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  <id>62793</id>
  <title><![CDATA[Spring Snow (The Sea of Fertility, Book 1)]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]></description>
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  <original_publication_year type="integer">1968</original_publication_year>
  <original_title>Spring Snow (The Sea of Fertility Cycle #1)</original_title>
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  <average_rating><![CDATA[4.15]]></average_rating>
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  <authors>
    <author>
    <id>35258</id>
        <name><![CDATA[Yukio Mishima]]></name>
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        <name><![CDATA[Michael Gallagher]]></name>
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    <average_rating>4.17</average_rating>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow (The Sea of Fertility, Book 1)]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.17</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>584</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>3</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Sep 08 08:33:51 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Sep 08 20:54:12 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[the first in mishima's tetralogy and, so far, the best (i'm in the middle of the third). on its own, Spring Snow is easily one of the best, most tender love stories i've read -- but it cannot be considered on its own. honda watches as, through the series of four novels, his childhood friend is reinc...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5894851">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5894851]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5894851]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>16020614</id>
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    <id>930689</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Ryan]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Santa Monica, CA]]></location>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">13</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.13</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>62</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>3</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat May 17 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Feb 21 13:59:34 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat May 17 01:49:16 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Once you start reading Mishima, and becoming absorbed with his characters, you are caught in a web that resembles the web he reveals his own characters are enmeshed in.  His characters are so tragic, yet so ordinary; so privileged, yet so doomed; so foolish, yet so much more introspective than you. ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16020614">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16020614]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16020614]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>16936168</id>
    <user>
    <id>317173</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Katherine]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[New Haven, CT]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/317173-katherine]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/272154.Spring_Snow</link>
  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>817</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Mar 03 16:59:36 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Mar 03 17:06:05 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I do love books about love ... love that doesn't work out for some reason (maybe it's because one person is a jerk, or too proud, or married to someone else), love that is tragic, love that ends in jail.  <br/><br/>This book is about love that is marred by one person's overwhelming personality dis...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16936168">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16936168]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16936168]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>5544191</id>
    <user>
    <id>145023</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kay]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Hove, The United Kingdom]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/145023-kay]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">171087</id>
  <isbn>0140069291</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780140069297</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">2</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Sea of Fertility]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/171087.The_Sea_of_Fertility</link>
  <average_rating>4.11</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>19</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[those interested in Japanese culture]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Sep 02 15:04:28 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Sep 02 15:16:11 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Yukio Mishima is not an easy read at any time.  In the four books that make up the collection, or pehaps series, (mishima didn't seem to like the idea that these were a chronological series, from what I've managed to read of the critical commentary at the time, he seems to think of them as something...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5544191">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5544191]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5544191]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>11298153</id>
    <user>
    <id>725750</id>
    <name><![CDATA[mina]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Banjarmasin, Indonesia]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/725750-mina]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">2289215</id>
  <isbn>4805303271</isbn>
  <isbn13>9784805303276</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">1</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow ―The Sea of Fertility]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2289215.Spring_Snow_The_Sea_of_Fertility</link>
  <average_rating>3.00</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>2</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Dec 30 16:10:34 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Dec 30 16:11:35 -0800 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Spring Snow is the first book of the Mishima’s masterpiece tetralogy Sea of Fertility. I don’t know how it is in Japanese, but I bet it is even more beautiful than its translation. The story is told in vivid detail, you can see the garden of Matsugae family with its cherry blossoms, or the snow ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/11298153">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/11298153]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/11298153]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>68003790</id>
    <user>
    <id>2639204</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Krystle]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Honolulu, HI]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2639204-krystle-yanagihara]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">464261</id>
  <isbn>0679722416</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679722410</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">17</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/464261.Spring_Snow</link>
  <average_rating>4.07</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>138</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[The first novel of Mishima's landmark tetralogy, The Sea of fertility<br/><br/>Spring Snow is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders -- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new -- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri May 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Aug 19 02:41:24 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Aug 19 02:41:24 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I really loved this book! It was awesome. The pacing of the story gradually builds up steam before it plunges towards the finish, much like a wave cresting as it reaches the shore. I love Mishima's writing style. It reminds me of Vladimir Nabokov's writing (and you know how much I love that man) but...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68003790">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68003790]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68003790]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>75595282</id>
    <user>
    <id>83139</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Jennifer]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Rodney, MI]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/83139-jennifer]]></link>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">1672003</id>
  <isbn>0671540629</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780671540623</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">1</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1672003.Spring_Snow</link>
