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snailq's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jannekurki's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
woogafolgawomp's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
shane123's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
emanuele312's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
th3chariot33r's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
bibliolucinda's review against another edition
3.0
“Blood and flowers were alike, Isao thought, in that both were quick to dry up, quick to change their substance. And precisely because of this, then, blood and flowers could go on living by taking on the substance of glory. Glory in all its form was inevitably something metallic.”
3.5 stars - didn't enjoy this one as much as Spring Snow, but Mishima's writing is so damn beautiful
3.5 stars - didn't enjoy this one as much as Spring Snow, but Mishima's writing is so damn beautiful
cameronbradley's review against another edition
4.0
Spring Snow, the first book in the Sea of Fertility tetralogy was an absolute gem of a novel. Runaway Horses, for me, was...okay. There are two more books in the series, and although I plan on reading them, my expectations are not so high.
The story of this novel concerns a young man named Isao who is coming of age in Japan in the early 30's during the time of the Great Depression. Rice is being imported, corporate fatcats are making the big bucks, and farmers and factory workers are screwed.
Shit's bad.
Isao, a kendo prodigy, has been radicalized by a novella called The League of the Divine Wind, which has instilled in him an overwhelming desire to die a hero, i.e.: instigate an insurrection, kill the capitalists profiting from Japan's poverty, and then commit seppuku (ritual suicide).
Most Western readers (myself included) will have trouble getting into Isao's head and understanding the sense of loyalty, honor, and--shall I say---manliness associated with committing seppuku. It just doesn't compute, which is the main reason why I struggled with Isao's logic (or lack thereof).
As frustrating as Isao is as a character, at least his political extremism is interesting in a foreboding, menacing way. Far more annoying is the character Honda, who in Spring Snow was the logical and pragmatic foil to his romantic friend Kiyoaki, but in this book he has his own superstitious foibles which I can't get into without ruining the ending to Spring Snow; and unlike some other literary "series" (John Updike's Rabbit novels, for example), this book (and I suspect the books that follow) don't make much sense without reading the previous installments.
I will say this though: this book, like George Eliot's Middlemarch, is a slow burn; there are parts in the final third of the book that had me gripped. And some incredible and beautiful language is sprinkled throughout the novel as a whole. I give it 3.5 stars.
The story of this novel concerns a young man named Isao who is coming of age in Japan in the early 30's during the time of the Great Depression. Rice is being imported, corporate fatcats are making the big bucks, and farmers and factory workers are screwed.
Shit's bad.
Isao, a kendo prodigy, has been radicalized by a novella called The League of the Divine Wind, which has instilled in him an overwhelming desire to die a hero, i.e.: instigate an insurrection, kill the capitalists profiting from Japan's poverty, and then commit seppuku (ritual suicide).
Most Western readers (myself included) will have trouble getting into Isao's head and understanding the sense of loyalty, honor, and--shall I say---manliness associated with committing seppuku. It just doesn't compute, which is the main reason why I struggled with Isao's logic (or lack thereof).
As frustrating as Isao is as a character, at least his political extremism is interesting in a foreboding, menacing way. Far more annoying is the character Honda, who in Spring Snow was the logical and pragmatic foil to his romantic friend Kiyoaki, but in this book he has his own superstitious foibles which I can't get into without ruining the ending to Spring Snow; and unlike some other literary "series" (John Updike's Rabbit novels, for example), this book (and I suspect the books that follow) don't make much sense without reading the previous installments.
I will say this though: this book, like George Eliot's Middlemarch, is a slow burn; there are parts in the final third of the book that had me gripped. And some incredible and beautiful language is sprinkled throughout the novel as a whole. I give it 3.5 stars.
yesilanka's review against another edition
4.0
İlk kitabı Bahar Karları olan Bereket Denizi serisinin ikinci kitabı. Honda büyümüş, Japonya modernleşmiş, Asya’nın Mişima’nın gözündeki büyülü havası yerini batılı donukluğun aldığı bir kasvete ve bunun karşısında daha da sertleşip radikalleşen milliyetçiliğe bırakmış. Açıkçası bu kitap Bahar Karları kadar etkileyici değildi. Ama Mişima’nın tüm seri boyunca yapmak istediğini, kendi hayatının ve intiharının altında yatan sebepleri en iyi açıkladığı kitap olduğunu söyleyebilirim. Bahar Karlarının Mişiması beni etkilemişti, Kaçak Atların Mişiması beni ürküttü.
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Mişima’nın ilk kitaptaki tatlı, huzurlu dili terk ederken bilinçli olduğunu düşünüyorum. Okuyucu birinci kitaptaki dili ararken Mişima da aslında oradaki Japonya’yı arıyor. Kendi özlemini bir şekilde bize de hissettirerek neden bu radikal ideolojilerin peşinden gittiğini meşrulaştırmaya çalışıyor belki de. Dediğim gibi ürkütücüydü, rahatsız ediciydi. Yazarın kendisini baş karakterlerden ayıramadığı, ideolojik inançlarının şiddetle sanatına dahil olduğu bir eserdi. Hem üslup hem içerik açısından üzerine konuşulacak çok şey var. Ama ilk kitabı önerdiğim kadar önermiyorum Kaçak Atları. Çünkü, Bahar Karları’ndan sonraki ciltler edebi bir yolculuktan daha ziyade, Japonya tarihine dair bir yolculuk. Mişima’nın tuhaf hayat hikayesini tamamlamak isteyenler ve Japonya’nın tarihini öğrenmek isteyenlere tavsiye edebilirim. Benim için yine de severek yaptığım bir okumaydı.
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Mişima’nın ilk kitaptaki tatlı, huzurlu dili terk ederken bilinçli olduğunu düşünüyorum. Okuyucu birinci kitaptaki dili ararken Mişima da aslında oradaki Japonya’yı arıyor. Kendi özlemini bir şekilde bize de hissettirerek neden bu radikal ideolojilerin peşinden gittiğini meşrulaştırmaya çalışıyor belki de. Dediğim gibi ürkütücüydü, rahatsız ediciydi. Yazarın kendisini baş karakterlerden ayıramadığı, ideolojik inançlarının şiddetle sanatına dahil olduğu bir eserdi. Hem üslup hem içerik açısından üzerine konuşulacak çok şey var. Ama ilk kitabı önerdiğim kadar önermiyorum Kaçak Atları. Çünkü, Bahar Karları’ndan sonraki ciltler edebi bir yolculuktan daha ziyade, Japonya tarihine dair bir yolculuk. Mişima’nın tuhaf hayat hikayesini tamamlamak isteyenler ve Japonya’nın tarihini öğrenmek isteyenlere tavsiye edebilirim. Benim için yine de severek yaptığım bir okumaydı.