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barney100's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
sytze_'s review against another edition
3.0
'Empire of the Sun' is a curious book. In the book, you experience World War II in Japan through the eyes of a 11-year old boy of British origin. The boy experiences the war in a different way than the grown-ups. He knows a war has fallen upon his region, but he doesn't draw a line between good and bad. For example: he keeps saying that he wants to join the Japanese army, even though he is imprisoned in a Japanese camp. At first it might look like he doesn't what's happening around him, but when the war is abating, you start to understand that this British boy is actually the only one who understands the war. He understands that war isn't just a battle between various armies. He knows that war is nothing more than a period of vile events.
daisy_3's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
samchrischapman's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
5.0
faintgirl's review against another edition
4.0
Ballard is an absolute master of horror in the mundane. The skill that it takes to deliver the full horror of war from the viewpoint of one small boy in the way that he does... it's phenomenal. Very few events actually happen throughout this book, most of which is spent in a prisoner of war camp, but the slow decline of everyone around the boy, the lack of knowledge as to where his parents might be, and the moments of brutal violence. Anthony Thwaite from the Observer a long time ago said it gave him "a strong sense of the blind helplessness of war" and I don't think I can do better than that.
savage_em's review against another edition
I just finished Empire of the Sun by J.G Ballard, and I was surprised when I found out that only some of the book is historically accurate. It is set in the 1940’s, during a the Second World War, and follows a young, spoiled British boy through his journey after the Japanese invade his hometown of Shanghai, China. Although blown away by the emotion, tone, mood, and setting of the novel, I thought it would be more detailed. J.G Ballard based Empire of the Sun on his experiences in China as a small boy, and I strongly believed it would really show a connection between his experiences and what really happened.
Although I was unimpressed with some segments of the novel, I was quite blown away with some other parts. Ballard really caught the attitude of the Japanese Soldiers- both in Article A3913382 of BBC and also in Empire of the Sun, the Japanese felt sorry for young boys and girls. In both the Article and the book, the Japanese feed the kids food- fish and rice in the book, and tea and snacks in the Article. Ballard, in addition to capturing the Japanese soldiers spot-on, also described the concentration camp really well. It was confirmed that the concentration camps were very dirty and unsanitary, as well as bacteria-infected. The food amount was also confirmed by the article to be very small, and usually not very healthy.
As I said before, I was quite disappointed by the lack of detail and accuracy- specifically, the Pearl Harbor attack. In The Empire of the Sun, Ballard exaggerated the event, according to many BBC Sources. The book shows that almost everything stopped- everybody left. Either screaming or taken by the Japanese, Jim, the main character of the novel, found his whole neighborhood abandoned. Two Articles from BBC, Article A3913382 and Article A6594096 state that the peoples lives still went on. They still went to school, came home and played, but just in a community with more danger and soldiers. In the novel, everyone is in running around, and there is a scent of panic everywhere you go. There is no resistance and the Chinese are shot freely, as it states in the book: “Jim watched a Japanese NCO screaming at the Chinese around him. A dead coolie laid at his feet, blood pouring from his head” (p.30; Italics mine).
Just like J.G Ballard exaggerated the Pearl Harbor attack, he also stretched the wickedness of the concentration camps. Although he captured many dreadful points, he did not capture the good ones. Jim absolutely despises the concentration camps, for he is stuck without his parents, constantly dirty and starving, and the only education he gets is Latin from a doctor. Ann, a girl who was also in a concentration camp in a BBC Article says that she went to a better school at the concentration camp than at home. She loved playing with the other children, and didn’t despise the camp at all- except for the food. Ballard, it seems, did not exaggerate the food. Both Ann and Jim hated camp food, but craved it, as bad food was what was keeping them alive. As it states in the book: “Jim hid the bruised potato in his pocket, making sure that no one saw it” (pg. 126)
In conclusion, I believe Empire of the Sun by J.G Ballard is historically inaccurate but with accurate points in terms its historical setting during the Japanese invasion on Shanghai. Although J.G Ballard exaggerated and stretched out the wickedness of many parts, like the concentration camps and the Pearl Harbor attack, he also captured many aspects impressively. I loved reading Empire of the Sun, and I would consider it a reliable recourse.
Although I was unimpressed with some segments of the novel, I was quite blown away with some other parts. Ballard really caught the attitude of the Japanese Soldiers- both in Article A3913382 of BBC and also in Empire of the Sun, the Japanese felt sorry for young boys and girls. In both the Article and the book, the Japanese feed the kids food- fish and rice in the book, and tea and snacks in the Article. Ballard, in addition to capturing the Japanese soldiers spot-on, also described the concentration camp really well. It was confirmed that the concentration camps were very dirty and unsanitary, as well as bacteria-infected. The food amount was also confirmed by the article to be very small, and usually not very healthy.
As I said before, I was quite disappointed by the lack of detail and accuracy- specifically, the Pearl Harbor attack. In The Empire of the Sun, Ballard exaggerated the event, according to many BBC Sources. The book shows that almost everything stopped- everybody left. Either screaming or taken by the Japanese, Jim, the main character of the novel, found his whole neighborhood abandoned. Two Articles from BBC, Article A3913382 and Article A6594096 state that the peoples lives still went on. They still went to school, came home and played, but just in a community with more danger and soldiers. In the novel, everyone is in running around, and there is a scent of panic everywhere you go. There is no resistance and the Chinese are shot freely, as it states in the book: “Jim watched a Japanese NCO screaming at the Chinese around him. A dead coolie laid at his feet, blood pouring from his head” (p.30; Italics mine).
Just like J.G Ballard exaggerated the Pearl Harbor attack, he also stretched the wickedness of the concentration camps. Although he captured many dreadful points, he did not capture the good ones. Jim absolutely despises the concentration camps, for he is stuck without his parents, constantly dirty and starving, and the only education he gets is Latin from a doctor. Ann, a girl who was also in a concentration camp in a BBC Article says that she went to a better school at the concentration camp than at home. She loved playing with the other children, and didn’t despise the camp at all- except for the food. Ballard, it seems, did not exaggerate the food. Both Ann and Jim hated camp food, but craved it, as bad food was what was keeping them alive. As it states in the book: “Jim hid the bruised potato in his pocket, making sure that no one saw it” (pg. 126)
In conclusion, I believe Empire of the Sun by J.G Ballard is historically inaccurate but with accurate points in terms its historical setting during the Japanese invasion on Shanghai. Although J.G Ballard exaggerated and stretched out the wickedness of many parts, like the concentration camps and the Pearl Harbor attack, he also captured many aspects impressively. I loved reading Empire of the Sun, and I would consider it a reliable recourse.
sgenheden's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cvvvnvvvl's review against another edition
2.0
Not really sure about this, Ballard is still fantastic when describing the visceral and erotic but I wasn't really engrossed by this. I found Jim annoying which is probably the whole point but I just didn't really feel much for him, I felt more for the people around him. Also learnt how annoying British people are and how alien some asian cultures can be.
gabija's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
halrg's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0