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Hidden Buddhas: A Novel of Karma and Chaos
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"Hidden Buddhas may well be Liza Dalby's best work yet; with its fascinating story of characters caught up in a world they themselves don't understand. Besides taking us on a journey through little-known corners of Japan, it offers us an engaging and believable portrait of people driven to do things they may not have imagined." —Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha
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Paperback, 396 pages
Published
October 1st 2009
by Stone Bridge Press
(first published January 1st 2009)
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This is another fabullously researched, fabulously written work by Liza Dalby. I really enjoyed the characters, and the way the author moved the story along through the years. Great read!
While I have read all of Dalby's nonfiction work, this was my read of one of her novels. I was disappointed since I am such a big fan of her nonfiction work. While it is wonderfully researched and the expository sections on religion and culture are fantastic, the novelistic aspects of the book are pretty problematic. Characters are two-dimensional and it has a romance novel feeling (with women who are so beautiful they stop traffic and men strikingly talented, intelligent and wealthy).Main chara
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Hidden Buddhas weaves an explicit yet subtle exploration of Buddhism with Japanese history and culture, memorable characters, and an engaging story in a contemporary setting. There are plot twists along the way that suprised me as the journey marches on to a conclusion I was not expecting, but one which has me thinking. Life is suffering; Suffering comes from desire; Eliminate desire and suffering will cease; Follow the Eight-Fold Path to eliminate desire. These are the Four Noble Truths of Budd
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Wanted something a little bit eerie to read, in case it's really true that feeling spooked helps you to stay cool in summer, and so picked this novel and was instantly hooked. I can't say it helped me to keep cool, but it did keep me turning pages until I had to force myself to turn out the light and try to get some sleep! Also enjoyed the feelings of recognition Dalby's wonderfully vivid, so alive to the texture of life descriptions of places and customs aroused. Perhaps the Kagurazaka scenes w
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very disappointing. I really wanted to like this book more than I did, but it just didn't have it. The writing is wholly unremarkable. The characters are two-dimensional and non-compelling. would not recommend.
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This book is a lyrical three-part harmony of modern life, timeless Japanese nostalgia, and a glimpse of the Unmind/Mind. I loved it for its boldness and romance, flirting with a few of the BigQuestions of life and spirituality.
Interesting,loved the history & Zen messages, but the ending was sort of a let down.
Feb 16, 2011
Jilian Giles
added it
I didn't finish this book. I couldn't get into it.
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Feb 13, 2015
Mills College Library
added it
Fiction D137h 2009
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With its fascinating story of characters caught up in a world they themselves don't understand, Hidden Buddhas may well be Liza Dalby's best work yet. Besides taking us on a journey through little-known corners of Japan, it offers us an engaging and believable portrait of people driven to do things they may not have imagined." --Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha
According to esoteric Bu
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