The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet in On Paths Unknown

Apr 05, 2012 Nandakishore Mridula rated it liked it · review of another edition

The story of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a divide during a turbulent historical period is the staple of many an historical novel. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, at first glane, is just that: however, the author has entered uncharted waters by venturing into an area which is seldom explored in historical novels, by choosing Japan during her international isolation as the venue and making the clerk of the erstwhile Dutch East India company, the unlikely hero.

Jacob de Zoet has joine The story of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a divide during a turbulent historical period is the staple of many an historical novel. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, at first glane, is just that: however, the author has entered uncharted waters by venturing into an area which is seldom explored in historical novels, by choosing Japan during her international isolation as the venue and making the clerk of the erstwhile Dutch East India company, the unlikely hero.

Jacob de Zoet has joined the Dutch East India Company as a clerk, due to reasons common to many young men of his generation: in the hope of making a quick fortune to marry the girl of his dreams. But all too soon he discovers that to proceed in his career, he has to sell his soul to the devil. He is that anomaly, an honest man in a European commercial enterprise in a corrupt era. Jacob refuses to do this, and falls afoul of his superiors, ruining his bright career chances: to compound his woes, he falls in love with Orito Aibagawa, a Japanese midwife with a burn disfiguring half her face. His already hopeless suit becomes even more impossible when Orito is sold into virtual slavery at the Mount Shiranui shrine to pay off her dead father's debts by her stepmother. Deliverance comes for Jacob and Orito, however, at the end, but not in any way envisaged by them.

Mitchell's novel is panoramic in sweep and flawless in execution. His technique is cinematic: sentences follow the principles of montage, so that each thought process of a character, each speech is interspersed with happenings in the surroundings (in fact, all the while I was reading this novel, I was running a movie in my mind: especially part two in the Shiranui shrine which was in Multicolour and Panavision and directed by Kurosawa). This, along with the fact that it is written entirely in the present tense, gives a sense of immediacy to the narrative. The characterisation is also terrific; especially the villain, Enomoto, is worthy of Amrish Puri!

Then why the three stars? Well, IMO, what the novel provides in technique it misses in substance. For all its page-turning suspense and colourful background, I found the story to be rather lacking in a central focus. I was confused at the end on what the author was trying to say through this novel. After rising to a satisfying plateau through parts one and two, part three was a partial let-down: and the resolution was totally unsatisfying. Let us just say that Mitchell raised my hopes only to dash them to the ground.

Maybe my high hopes at the beginning made my review a trifle harsh. But don't be put off, it's a good read anyway. ...more

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Jul 24, 2015 Meem Arafat Manab rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, favourites-2015

হয়তো শুধু চকচকা কস্টিউমের জন্যই, কিন্তু সত্যি কথা হচ্ছে উপন্যাসে ইতিহাস ঢুকে গেলে টানে, ভালো লাগে। সুনীলের সাথে আমাদের বোঝাপড়া শুরু মনে হয় ঐ তিন ইতিহাস-মাখানো উপন্যাসের সাথে সাথেই, এই উপন্যাসটা শুধু জাপান-নির্ভর না, আমার পড়া তাবত উপন্যাসকুলের মধ্যে অন্যতম ভালো লাগা। ঐদিন পাউলো নুতিনি শুনতে শুনতে বোইনের সাথে কথা হচ্ছিলো, বলতে বলতেই মনে হইলো, এই কথা তো আসলে সত্য যে এখন আমরা কোনো না কোনো কারণে কোনো কিছুরেই আর ক্লাসিক হইতে দিচ্ছি না, নাইলে নুতিনির আয়রন স্কাই আর মিচেলের জ্যাকব দে যুত, ওই হেন্ড্র ...more

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Jul 30, 2013 Xandra rated it did not like it

Shelves: european, british, z-m, booker-wp, 2000-present

A case of "it’s not (entirely) you, it’s me", I suppose? ... Other reviewers see a cohesive universe rich in detail and originality, I see a poorly stitched quilt that talks too much. Mitchell has obviously done his homework and I applaud him for it, but it was hard to ignore the feeling that he can’t let his extensive historical research go to waste and needs to cram it all into one book. It’s like he’s got a million ideas and pieces of information that he sticks together with the cheapest glue ...more

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Jan 02, 2013 John rated it really liked it

Beautiful novel that almost collapsed under its own weight, but managed to redeem itself through its highly sympathetic protagonist, Jacob de Zoet. If Mitchell had shortened the book by about one-hundred pages, I would recommend it without reservations. Although set in early 19th century Japan, I finished the novel without a deep understanding of the country; however, I think it was Mitchell's purpose to clothe Japan in an aura of mystery. Mitchell's prose takes some getting used to, but is ulti ...more

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Nov 07, 2016 Michele rated it liked it

Shelves: books-that-could-be-1-3-shorter, liviu-rec, japan, historical-fiction, dnf

This is my third Mitchell book. In all 3 cases I started off kind of excited about the book but then I got worn down. The writing wore me down in this case. I'm not going to spend the time and energy figuring out what exactly about it that grated on me. (I know part of it was a superficiality about really heavy subjects, (like slavery)). I just know that life is short and when I start thinking of all the great books I am not reading while I am being irritated by this book, it is time to let it g ...more

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