  <average_rating>5.00</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[The first novel of Mishima's landmark tetralogy, The Sea of fertility<br/><br/>Spring Snow is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders -- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new -- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Oct 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Oct 24 11:29:24 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Nov 02 05:58:11 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Jefferson's first day of school was a Wednesday, and I of course had a brain meltdown and barely got us out the door in time, so certainly didn't have a lunch packed or a book to read while I hung out in Mecosta and waited for time to pick him up. Plus, on Wednesdays, the library doesn't open until ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75595282">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75595282]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75595282]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>47686192</id>
    <user>
    <id>2078451</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Vincent's ear]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Ankara, 68, Turkey]]></location>
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  <id type="integer">62793</id>
  <isbn>0099282992</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780099282990</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">46</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow (The Sea of Fertility, Book 1)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1247846633m/62793.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1247846633s/62793.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>817</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Feb 27 08:32:16 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Feb 27 08:39:32 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[the first book of &quot;the sea of fertility&quot; serie.... one of the most inspiring books i've ever read.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47686192]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47686192]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>79210004</id>
    <user>
    <id>1071650</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Mashael]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[jeddah, Saudi Arabia]]></location>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">1</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[ثلج الربيع]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>1.00</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[النيل والفرات:<br/>&quot;ثلج الربيع&quot; هي الحركة الأولى في سيمفونية &quot;بحر الخصب&quot; للروائي الياباني &quot;يوكيو ميشيما&quot;، لتتابع الحركات الثانية الثالثة والرابعة &quot;الجياد الهاربة&quot; و&quot;معبر الفجر&quot; و&quot;سقوط الملاك&quot; لتشكل من رباعية &quot;بحر الخصب&quot; عملاً صاف وممتد، الذي من أكثر الأعمال الأدبية جرأة وطموحاً. وأما عن سبب تسمية ميشيما رباعيته بهذا الاسم فيقول بأنه أطلق هذا العنوان في إشارة إلى منطقة بعينها، على سطح القمر، يدعو دارسو الفلك بهذا الاسم، لا تبعد كثيراً عن &quot;بحر الخصب&quot;.<br/><br/>والسبب في هذا الاختيار هو أن العنوان &quot;بحر الخصب&quot; قصد به الإشارة إلى منطقة قاحلة على سطح القمر، يكذب مضمونها اسمها، ويمضي إلى القول بأن هذا العنوان، يدمج صورة النزعة العرقية الكونية بصورة &quot;بحر الخصب&quot; لقد استمد ميشيما جانباً من وحي عمله هذا من رواية رومانسية تعود إلى القرن الحادي عشر هي حكاية &quot;همامتسو&quot; وهي تستند إلى فكرة تناسخ الأزواج، من ناحية، والأحلام-النبوءة، من ناحية أخرى. وفي الوقت نفسه، استعان ميشيما، كخلفية فكرية للرواية، بأفكار الهوسوية اليابانية التي يؤكد في إطارها مبدأ اليويشيكي، أو نظرية الوعي وحده أن كل التجارب ذاتية، وأن الوجود بأسره لا سبيل إلى التحقق منه. ومفهوم النتائج يتجلى ويحتجب في الرباعية، بهذه الدرجة أو تلك من الوضوح، لكنه ماثل هناك، وموجود دائماً.<br/><br/>وفي معرض بسط رؤية لرواية &quot;ثلج الربيع&quot; التي بين أيدينا والتي تمثل المجلد الأول لهذه الرباعية يمكن القول بأنها قصة قائمة بذاتها رغم اتصالها الخفي بأجزاء تلك الرباعية وهي تدور حول عاشقين ساتوكو وكيواكي، وقد أبدع ميشيما كتابتها وصفاً وتحليلاً، فالعاشقان حالمان، والنجوم التي تحيط بهما، جرى وصفهم على نحو رائع لينهي ميشيما جملة الأحداث التي تشهد تطور علاقة ذلك الحب. يموت كيواكي، البطل المحوري الذي تستقر روحه في جسد بطل رواية &quot;الجياد الهاربة&quot; وأما ساتوكر فتقف على النقيض إذ أنها تنفي مسألة التنساخ وذلك تعكسه النهاية التي كرسها ميشيما لها في نهاية الرباعية.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>1</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Dec 09 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Nov 28 11:26:47 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 09 10:36:38 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[الجزء الأول من رباعية يوكيو ميشيما ( بحر الخصب  ) , بدأت بقراءتها  منذ أسبوع لكن برغم من كل محاولاتي لم أستطيع الإندماج أبداً   ولم أتقبل  أن أتخطى الــ 210 صفحة التي توقف...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79210004">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79210004]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79210004]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>7772807</id>
    <user>
    <id>548841</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Thai]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
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  <isbn>0006797224</isbn>
  <isbn13 nil="true"></isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">13</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>817</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Oct 15 18:58:12 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Oct 15 18:59:12 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Who would have thought the whole &quot;star-crossed&quot; lovers theme could still be fresh?  Highly recommended!]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7772807]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7772807]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>73498128</id>
    <user>
    <id>284553</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Sara]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Brooklyn, NY]]></location>
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  <isbn>0679722416</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679722410</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">17</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/464261.Spring_Snow</link>
  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>817</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[The first novel of Mishima's landmark tetralogy, The Sea of fertility<br/><br/>Spring Snow is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders -- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new -- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Oct 05 07:19:46 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Oct 05 07:19:46 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Elegant.<br/><br/>&quot;One of the snowflakes blew in and lodged itself on Kiyoaki's eyebrow. It made Satoko cry out, and without thinking, Kiyoaki turned toward her as he felt a cold trickle on his eyelid. She closed her eyes abruptly. Kiyoaki stared at the face with its closed lids; only the sub...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73498128">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73498128]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73498128]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>49940531</id>
    <user>
    <id>2134415</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Maki]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Cambrigde, 11, The United Kingdom]]></location>
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  <isbn>0679722416</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679722410</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">17</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174973140m/464261.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174973140s/464261.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/464261.Spring_Snow</link>
  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>817</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[The first novel of Mishima's landmark tetralogy, The Sea of fertility<br/><br/>Spring Snow is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders -- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new -- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Apr 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Mar 21 04:07:45 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Apr 19 12:03:16 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[What a beautiful tragic story. Initially I found it hard to relate to Kiyoaki, an arrogant rich kid who lives in a protected environment and exclusively appreciates outer beauty. But then, as he is 'teased' by Satoko, the elegant aristocratic girl he grew up with and who later becomes the love of hi...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49940531">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49940531]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49940531]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>43354674</id>
