mo7189's review against another edition
Epic historical fiction doesn't seem to be my jam.
kibadreams's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this! After spending so long reading it, fraction by fraction each day, its hard to condense a saga as epic as this down into a simple review. It feels weird that there's no more of it.
The work has a strange feeling of claustrophobia in the background. You get the sense through the dialogue just how trapped and powerless Blackthrone is at all times, and this culminates at the end when his 'fate' is finally determined. It's definitely a weird feeling, knowing his fate after all this time.
There was a character whose death REALLY surprised me, and I was so shocked when this character didn't make it out of the situation alive - it really, really, hit me that I would have to finish the rest of the book without them and it left me with a kind of weird discomfort. I'n sure if someone else has read this they know exactly who i mean.
And the sheer amount of 'casual' death set the tone for the novel, and what Clavell's impression of Japanese life at the time was. Reading this as a British person who moved to Japan myself, the book resonated with me in a strange way I couldn't understand. I felt close to Blackthorne, felt his conflicts, his language struggles, the things he missed and the things he just couldn't make sense of no matter how hard he tried.
It would also interest me to know Clavell's religion, considering the amount of debate over christianity denominations, buddhism and shintoism etc that can be found in this book, and also which country he truly believes has the 'better' ways. The way the book highlighted both the good and bad sides of each country, and watching Blackthorne go through a familiar rose-tinted glasses period with the country where everything seemed so much better compared to 'back home' felt so realistic to me; I loved his character development, watching him unconciously adjusting and becoming 'more Japanese'. And I was so interested to see how he felt like an outsider in his own people after a time. It really makes me ponder over his future - does Toranaga succeed in what he promises? It doesn't say that, and I love how it ends. Not shrouded in mystery, but potential. Wow! a fantastic long read.
The work has a strange feeling of claustrophobia in the background. You get the sense through the dialogue just how trapped and powerless Blackthrone is at all times, and this culminates at the end when his 'fate' is finally determined. It's definitely a weird feeling, knowing his fate after all this time.
There was a character whose death REALLY surprised me, and I was so shocked when this character didn't make it out of the situation alive - it really, really, hit me that I would have to finish the rest of the book without them and it left me with a kind of weird discomfort. I'n sure if someone else has read this they know exactly who i mean.
And the sheer amount of 'casual' death set the tone for the novel, and what Clavell's impression of Japanese life at the time was. Reading this as a British person who moved to Japan myself, the book resonated with me in a strange way I couldn't understand. I felt close to Blackthorne, felt his conflicts, his language struggles, the things he missed and the things he just couldn't make sense of no matter how hard he tried.
It would also interest me to know Clavell's religion, considering the amount of debate over christianity denominations, buddhism and shintoism etc that can be found in this book, and also which country he truly believes has the 'better' ways. The way the book highlighted both the good and bad sides of each country, and watching Blackthorne go through a familiar rose-tinted glasses period with the country where everything seemed so much better compared to 'back home' felt so realistic to me; I loved his character development, watching him unconciously adjusting and becoming 'more Japanese'. And I was so interested to see how he felt like an outsider in his own people after a time. It really makes me ponder over his future - does Toranaga succeed in what he promises? It doesn't say that, and I love how it ends. Not shrouded in mystery, but potential. Wow! a fantastic long read.
isabellarobinson7's review against another edition
Rating: ?? stars
I am having trouble figuring out how to write this review (I've already written one that is basically half a dissertation and another that is me freaking out about all the weird sex stuff) so I think I am just going to write about what Shōgun is and isn't.
One thing that Shōgun is not, is a war epic. You can make up your own opinion if you do decide to read it, but for me, Shōgun doesn't have much blood and gore at all. In fact the majority of this novel is devoted to romance. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of samurai in this book, but not the kind you're thinking off. For instance, there is an old lady in this book. Super weak and fragile. She is samurai. Not a retired one. Just samurai. Because contrary to popular belief, samurai were just aristocratic nobles. They had weapons, yes, but their swords were more ceremonial than anything (mostly for gutting themselves, but I'll touch on that later). They did fight, but that was far from their primary purpose.
But what Shōgun is, is a cultural examination. Though I try not to, I tend to be quite a stickler for accuracy, be it adaptational or historical, but Clavell well and truly did is research, and it payed off tremendously. Emersion breaks can be a real irritation for me, but everything in this book felt so incredibly genuine that I almost never doubted Clavell's Japan was our Japan.
