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Bedtime Eyes
by
Amy Yamada is one of the most prominent--and controversial--novelists in Japan today. She burst onto the scene in 1985 with her short novel "Bedtime Eyes," which for critics embodied the spirit of the 'shinjinru'--i.e. Generation X-- in much the same way that Less Than Zero, Bright Lights, Big City, and Douglas Coupland did in the U.S. Bedtime Eyes is the first English-la
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Hardcover, 224 pages
Published
May 2nd 2006
by St. Martin's Press
(first published November 1985)
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This might be the worst book I ever read in my life.

Amy's not winning many friends by page 5: "His dick wasn't the kind of disgusting, red cock that white men have, nor was it the pathetic, infantile thing of Japanese men, the kind that doesn't do a thing for you until it's inside you."
Is true that a Japanese guy's pubic hair is more like seaweed than a white guy's?
The third story was a bit pointless. The first two were okay if you want to read about a Japanese woman having rough sex with Black guys.
African-American characters in Japanese litera ...more
Is true that a Japanese guy's pubic hair is more like seaweed than a white guy's?
The third story was a bit pointless. The first two were okay if you want to read about a Japanese woman having rough sex with Black guys.
African-American characters in Japanese litera ...more

This was actually 3 novellas, and the last one was actually pretty good, except for its last page or so. But it was nowhere near good enough to save this book from the gutter, because the first 2 are some of the worst things I've ever read.
I guess I'm a little biased, but I just can't stand most feminist porn, because, I don't know, I guess I'm just simple, but can anyone tell me why self-identified feminists always write such blatantly abusive, masochistic sex scenes? I actually can't think of ...more
I guess I'm a little biased, but I just can't stand most feminist porn, because, I don't know, I guess I'm just simple, but can anyone tell me why self-identified feminists always write such blatantly abusive, masochistic sex scenes? I actually can't think of ...more

Oct 24, 2018
Rox An
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
literary-fiction,
hogwarts-house-cup-challenge
Bedtime Eyes is a collection of three novellas centering on dysfunctional relationship between a Japanese woman and a Black American.
In Bedtime Eyes, erotic dancer and occasional prostitute, Kim falls in love with a black American navy deserter, Spoon, who constantly abuses her. Their love affair is as real as it is cocaine fueled.
Now famous jazz musician Leroy returns to Japan to give Ruiko a test of her own medicine in the sadomasochistic story of The Piano Player’s Fingers. Ruiko was the domi ...more
In Bedtime Eyes, erotic dancer and occasional prostitute, Kim falls in love with a black American navy deserter, Spoon, who constantly abuses her. Their love affair is as real as it is cocaine fueled.
Now famous jazz musician Leroy returns to Japan to give Ruiko a test of her own medicine in the sadomasochistic story of The Piano Player’s Fingers. Ruiko was the domi ...more

2.5*
For the better half of this collection of novellas the only word that I could associate with it was mediocre. Too much sex talk and definitely overmuch abuse, both physical and emotional coming from both sexes. But I wouldn't put this at the same level with modern western erotica/romance. It is without a doubt better than that. There's something compelling about Yamada's writing, despite all that carnal imagery, that becomes more apparent with the end of the second novella: The Piano Player ...more
For the better half of this collection of novellas the only word that I could associate with it was mediocre. Too much sex talk and definitely overmuch abuse, both physical and emotional coming from both sexes. But I wouldn't put this at the same level with modern western erotica/romance. It is without a doubt better than that. There's something compelling about Yamada's writing, despite all that carnal imagery, that becomes more apparent with the end of the second novella: The Piano Player ...more

Are Japanese people racist ? This book received a prize. He had a great success. About what is it? An history of love between a Japanese woman and an American black. For Japanese it is the top of the transgression. A friend spoke to me about their contempt for the inhabitants of Okinawa who have dark skin. Spoon, the black character has all the stereotypes: robber, deserter, traitor and of course equipped with a large penis. For the rest it is level of the Harlequin collection. Bad novel.

