Reviews

Le domestiche by Gianluca Coci, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki

battykat08's review against another edition

2.0

Hell for someone with ADHD! Such a short book, but after numerous stops and starts I was finally defeated at page 110.

I had a beautifully written (maybe), thoughtful review all ready to go but it was devoured by browser-error demons...

TO SUM UP: Lovely writing, very real and diverse characters, completely disjointed storyline that made it impossible for me to stay engaged. I've never been so sad to not finish a book. I really, really tried!

foggy_rosamund's review against another edition

3.0

This is a pretty strange entry point into Tanizaki, as it's his final book and was published posthumously, and is a companion piece to a much more famous novel, The Makioka Sisters. I enjoyed it, despite feeling a bit adrift at times. Nothing at all happens in this book: it's an account of the maids who work in the house of a famous novelist over a twenty year period, beginning in the 1930s. During this time, much changes in Japan, and the social changes are reflected in the lives of the maids and their relationships with their employers. There is a sense of intimacy within the relationships: while the maids are in a servile position, their employers help them in periods of sickness, during courtships, and sometimes even stand in for them as parents. They come to know each other well: likes and dislikes, interests, weaknesses, even handwriting and reading habits. There is a feeling of earthiness to the relationships and a sense that the author views everyone as human and fallible, even if the employers see themselves as being in an elevated position. This makes engaging, even charming, reading, though naturally some of the opinions, gossip and scandals feel dated now. I will look for more by Tanizaki.

eviecook0708's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced

3.25

Some parts of this were really good, and some were kind of difficult to read (not difficult to get through, just sort of cringeworthy in a sexist, classist sense). There was a strong feeling throughout of a bond among the women in the story that I found really sweet, though. Nobody was perfect and there was definitely conflict, but it was nice to read the parts about them looking out for each other. Overall mixed feelings, but I wasn't necessarily disappointed.

zanoubia's review against another edition

5.0

A fun lighthearted novel about the daily lives of numerous maids that a household employed during, and, after WW2 Japan. There isn't any plot to this book or anything specific going on, just simply an old man reminiscing about the past. What is truly spectacular is Tanizaki's writing style, the way he tells the various stories and the goings-on of the maids is very sophisticated and intricate. I highly recommend this book, especially to those interested in Japanese history.

ratbaggy's review against another edition

4.0

Tanizaki's last novel (early 60's). This is about the "downstairs"...previous works had explored the "upstairs". A fascinating look at Japanese culture of the 40's and 50's. Totally foreign to me. Interesting how the moderately wealthy could afford so many maids.

lijon's review against another edition

3.0

This was an interesting portrayal of the lives of maids in an upper-class Japanese family in the 1940s and 50s. For me, the main problem was the lack of any kind of annotation--I found many passages difficult to understand due to a lack of cultural knowledge.