    <user>
    <id>1922699</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Gztaylor5]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Blue Ridge, GA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1922699-gztaylor5]]></link>
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  <isbn>0099282992</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780099282990</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">46</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow (The Sea of Fertility, Book 1)]]>
  </title>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1247846633s/62793.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62793.Spring_Snow</link>
  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>817</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jan 17 09:44:44 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jan 17 09:44:44 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[   I hate to say it, but unless you have a cultural interest in Japanese, most readers would find this book to be very slow and dense.  It is one of the most powerful and amazing character studies I've ever read though, outside of Shakespeare.  Worth reading to anyone who is interested on seeing the...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43354674">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43354674]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43354674]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>38425676</id>
    <user>
    <id>593973</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Fran]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Chicago, IL]]></location>
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  <isbn>0679722416</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780679722410</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">17</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174973140m/464261.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174973140s/464261.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/464261.Spring_Snow</link>
  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>817</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[The first novel of Mishima's landmark tetralogy, The Sea of fertility<br/><br/>Spring Snow is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders -- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new -- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Dec 04 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Nov 22 21:13:20 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Dec 04 05:57:56 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The first book of Mishima's &quot;Sea of Fertility&quot; tetralogy, is a brilliantly etched, exquisitely detailed story of lovers caught in the tensions of their time.  They are caught between the power of tradition and that of money, between rationalism and romanticism, within a vortex of karma, ca...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38425676">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38425676]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Chris]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6850032-spring-snow</link>
  <average_rating>5.00</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Wed Dec 23 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Dec 22 08:42:19 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Dec 22 08:46:43 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A brilliant book. Really one of the great writers; the story is rich in character, in history, in social and psychological detail, in moral truth. Poetic and beautiful.<br/>A tale of love; of a soul leaving adolescence for manhood; of self-destruction; and above all of the ill-fitted mosaic that ma...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81753280">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81753280]]></url>
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow (The Sea of Fertility, Book 1)]]>
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  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>817</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
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  <read_at>Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Oct 02 14:38:05 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Nov 02 11:00:37 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book was so beautiful. It's like Edith Wharton in Japan but even more lyrical. I don't know if it holds a candle to Mishima's <u>The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea</u> (which reads more like Fitzgerald than anything else), but it certainly comes close. The characters are incredibly multi-dime...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73234908">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[Spring Snow (The Sea of Fertility, Book 1)]]>
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  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>817</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
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  <read_at>Thu May 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Apr 19 08:47:42 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri May 15 00:20:10 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A passionate and deceptively complex tale of love. At first glance this seems to be another young lovers tragedy in the making, but Mishima moves the narrative amongst the characters too energetically for it to be simple. There are clues that this all will mean something more.<br/><br/>4 stars for...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53222302">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53222302]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>50479533</id>
    <user>
    <id>2156126</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Ophelia]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Spring Snow (The Sea of Fertility, Book 1)]]>
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  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>817</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Mar 25 21:26:57 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Mar 25 21:27:41 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[An excellent book full of the most beautiful imagery that you'll ever have the privilege to have embedded into your mind... A tale of beauty, ethereal and immortal, and the lives of those enthralled by it. A worthy read, definitely.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50479533]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50479533]]></link>
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      <review>
  <id>57690967</id>
    <user>
    <id>2363973</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Alexander]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Jersey City, NJ]]></location>
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    <![CDATA[Spring Snow (The Sea of Fertility, Book 1)]]>
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  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>817</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1968</published>
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  <read_at>Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu May 28 20:00:33 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu May 28 20:00:41 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Mishima's study of a destructive personality is certainly thought-provoking.  Their are so many aspects of Kiyo's character in particular that raise questions about modern Western society -- especially as it dawned in Japan.  ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57690967]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>51540197</id>
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    <id>2101889</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Peter]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[Spring Snow (The Sea of Fertility, Book 1)]]>
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  <average_rating>4.15</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>817</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[<em>Spring Snow</em> is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders --- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.<br/><br/>Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new --- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.]]>
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  <published>1968</published>
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  <date_added>Sat Apr 04 20:33:27 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Apr 04 20:34:45 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[one of the most beautiful love stories---mishima captures beautiful moments with such clarity, its like looking at a picture.  This and Decay of the Angel are my favorite in the series.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/51540197]]></url>
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