There are 3Eimi Yamada´s short novel from 1985-1986 in this book. The first, Bedtime eyes, is about heroine´s love for black American soldier nicknamed Spoon, who is sometimes very tender and sometimes very violent toward her. He is very sexy for her and she loves his body, but she learn very slowly to love him (his soul and mind, his behaviour). She manages this at last, but he is deserter from his army base and he is taken into prison for desertion. She is devasted and she swears she will be l
...more

as for the 2 first novels pure pornography with a hint of a story, you can used instead of a porno movie if you like .... the last one is a good short novel
she writes well but wouldn't recommend it for girls - now all the girls will want to look for it & read it ..... who is the genius who made the legend of Pandora box -
...more
she writes well but wouldn't recommend it for girls - now all the girls will want to look for it & read it ..... who is the genius who made the legend of Pandora box -
...more

I didn't expect it to be quite this dirty! But there is far more to this book than violent sex - especially with the last story of the collection.
...more

Things were different now. But he would still keep playing the piano. That's all he ever did. Even when there was no piano in front of him.
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The book consists of three stories. The first two vividly describe a sexual relationship of a Japanese woman and an African-American man. The women are usually sexy, beautiful and cold and always have men crawling at their feet. They fool around and eventually fall in love with these rather initially weak men, and then this crazy drama unfolds. The third story was quite good though. Talked about an emotional state of a child who has been brought up in a dysfunctional home. The last couple of pag
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Personally, it is a recommendation by my bro.
It is a mutually-known fact between us that I have no idea of romantic sexist relations. The recommendation is hopefully relevant to my mental disorder. Specifially, I am expected to discover the hidden corners of a true relation once finishing this book.
Eventually, the impression is merely feeling which has never experienced later: Sex is not just as what ordinaries think. Detailedly, it is essential to mention stoicism as well. Kim has unescapably ...more
It is a mutually-known fact between us that I have no idea of romantic sexist relations. The recommendation is hopefully relevant to my mental disorder. Specifially, I am expected to discover the hidden corners of a true relation once finishing this book.
Eventually, the impression is merely feeling which has never experienced later: Sex is not just as what ordinaries think. Detailedly, it is essential to mention stoicism as well. Kim has unescapably ...more

I've read the German translation of the book, and the language was clear, flowing, and very direct. For a Japanese book it ws extremeley open about sex, bodily processes, and issues of race and crime.
Certain passages are grippping and take the reader on an emotional roller-coaster. The erotic scenes are exciting and explore both the bodily and emotional sides of the short but intense relationship of an unfortunate couple. ...more
Certain passages are grippping and take the reader on an emotional roller-coaster. The erotic scenes are exciting and explore both the bodily and emotional sides of the short but intense relationship of an unfortunate couple. ...more

Can't rate a book like this on a one-dimensional scale. I haven't finished it, may not. Finished the title story and one other (there's a third I'm not going to read.) The writing is so-so. Sex, abusive sex, and . . . sex.
Reviews made a great deal of the fact that the protagonist’s love interest is black. Blurbs I’ve read here and there about the author, Eimi Yamada, make it seem that “interracial” themes are big with her. Her black characters are soldiers and sailors in an unnamed port in Japa ...more
Reviews made a great deal of the fact that the protagonist’s love interest is black. Blurbs I’ve read here and there about the author, Eimi Yamada, make it seem that “interracial” themes are big with her. Her black characters are soldiers and sailors in an unnamed port in Japa ...more

Three Novellas from the 80's. The first title story is one star material. Cringeworthy lines and bad sex between underdeveloped characters reminds me of China's annoying 'literary' sluzzaShanghai Baby. Second story 'Piano Players FIngers' covers nearly exactly the same subject matter - a violent sexual relationship between a japanese chick and her black partner but was written a lot better..almost like Bedtime Eyes was just its early draft. Final story Jessie thankfully mixes it up themes wise a
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"Bedtime Eyes" is actual 3 novellas of relationship between Japanese women and black American men.
The first one is a pure pornography with little story line. The word is compact, the description is detailed, the theme is dark. But it hardly raises any emotion.
The second one is better but not nearly enough to get into my favorite. Still with lots of violent sex, the story is more flirtatious but the characters are shallow. All I can have is some gloomy feeling and a bitter ending.
The third one is ...more
The first one is a pure pornography with little story line. The word is compact, the description is detailed, the theme is dark. But it hardly raises any emotion.
The second one is better but not nearly enough to get into my favorite. Still with lots of violent sex, the story is more flirtatious but the characters are shallow. All I can have is some gloomy feeling and a bitter ending.
The third one is ...more

