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georgiereads2's review
challenging
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jmramz's review against another edition
5.0
I would really like to read the remastered translation of this because I think some of the poetry of the original Japanese might be much better. At least compare passages.
addenoir's review
3.0
At the time this no doubt inadvertently served as Imperial propaganda, throughout the musings Western art forms are patronisingly dismissed the instant they are invoked. There is a battle in the nameless narrator's head as he tries to shake off a few years of Western education he despondently partook of in London.
The short, humble journey this novel recounts show him reverting back to an Eastern psychology allthewhile learning that it is seemingly incompatible with most Western thought. Soseki seems to admire the Romantic poets most from the Western canon, but always finds a Chinese or Japanese writer much more to his taste.
The translation is impressive and captures the character of the narrator successfully, although this character quickly becomes exhausting. I enjoyed the writer's self-correcting written style, and the honesty that supports it, but sometimes it feels as though he is trying to convince himself of the 'experiencing pure art through nonemotion' rather than the reader.
pas_a_pages's review against another edition
5.0
De toute beauté, grâce et poésie. On a envie de se souvenir de tout. Un livre de chevet, qui peut être relu à la manière du peintre, pages ouvertes au hasard.
christymaurer's review
4.0
Meditative, contemplative. A simple time with a focus on beauty and nature.
sagrac's review
2.0
This book is more about the vibe as there is almost no plot. The descriptions of the scenery were beautiful and I really enjoyed reading those parts of the book. However, as the book continued, my disdain for the main character grew. There are multiple times where he looks down on other people for acting all high-and-mighty, even though he is the same if not worse than the people he talks about. He has a giant ego and believes he's the epitome of what it means to be an artist. It almost seems like he sees Nami, the love interest, as an edo period manic pixie dream girl. He thinks she's interesting, but he doesn't have any empathy for her. The nameless main character is the main reason I gave this a two stars. By the end of the book I just wanted to hurry up and finish it because he was annoying and it was so slow. Despite all of that, I still enjoyed the book to a certain extent. I would still recommend it, as I'm sure some people would really love this book.
Spoiler
She cries as her ex-husband leaves on a train at the end of the book using money which she gave him, and the main character makes it all about him and remarks how the face she's making is perfect for his painting.bonkoloid's review
4.0
the feeling is the message
a stark refusal of western realism with the newly found self-awareness that this state of beauty and artfulness is temporary as a result of impending progress and Meiji modernization. this short novel urges to savor the time one has left in the beauty of the world. even if one does not paint or write or make music, one is still an artist
a stark refusal of western realism with the newly found self-awareness that this state of beauty and artfulness is temporary as a result of impending progress and Meiji modernization. this short novel urges to savor the time one has left in the beauty of the world. even if one does not paint or write or make music, one is still an artist
theasdertt's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0