Reviews

Sanshiro by Natsume Sōseki

tseren's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

100reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Enjoyed listening to the audio very much. The narrator (Andrew Koji) did an amazing job. Will definitely reread. Lots of looking up at the sky, the moon, the clouds. 

8797999's review against another edition

4.0

A very beautiful and enjoyable coming of age book, very interesting in it's themes of a new world and engaging in the feelings of love but not acting on it due to social conventions.

I found this one easier going than Kokoro and a little bit more enjoyable with a broader supporting cast of characters.

Hope to read Botchan or I am a Cat next.

mariusl's review against another edition

5.0

"Women are terrifying," said Yojirō.
"I know," said Sanshirō.

umbrellatrees's review against another edition

3.0

So you're telling me Natsume-sensei gave us a bildungsroman with an eager but spineless protagonist that starts university, feels like a constant outsider, meets a group of cool people, discovers academic life is not as romantic nor as interesting as he expected, obsesses over the aforementioned group's internal dynamics and gets involved in petty antics caused by his new 'friends'; all while the author makes tons of references to Japanese literature, art, and the terribly pretentious status quo surrounding university life...

... and nobody calls "Sanshirou" a dark academia book? Please.

jack1325wd's review against another edition

funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

calmar46's review against another edition

informative lighthearted reflective

3.75

causticsnow's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

5.0

i’ve never related this much with a character as with sanshiro. so therefore my small dislikes abt the choices that are made are possibly also things i dislike within myself i realise. this is probably one of my fav things i read, if not my fav. the writing was stunning and this whole novel indeed felt like clouds passing by and letting them. this novel left me thinking, it doesn’t reveal everything. doesn’t question everything or has all the answers. it allows things to exist and pass by, which i adore a lot. ofc there were a few questionable remarks, but if you see the time it was written in and the male-centered view you can expect it. but its like not bad, it didn’t bother me much. 

yeah i love this novel, would recommend this to anyone.

motifenjoyer's review against another edition

reflective

4.0

"The world was in an uproar; he watched it, but he could not join it. His own world and the real world were aligned on a single plane, but nowhere did they touch."

charlottekook's review against another edition

3.0

a really intriguing work which had an excellent lack of cliches - on reading the premise that it followed a country boy coming to study in tokyo i thought it might be a typical story but it really wasn't. very unique, fleshed out characters whose actions were idiosyncratic but not predictable. i'm trying to read more works in translation/international literature this year and i'm glad i chose this. it definitely feels like a classic and, although i didn't absolutely love it, i thought it was an extremely accomplished work and i'm glad i found it.

there are some arresting lines in this, the section where mineko is having her portrait painted is particularly excellent. it feels very subtle at times and i'm sure there are more recurring images than i picked up on, though i did like the parallel of mineko and the woman from the train at the beginning and the "stray sheep" metaphor.