of each character seems eminent. If you know the history then the ending isn't a surprise but that doesn't make getting there any les...more
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The first Clavell book I read, and my inspiration for reading all of his others, this book captivaed me from start to finish.
The world Clavell creates is easy to buy into, and the level of detail he integrated into the story makes it endlessly interesting. The love story feels genuine, and the desire between the two characters keeps you wanting to read on. Writing a romance novel that still allows men to read without feeling uncomfortable is not an easy task, but the balance of action, dange...more
The world Clavell creates is easy to buy into, and the level of detail he integrated into the story makes it endlessly interesting. The love story feels genuine, and the desire between the two characters keeps you wanting to read on. Writing a romance novel that still allows men to read without feeling uncomfortable is not an easy task, but the balance of action, dange...more
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Read in January, 2001
This book started my obsession with Japan. My boyfriend's mom recommended it and told me it almost ruined her marriage b/c she wouldn't put it down. But when her husband read it all was forgiven. When I read it it almost ruined my relationship. When my boyfriend finally read it while we were in Cambodia he decided to add Tokyo as a stop on our vacation.
The actual book is very similar to the movie The Last Samurai & I believe they ripped the idea movie from this book. Basically, an ...more
The actual book is very similar to the movie The Last Samurai & I believe they ripped the idea movie from this book. Basically, an ...more
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Read in June, 2001
This book inspired my great interest in Japanese History. It accounts an incredible tale of a Dutch sailor who, by misfortune, gets lost at sea and crash lands on the Island of Japan. His incredible resourcefulness and charisma earns the respect of the xenophobic Japanese warlords, eventually sucking him into the very heart of the Japanese political battlefield. He becomes the first foreign samaurai, and against all odds becomes an adviser to the man who would become Shogun, and rule Japan for o...more
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Read in January, 1983
I began this book and hated it, so I stopped reading it. A dear friend, whose taste in reading often matched mine insisted that I try again. I did, with about as much enthusiasm as I generally reserve for a dental cleaning. The second time, when I let myself get past the opening chapters and get into the tale, I was captured. I loved the grand sweep of the whole thing, the ultra-romantic notion of the whole concept of the slightly dunder-headed foreigner finding himself in "the Japans,"...more
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Read in January, 1998
I remember struggling to stay with this book at first but then suddenly I was completely enthralled and couldn't put it down for months(it's a long book). In any event the juxtaposition of English & Japanese lifestyles are fascinating and Clavell is such a clever and masterful writer. It is set in the 1600's and provides such vivid description of both European and Japanese culture which feel like they are also historically acurate. Blackthorne is a fascinating lead character - unique, pow...more
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Read in January, 2008
Fun, swashbuckling adventure of an Englishman who finds himself on the shores of Japan a few hundred years ago. Very interesting look at the differences between people from cultures and seeing how they try to understand each other. Even though both cultures - West and East - have changed since then, the roots of each are still embedded in the subconscious. Having grown up American and married into a Japanese family, the book actually opened my eyes and helped me to understand some of these di...more
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