castaigne's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lbthand's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
reedrj04's review against another edition
4.0
You know, for a psychotic, fascist, right-wing Japanese nationalist, this guy writes really beautifully. Many of these stories had such a cool way of lingering on details and highlighting mundanity. Then you get to Patriotism and feel like throwing up. Really loved most of the other stories though; beautifully painted images throughout.
livingprose's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
sky_reaper's review against another edition
4.0
Mishima leaves me wondering after reading his stories. Some are a bit dull, but the words used in some stories will keep you searching for more.
mimirtells's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 Stars (%80/100)
There are 10 stories in the collection and I can safely say that I liked all of them. However, my favourite is definitely "Patriotism" which I'll be talking about soon. Other than that, I also liked "Death in Midsummer" and "The Priest of Shiga Temple and His Love." The other stories also have things that I liked but these stood out more than the others.
First of all, the stories make much more sense if you are familiar with Mishima's life as well as the Japanese history and culture. I've read Mishima before, watched a film about his life and read some stuff about him too. So, I can say that I know lots of things about this interesting man. Before moving on to "Patriotism", I'll mention other two stories first. "Death in Midsummer" is a story about grief, loss, and also hope. The story revolves around the death of a woman and two children. The parents of the children try to move on with their lives after this tragic event. The plot is very simple but the way Mishima tells it is what made me love it. Similar to it, "The Priest of Shiga Temple and His Love" is a story about love, passion, and also religion and belief. The language was beatiful and the ending was one of the best I've ever read.
"Patriotism" is about the Ni Ni Roku Incident (February 26 Incident) and the ritualistic suicide of Lieutenant Shinji Takeyama and his wife Reiko. From the beginning we know that these two young people committed suicide together. We have a photo of them and the exact date they died together with a message saying "Long Live the Imperial Forces." After that, Mishima tells their story before the suicide. We learn about the routine lives of these two as well as the events leading to the suicide. The dialogues are extremely well-written and you are drawn into their house with each page. Their passionate sex, Reiko's understanding of her husband's act, and the suicide itself were one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. It was so powerful but very sad as well. Vivid details of death makes you want to throw up but like Reiko you witness Takeyama's seppuku. I can go on and on about this story a lot. It is definitely one of the best stories I've ever read and the whole book itself is also worth reading. Simply brilliant!
There are 10 stories in the collection and I can safely say that I liked all of them. However, my favourite is definitely "Patriotism" which I'll be talking about soon. Other than that, I also liked "Death in Midsummer" and "The Priest of Shiga Temple and His Love." The other stories also have things that I liked but these stood out more than the others.
First of all, the stories make much more sense if you are familiar with Mishima's life as well as the Japanese history and culture. I've read Mishima before, watched a film about his life and read some stuff about him too. So, I can say that I know lots of things about this interesting man. Before moving on to "Patriotism", I'll mention other two stories first. "Death in Midsummer" is a story about grief, loss, and also hope. The story revolves around the death of a woman and two children. The parents of the children try to move on with their lives after this tragic event. The plot is very simple but the way Mishima tells it is what made me love it. Similar to it, "The Priest of Shiga Temple and His Love" is a story about love, passion, and also religion and belief. The language was beatiful and the ending was one of the best I've ever read.
"Patriotism" is about the Ni Ni Roku Incident (February 26 Incident) and the ritualistic suicide of Lieutenant Shinji Takeyama and his wife Reiko. From the beginning we know that these two young people committed suicide together. We have a photo of them and the exact date they died together with a message saying "Long Live the Imperial Forces." After that, Mishima tells their story before the suicide. We learn about the routine lives of these two as well as the events leading to the suicide. The dialogues are extremely well-written and you are drawn into their house with each page. Their passionate sex, Reiko's understanding of her husband's act, and the suicide itself were one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. It was so powerful but very sad as well. Vivid details of death makes you want to throw up but like Reiko you witness Takeyama's seppuku. I can go on and on about this story a lot. It is definitely one of the best stories I've ever read and the whole book itself is also worth reading. Simply brilliant!
dbstandsfor's review against another edition
3.0
Did not enjoy very much. Read stories here and there intermittently over the past several months. It's like he was very good at following to the logical conclusions of a premise, but really bad at coming up with the premise itself.
I enjoyed The Pearl though.
I enjoyed The Pearl though.
yearofbluewater's review against another edition
2.0
Some of these were good and others were bad. Also, why does he hate women so much.
riley_ng15's review against another edition
4.0
Trong những đầu truyện thì truyện đầu tiên đã đập vào mình một ấn tượng khó phai theo hướng kinh dị :)) Sau đấy thì mức độ yêu thích từng đầu truyện của mình nó cứ tụt dần đều
sawaaiiq's review against another edition
3.0
This is a collection of stories about death and intimacy, I have to ask, considering this is my first time reading anything with any form of explicitness, how people read stuff like this, or worse, without cringing or feeling gross..
Good writer but it's uncomfortable, imo.
Good writer but it's uncomfortable, imo.