The writing is passable but unremarkable, and the stories themselves suffer from an excruciating sameness-- angsty Japanese woman hunts down black American men, has fucked up relationship, meanwhile fetishizing their music, food, vocal cadences, and genitalia. If an American wrote this, they'd be (rightly) accused of racism. While I recognize the equivalency can't really be made, it does reveal something problematic in Ms. Yamada's novellas.
Sometimes you think that she's trying to write porn. Bu ...more
Sometimes you think that she's trying to write porn. Bu ...more

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It's getting those two stars for the last story which was actually quite a good one. I liked the difficult relationship between Coco and Jesse and how it was developing throughout the story.
The other two stories are just something to shock japanese readers; oh my god, just imagine - a Japanese woman and a black man! And they're having sex! That's ground-breaking, no wonder it got some award.
Maybe interesting to Japanese readers, not so much for foreigners... ...more
The other two stories are just something to shock japanese readers; oh my god, just imagine - a Japanese woman and a black man! And they're having sex! That's ground-breaking, no wonder it got some award.
Maybe interesting to Japanese readers, not so much for foreigners... ...more

Three novellas that are rather pointless and the sex scenes are nothing special either. It may be an interesting read for those who are curious about interracial relationships or women & sex in Japan, but I think there may be better books.
Complete review on my blog, Asia in Literature ...more
Complete review on my blog, Asia in Literature ...more

«His shirt was stained red, but i couldn't decide if it was blood from when i had bitten his neck or lipstick from when i had kissed him».
This was the first book to make a serious impression in me, i haven't read anything like that ever since. ...more
This was the first book to make a serious impression in me, i haven't read anything like that ever since. ...more

Jan 26, 2014
David
rated it
did not like it
Shelves:
by-women,
fiction,
collections,
crime,
zzloc-japan,
not-for-me,
abandoned,
trashy,
interlibrary-loans,
sexuality
I make a point of finishing all my interlibrary loans unless the book is utterly repulsive. The following sentence persuaded me to abandon Bedtime Eyes.
"I screwed my eyes shut and clenched my jaw so he wouldn't break any teeth - he had already knocked out two of them." ...more
"I screwed my eyes shut and clenched my jaw so he wouldn't break any teeth - he had already knocked out two of them." ...more

I think this book is great. The writing style and the storyline is very interesting. I read this book in english and japanese.
People who haven't been involved in "certain scenes" of japan might find this book boring. ...more
People who haven't been involved in "certain scenes" of japan might find this book boring. ...more

I read this book out of book hangover after reading really mind-blowing books in the past few weeks. This is also the first erotica story I've read, I'm not a fan of it, just exploring. I enjoyed reading the sexual parts but other than that, I think it's cheaply written. That's just my two cents.
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Bedtime Eyes 2.5
The Piano Player's Fingers 4
Jesse 5 Very unique story: started out disturbing and ended up weirdly endearing. That's a hard narrative arc to make work.
I'm glad I didn't let the fist story stop me, the second two were MUCH better. ...more
The Piano Player's Fingers 4
Jesse 5 Very unique story: started out disturbing and ended up weirdly endearing. That's a hard narrative arc to make work.
I'm glad I didn't let the fist story stop me, the second two were MUCH better. ...more
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Amy Yamada (AKA 山田 詠美, Yamada Eimi) born February 8, 1959, is a popular but controversial contemporary Japanese writer who is most famous for her stories that address issues of sexuality, racism, and interracial marriage, topics not typically discussed openly in Japanese society.
Born in Tokyo as Futaba Yamada, she lived in several places around Japan due to her father's job. This transient lifesty ...more
Born in Tokyo as Futaba Yamada, she lived in several places around Japan due to her father's job. This transient lifesty ...more
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