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What Members Thought
This was a fine example of everything that I love in historical novels. I love learning about a specific place and time in history by immersing myself in a well-imagined (and well-researched) world. This book takes place in the Dutch trading post off the coast of Nagasaki, Japan, before Japan opened itself to foreign trade or influence (around 1800). The circumstances offer an incredibly unique anthropological study - the ability of Europeans, or Westerners, to observe and report the behavior, c
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I loved this book! Shogun-era Japan is such a rich setting (and something I knew nothing about) and the characters and events are so smartly written. I particularly appreciated how many characters you get to know intimately. The trading port lackeys each tell their story and it really added to the overall tale. I would never have guessed the book would be as suspenseful as it was but it was a page-turner. It is easily my favorite book I've read this year and probably last, I cannot recommend it
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This is a tough book to review. On many levels it is very clever, and the writing is at times beautiful, but I did find it difficult to get back to. I found the minor characters' names confusing at times, which detracted from the story- this is more a criticism of myself than the author. I didn't enjoy it as much as his other works.
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The Dutch East Indies & Japan. A very interesting tale about these two entities at the beginning of the 1800's.
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couldn't stick with it
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Mar 03, 2011
Efe
marked it as to-read
Jun 01, 2011
Anna
marked it as to-read
Jun 11, 2011
Micha
marked it as to-read
Mar 28, 2012
Jessica
marked it as to-read
Apr 21, 2012
Susan Baker
marked it as to-read
Jun 28, 2012
Amy W
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
Shelves:
tbr-literary,
maybe-someday-4
Aug 13, 2012
Devin
marked it as to-read
Jan 07, 2013
Terri
marked it as around-the-world
Jul 05, 2013
Tanya
marked it as to-read
Apr 09, 2015
Karyl
marked it as to-read
Jan 13, 2016
Sarah
marked it as to-read
Mar 09, 2016
Fee
marked it as to-read
Jan 04, 2017
Stefanie
marked it as wishlist
