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What Members Thought
I had read this book once in my early teens, and was left dissatisfied (to say the least) as with most 13 year old boys I had little experience with what Mishima wished to portray.
Now, reading it again, in my early 20s and with more experiences that the book can relate to, I see it as nothing less than a masterpiece.
The book starts in 1912, at the start of the Taisho era in Japan. Due to this some political and historical context is required to truly understand the depth of this novel and its' m ...more
Now, reading it again, in my early 20s and with more experiences that the book can relate to, I see it as nothing less than a masterpiece.
The book starts in 1912, at the start of the Taisho era in Japan. Due to this some political and historical context is required to truly understand the depth of this novel and its' m ...more
Reread this recently. It is just as enjoyable the second time around, because its such a piece of glistening poetry. Perfect poetry and the kind of story that writes itself because its just so true and archetypal as if it always existed. It is an illustration of Love itself, coloured in the splendid hues of hyper aesthetic Japan. A hymn to that gorgeous and effete culture that is Art incarnate. Kiyoaki and Satoko are the ultimate products of this exquisite and yet brutally restrictive society. T
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I can't pick a favourite Mishima novel, he seems to get better as I read him more and more. A book that seems to be an austere and beautiful love story turns out to be an intricate, multi-faceted tale of social classes in 1912 in Japan. I can't decide which bit is more important; the history or the romance but the book would be nothing without either of them. Unusual for a Mishima novel, we are given more than one very well written character who we find ourselves caring for and the book is sure
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One of the amazing things about this book (and the whole tetralogy) is how beautifully Mishima reads in English. In Japanese he is an eloquent and sohpisticated writer and much of that seems to translate well into English. As other reviewers have noted, this book by itself is a beautiful and haunting love story - two actually. But when taken together with the other three books it becomes so much more than its parts. It is a fascinating look into Mishima's mind as well as a smart critique of post
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Dec 31, 2012
Y
marked it as to-read
Feb 22, 2014
Jair Avilés
marked it as to-read
Apr 15, 2013
Jason Min
marked it as to-read
Jul 16, 2013
Joe
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
prose-fiction
Feb 14, 2020
Killer of Dreams
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
japanese-literature
Sep 17, 2022
Nicole
is currently reading it
Jan 23, 2022
Charly
marked it as to-read
Jun 13, 2023
manark
added it
