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vickiseglin's review
4.0
I actually listened to this and it was an excellent CD. But it did prevent me from scrolling through some of the slower parts. In general, Part 3 seemed to drag although he pulls it all together in the end. It's a fascinating story of a Dutch East Indies employee on Dijima, an island off the coast of Japan in 1800. Foreigners are not allowed on the mainland, and very few Japanese are allowed on Dijima. Yet, DeZoet falls in love with a Japanese midwife, who then ends up in a convent which has a tragic secret life. The book follows them and other Dutch, English and Japanese characters. Written beautifully, obviously well-researched, fascinating for the most part. Just that one part which I thought might have been edited differently. In the end, though, a very moving tale and instructive of Japanese society at that time.
premat's review
4.0
So I love David Mitchell. Have read most of his books. Find that as his narrative gets more straightforward, I wish to have a bit more whimsicality (is that a word? it is now!) folded in to the story...
That said - beautiful. clean. honest. i just wish we'd gotten a bit more of the Orito storyline once things 'resolved'?!
That said - beautiful. clean. honest. i just wish we'd gotten a bit more of the Orito storyline once things 'resolved'?!
herebehumans's review
5.0
Absolutely loved this book!! I'm sad the read is over, but I couldn't stop reading it. Love the characters, the plot, the background, the language.. 10/10!
nancyflanagan's review
5.0
OH, wow. Best book I've read in a long time. And--it took me a long time to read it. It's not hurry-up plot-driven reading (although there are several interlocking plots, all fascinating). It's the kind of reading where a couple of chapters will give you lots to chew on--amusing, layered writing, original characters, philosophical discussions, clashing cultures and the primary role of the interpreter as the key person who provides the window into meaning and action. East meets west, each thinking the other incomprehensible. And seductive.
And the epilogue--or "last words" chapter--is stunning and perfect.
I tried to think about the research Mitchell must have had to do to harvest details: Japan, trade, maritime daily life as well as battles, and history in particular times and places. My third Mitchell book--and my favorite, so far--although each has been brilliant in its own way.
And the epilogue--or "last words" chapter--is stunning and perfect.
I tried to think about the research Mitchell must have had to do to harvest details: Japan, trade, maritime daily life as well as battles, and history in particular times and places. My third Mitchell book--and my favorite, so far--although each has been brilliant in its own way.
sankeym's review
3.0
In the tradition of, and set 200 years after _Shogun_, this historical epic confines the action to the claustrophobic world of Dutch Deshima Island, where clerk Jacob de Zoet falls in unrequited love with a female Japanese doctor, tangles with a Neo-Daoist sorcerer and faces down the attempted British invasion of 1799. Notable for a distinctly non-Hollywood ending.
kmccloskey765's review
5.0
Fantastic book about the Dutch in medieval Japan. Beautiful writing that draws you into the story. The places and people are portrayed in all their gritty realism. And the storyline is so intriguing I found it hard to put the book down.
keaku's review against another edition
2.0
This was a hard read and I almost put it down several times. The beginning was slow, the middle was better and the end was ok.
chrissych's review
5.0
I really, deeply enjoyed this book, and I've spent a few days now thinking about why. It's not an exciting read-- indeed, I thought I would give up on it after the first 50 pages took me weeks to get through-- but I found it to be a surprisingly satisfying one. It took me nearly 3 months to read, but I think the slow pace helped me digest and appreciate it. It is a quiet novel, a slow burn that builds steadily with subtle layers of complexity folding in with every shift in perspective. Despite having a titular protagonist, the novel actually moves between the third-person perspectives of about 15 different focal characters and each transition adds its own universe, its own tone, its own point of view to the accumulated understanding of the plot and the actors within it.
On its surface the novel is about the bridging between two worlds; east and west, tradition and innovation, christianity and shintoism (itself conceived of as a bridge between past and present), feudalism and capitalism. These themes are explored extensively through trade and interpersonal relationships between the Japanese and the Dutch, all accommodated by translators and then further translated into English for the reader. Whereas the exploration of these overt themes was thought-provoking, I think my deeper enjoyment of the novel came from the subtext or the corollaries that fall out of the overt themes.
