The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell - 5 stars (Birthday)

[Joy D]

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell - 5* - My Review

Set on a small island of Japan in the late 18th and early 19th century, this book is a sweeping epic that follows the interactions of a group of Dutch traders, other westerners, and Japanese inhabitants. It covers the difficulties they experience due to communications and cultural differences. I will not attempt to summarize the plot, as it is best read with little knowledge of what is going to happen – there are quite a few surprises!

The narrative is rich in legends and myths that provide a sense of the time period and what people believed back then. Even though it shifts focus among many characters, it is told in a chronological timeline, so it reads like a patchwork quilt that provides a larger picture once all the stories come together. My friends know that I do not generally like “twists and turns,” but Mitchell manages to incorporate them while still allowing the storyline to flow organically and without negating everything that came before. The writing is top rate. It is delightfully complex and provides many topics for discussion if reading it as a group. I love this book – it is marvelously creative and historically detailed.

PBT Comments: This book blows out Candle #4, A book from any of our 15 years of Top 10 selections (this one is from 2010.)

[NancyJ]

Great review Joy. I’m looking forward to this one. Japan is turning out to be a great tag.

[Joy D]

NancyJ wrote: "Great review Joy. I’m looking forward to this one. Japan is turning out to be a great tag."
Thanks, Nancy. I agree! I've enjoyed them all so far.

[Joanne]

I actually am desperate for this candle so thanks for this. One question: I am one of the ones who was stymied by Cloud Atlas - is this one anything like that?

[Joy D]

I have not yet read Cloud Atlas, so I cannot say for sure, but I have seen the movie, so I am going to say no, it's nothing like that. It is not confusing. It is historical fiction about the period of time when Japan had been closed to foreigners and Christianity prohibited. The Dutch East India Company had established an outpost on a remote island but could not travel to Japan proper. There are also tensions between the Dutch and the English. It follows different characters, aside from De Zoet, but always returns to him. The story progresses in a linear fashion. Hope that helps.

[Joanne]

Thanks, It does help, I am going to add it