But I also hate contradictions, and 17th century supposedly "Christian" Japan seemed to be absolutely full of them! Though I said there was little violence in this book, almost all the deaths occurred through suicide. I kid you not, someone would make a small mistake, like touching something that was meant to be left alone, and afterwards they sit down on the spot and slit their stomachs! Then they lie there with their entrails in their lap until they die! Huh? Huh?! (Maybe this is just cultural differences, though.) Oh and don't get me started of all the sexy stuff. I don't even want to go into it. There's even a whole chunk of a chapter dedicated to discussing Japanese ways of pleasure, which, safe to say, I skipped. So they can kill anyone they choose (including themselves) at the drop of a hat; sleep with whoever they want, regardless of their gender and not worried about the age gap, thus have children with whomever they wish; and pray to Buddha while they're at it! But don't worry, they're still Christian! From everything I know, that's against quite a few of the Ten Commandments!
And then there is the romance. Or more specifically, the romanticised cheating. And this is not the cultural things Japanese had, this applies to an Englishman who is married with a child. Here's the bottom line: if you have made commitments to someone else; if someone else trusts you; if you are married, or in any romantic relationship of any kind, no matter how serious; and regardless whether they have explicitly told you "don't sleep with someone else" or not,
I am having trouble figuring out how to write this review (I've already written one that is basically half a dissertation and another that is me freaking out about all the weird sex stuff) so I think I am just going to write about what Shōgun is and isn't.
One thing that Shōgun is not, is a war epic. You can make up your own opinion if you do decide to read it, but for me, Shōgun doesn't have much blood and gore at all. In fact the majority of this novel is devoted to romance. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of samurai in this book, but not the kind you're thinking off. For instance, there is an old lady in this book. Super weak and fragile. She is samurai. Not a retired one. Just samurai. Because contrary to popular belief, samurai were just aristocratic nobles. They had weapons, yes, but their swords were more ceremonial than anything (mostly for gutting themselves, but I'll touch on that later). They did fight, but that was far from their primary purpose.
But what Shōgun is, is a cultural examination. Though I try not to, I tend to be quite a stickler for accuracy, be it adaptational or historical, but Clavell well and truly did is research, and it payed off tremendously. Emersion breaks can be a real irritation for me, but everything in this book felt so incredibly genuine that I almost never doubted Clavell's Japan was our Japan.
But I also hate contradictions, and 17th century supposedly "Christian" Japan seemed to be absolutely full of them! Though I said there was little violence in this book, almost all the deaths occurred through suicide. I kid you not, someone would make a small mistake, like touching something that was meant to be left alone, and afterwards they sit down on the spot and slit their stomachs! Then they lie there with their entrails in their lap until they die! Huh? Huh?! (Maybe this is just cultural differences, though.) Oh and don't get me started of all the sexy stuff. I don't even want to go into it. There's even a whole chunk of a chapter dedicated to discussing Japanese ways of pleasure, which, safe to say, I skipped. So they can kill anyone they choose (including themselves) at the drop of a hat; sleep with whoever they want, regardless of their gender and not worried about the age gap, thus have children with whomever they wish; and pray to Buddha while they're at it! But don't worry, they're still Christian! From everything I know, that's against quite a few of the Ten Commandments!
And then there is the romance. Or more specifically, the romanticised cheating. And this is not the cultural things Japanese had, this applies to an Englishman who is married with a child. Here's the bottom line: if you have made commitments to someone else; if someone else trusts you; if you are married, or in any romantic relationship of any kind, no matter how serious; and regardless whether they have explicitly told you "don't sleep with someone else" or not,
miniando's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
festiveoatmeal's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.0
strajk's review against another edition
3.0
The storyline was too epic and vast for me, got lost often.
Mostly enjoyed the description of everyday life, society, and traditions.
During reading, I had to pause and study the history of shipbuilding, battle tactics, japan architecture, history of Christianity, medicine, …
Mostly enjoyed the description of everyday life, society, and traditions.
During reading, I had to pause and study the history of shipbuilding, battle tactics, japan architecture, history of Christianity, medicine, …
jdmilleresq's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0