Others have commented that this novel has more of a traditional plot structure than any of Mitchell's other works. Although I generally agree that is structurally more traditional, I would argue that it fills that structure in a very non-traditional way. There are several protagonists and several antagonists, all colliding against one another in a loosely organized chaos. Each focal character gets his or her own climax, and what some might call the ultimate climax of the novel involves the introduction of an 11th hour antagonist and is largely anticlimactic (though not unsatisfying in the slightest). The denouement meanders across the many protagonists, jumps forward in time more than once, and leaves a myriad of loose ends hanging. It shouldn't work as well as it does, from the perspective of traditional storytelling.
Expanding on the explicit themes, what I took from the novel's subtext is this: the bridge between any two minds, any two perspectives, any two lived experiences, are as vast and difficult to navigate as the bridge between two worlds. Loosely organized chaos is the way of the natural world and thus of human experience. Characters make plans and take actions, but the plans and actions of the people around them bump against them and nobody ends up quite where they expect to. Things happen, people act, their actions affect you, and you might never know why because that bridge between your mind and theirs is ultimately impassable. Language serves to translate between two minds, but it is necessarily limited by the different meanings our individual histories have imparted upon the very same words. Everyone is connected but everyone is alone. I will be thinking about this novel for a long time to come.
On its surface the novel is about the bridging between two worlds; east and west, tradition and innovation, christianity and shintoism (itself conceived of as a bridge between past and present), feudalism and capitalism. These themes are explored extensively through trade and interpersonal relationships between the Japanese and the Dutch, all accommodated by translators and then further translated into English for the reader. Whereas the exploration of these overt themes was thought-provoking, I think my deeper enjoyment of the novel came from the subtext or the corollaries that fall out of the overt themes.
Others have commented that this novel has more of a traditional plot structure than any of Mitchell's other works. Although I generally agree that is structurally more traditional, I would argue that it fills that structure in a very non-traditional way. There are several protagonists and several antagonists, all colliding against one another in a loosely organized chaos. Each focal character gets his or her own climax, and what some might call the ultimate climax of the novel involves the introduction of an 11th hour antagonist and is largely anticlimactic (though not unsatisfying in the slightest). The denouement meanders across the many protagonists, jumps forward in time more than once, and leaves a myriad of loose ends hanging. It shouldn't work as well as it does, from the perspective of traditional storytelling.
Expanding on the explicit themes, what I took from the novel's subtext is this: the bridge between any two minds, any two perspectives, any two lived experiences, are as vast and difficult to navigate as the bridge between two worlds. Loosely organized chaos is the way of the natural world and thus of human experience. Characters make plans and take actions, but the plans and actions of the people around them bump against them and nobody ends up quite where they expect to. Things happen, people act, their actions affect you, and you might never know why because that bridge between your mind and theirs is ultimately impassable. Language serves to translate between two minds, but it is necessarily limited by the different meanings our individual histories have imparted upon the very same words. Everyone is connected but everyone is alone. I will be thinking about this novel for a long time to come.
monkeelino's review
5.0
This is the second book I've read by Mitchell and his characters seem to charm me almost from the first page. Set in Japan at the turn of the 19th century, our main character (humble Dutch accountant, Jacob de Zoet) works for the Dutch trading company and finds himself quickly ensnared in corporate corruption, diplomatic complexities, and a love affair made all but impossible by cultural dictates. Hoping to find his fortune and return home wealthy to marry his fiancée in but a year's time, Jacob finds that fate knocks him completely off course. What follows is a fascinating tale made rich by a great many well-researched social, historical, and cultural details. Mitchell manages to drop just enough of a peak around the next corner to make you want to keep chasing his narration. For a decent-sized book, it has a wonderful pace and certainly transported this reader entirely (I was reading two other very good books at the time and set both aside to concentrated almost exclusively on this one). Personally, the dialogue and the characters won me over almost instantly.
hardcoverhearts's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0