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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
aimena's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Complicated
5.0
kaitlyn_emma's review
4.0
The Waiting Years is a beautifully intricate depiction of the lives of women in Meiji-era Japan. Over the course of 40 years, Fumiko Enchi follows one family and is able to deeply explore the complex and painful emotions experienced by countless women. The girls in the story were almost all forced into adulthood prematurely. Trapped by circumstances beyond their control, defined solely by their sexuality and dependent on the whims of men. The male figures in their lives are not so much competent as they are powerful, with a lack of respect for women matched only by their ceaseless appetites for them.
As these women grow older, age strips them of their 'worth,' and they must fight in their own ways to survive in a world that has taught them nothing but objectification. They endure, resigned to the knowledge that they have little choice but to accept the roles that have been forced upon them.
All they can do is persevere; all they can do is wait. For change? For freedom? For death?
As these women grow older, age strips them of their 'worth,' and they must fight in their own ways to survive in a world that has taught them nothing but objectification. They endure, resigned to the knowledge that they have little choice but to accept the roles that have been forced upon them.
All they can do is persevere; all they can do is wait. For change? For freedom? For death?
lizaliza5's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
a 40-year account of the drama within a wealthy family in Meiji-era Japan sounds super boring to someone like me but it was actually riveting and i read the vast majority of this in 2 days. the emotions i feel thinking of all the women who lived their entire lives in service to men and who never got to have dreams of their own!! you cant even blame them really for the unsavory parts of their personalities and how they turn on each other. the narration tastefully incorporates the inner feelings of every character and by the end you really understand what is meant by "the waiting years." For centuries, women haven't lived lives of their own. they follow the rules and essentially wait for a sense of fulfillment in life that may never come. There is a LOT to say about this book, so i understand how people have written dissertations about it.
italianjob101's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
ekiera's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
chairmanbernanke's review
4.0
An incredible book on human relationships and the passing of our years.
korrick's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5
"Jailbait", "got herself pregnant", "frigid", some of these used, some of these implied, and some of these a modern inheritance, all transmuting penises into a sensory organ of paramount sociocultural weight. It amazes me, how people take these for granted with one hand while shunning the form of pedophilia with the other. It's as if the molding of the young and susceptible into creatures of receptive, docile, idealistic flexibility can only be denigrated under certain names, certain crimes, certain temperaments. The problem is that, under the right circumstances of keeping them proud, ignorant, and sexually chained, the young will rise to the challenge. They will grow in as desecrated a soil as provided and inflict their nightmares beyond the reach of any physical succor. For those unfamiliar with [b:The Tale of Genji|7042|The Tale of Genji|Murasaki Shikibu|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401241319s/7042.jpg|2212225], here's another way of putting it: when one is young and coupled to an older partner and the only thing with more appeal than fucking said partner is beating the living shit out of them, things get complicated. Add in a dash of first priority self-control, a tad of socially encouraged gynephobia, a hint of the mythos of a vengeful afterlife, and you're good to go.
She felt like laughing at Michimasa and the other husband, Iwamoto–laughing with the utterly cold and beautiful laugh of the harpy who rips open the bellies of pregnant women...It is peculiar, how one is expected to react to the codifications of lust. The age of consent in the US may no longer be seven, as it was around the time Tomo was growing through her prime, but the tenterhooks upon which the sexual impulses of young females are put are still a marvel to behold. Of course, Japan is a very different place with its geishas and its samurai and its concubines, but I have no interest in mystifying myself with conjectures of a world I've never known. Those who've grown to expect a further fetish along the lines of [b:Memoirs of a Geisha|930|Memoirs of a Geisha|Arthur Golden|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388367666s/930.jpg|1558965] would be much better off breaking themselves on Enchi and her lot. My piddling thoughts are no match for her insight of knives.
"Jailbait", "got herself pregnant", "frigid", some of these used, some of these implied, and some of these a modern inheritance, all transmuting penises into a sensory organ of paramount sociocultural weight. It amazes me, how people take these for granted with one hand while shunning the form of pedophilia with the other. It's as if the molding of the young and susceptible into creatures of receptive, docile, idealistic flexibility can only be denigrated under certain names, certain crimes, certain temperaments. The problem is that, under the right circumstances of keeping them proud, ignorant, and sexually chained, the young will rise to the challenge. They will grow in as desecrated a soil as provided and inflict their nightmares beyond the reach of any physical succor. For those unfamiliar with [b:The Tale of Genji|7042|The Tale of Genji|Murasaki Shikibu|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401241319s/7042.jpg|2212225], here's another way of putting it: when one is young and coupled to an older partner and the only thing with more appeal than fucking said partner is beating the living shit out of them, things get complicated. Add in a dash of first priority self-control, a tad of socially encouraged gynephobia, a hint of the mythos of a vengeful afterlife, and you're good to go.
...boundless pity as for a charming animal that was about to be led to the slaughter, and fixed hatred at the thought that eventually this innocent girl might turn into a devil...The first word that comes to mind when I think of this book is "sexy" cause, really, this book has a lot going for it with all the appealing descriptions of youth and lust and absolute power. Just goes to show how much of the male gaze I've yet to burn.
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
eli_entrebrumas's review against another edition
4.0
Más allá de Occidente también existen el heteropatriarcado y la buena narrativa femenina.
nfleow's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0