Reviews

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima

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magmaa's review against another edition

5.0

10/10

disturbing, thought-provoking, dark, symbolic, haunting, poetic

Many words to describe this book and many symbols to be found within. Glory, man's dream, westernization of Japan and more are beautifully compressed into a short masterpiece by Mishima.

juicebox's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

A powerful book tackling glory, idealism, masculinity, youthful expectations vs adult reality, family roles and vulnerability/honesty.

Mishima's personal life is thoroughly entwined in the narrative, especially the tension between the influence of the West and traditional Japan.

I felt it required some time and side reading to digest and fully appreciate the novel. The beauty of the prose was overtly apparent, but the messages contained within require some deeper consideration.

The ambiguous ending is perfect and testament to the balance between elegance and brutality that runs through the work.

I read this at 20ish and now again at 30. And I can see myself in Ryuji. At 20 I admit to some feelings of wanting to attain glory, of feeling special in some way, like it was inevitable that I would achieve something. Now at 30, I see the joys in life are not contained in some heroic pursuit, but rather in love, connection and maturity.

stephenblockhead's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

Before reading any Mishima 'I wonder what this guy's deal was. why he do that?'

After reading this 'okay. I get it. relationship to yourself and your loved ones and your nation are all just different instances of death. damn bro'

erinbannister's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

mateuszbro's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

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

3.75

strrygo's review against another edition

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4.5

writing was so dreamy didn't expect Weightlessness coming out of a thing so miserable, so many strings of words that felt so sharp (the lines abt rage and despondency..unreal)stands apart from all the other mishima i've read but still feels like a natural progression :o blurry picture of a book, squinting at the sun, loved
book cover in the hall of fame of my heart!!

Content Warnings