Reviews

First Snow on Fuji by Yasunari Kawabata

8797999's review

4.0

A very enjoyable collection of stories. I took my time reading this, a very hard to find book here in the UK so I had to source it from the USA.

Although I prefer the Palm of The Hand Stories collection of short stories, I liked how these ones were in general more meaty, in that I mean they were longer and I could dip in and out better. Didn’t feel like a race to read a page long story.

On the whole I enjoyed the book, the only bit I didn’t enjoy because it is not cup of tea was the final script The Boat Women, I didn’t really absorb that one.

On the whole a good read, I have rated it 4 but would actually rated 3.5/5. Nothing superb or outstanding but nice to have read it for the sake of completeness.

Individual ratings for the stories

This Country, That Country: 3
A Row of Trees: 3
Nature: 4
Chrysanthemum in The Rock: 3
First Snow On Fuji: 4.5
Slence: 3
Her Husband Didn’t: 3
Yumiura: 3
The Boat Women: 2

rsawhn's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

muskie's review

reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

misty_h's review against another edition

3.5

Seconda esperienza con Kawabata, che non mi ha del tutto convinto. Ha però confermato l'opinione che avevo di questo autore. La scrittura di Kawabata scorre lenta e accompagna il lettore con dolcezza, focalizzandosi in maniera particolare su quelli che sono i sentimenti e, soprattutto, le sensazioni.
Questi racconti non parlano di vite straordinarie e le vicende si sviluppano in archi temporali estremamente brevi. Una settimana, una giornata o il tempo di una conversazione. È estremamente interessante il modo in cui Kawabata tratteggia la normalità. Vite che si consumano in una monotonia soffocante, da cui i personaggi riescono a fuggire in piccoli momenti di sentimento. C'è chi si rende conto che gli alberi sono in fiore, chi si accorge del crisantemo nella roccia e chi vede la prima neve sul Fuji. Dettagli a cui non si fa caso, presi dalla frenesia giornaliera, ma che risultano essere sconvolgenti nel momento in cui si riesce a rendersene conto.
I protagonisti sono spesso scrittori, alle prese con le proprie memorie e la nostalgia della gioventù, o donne oppresse dall'impossibilità di esternare i propri sentimenti, che fuggono da matrimoni soffocanti tradendo i propri mariti. In realtà, è difficile definire una linea unitaria all'interno della raccolta, in quanto le tematiche sono veramente varie. È ricorrente il tema della morte, spesso incarnato da figure spettrali e da fantasmi, e della memoria. Amanti che si conoscevano e che si sono amati, si rincontrano dopo tanti anni e si pentono di non aver consumato il proprio amore. Anche il pentimento è continuamente presente. Uomini e donne che sembrano riprendere la loro vita in mano, ormai in tarda età, o che almeno hanno l'illusione di averlo fatto.
I racconti di Kawabata vengono definiti limpidi, in realtà non li trovo così chiari come sembrano. Il modo in cui essi vengono presentati è estremamente semplicistico, eppure pare che ci siano diversi dettagli che non si incastrano con la storia. Bisogna riflettere, scavare, non sono racconti che arrivano subito al lettore, ma che sicuramente stupiscono per la particolarità con cui è narrata la vita di tutti i giorni. Ed è proprio in queste vite apparentemente monotone che si concentrano sentimenti, riflessioni e ricordi, e l'unicità di ogni personaggio, che sembra vivere dei piccoli drammi interiori.

briancrandall's review

5.0

A row of giant ginkgo trees lined one side of the path that climbed the hill. Halfway up a narrow stone stairway led off to one side, down past a row of houses. The Soeda family's was the third in the row.

Soeda returned home from work at dusk on November thirtieth, and seeing the faces of his wife and daughter in the entryway, immediately asked them, "Have you noticed that half the ginkgo trees are bare?"

By "ginkgo trees" it was clear that he meant the row of trees on the path, but of course the words he had used conveyed little else, so he continued.

"I noticed on my way to work this morning, and let me tell you it gave me a shock. The ginkgos from the foot of the path all the way up to the area around our house are completely bare. But the trees from the middle up are still full of leaves."

"Really? I hadn't even noticed," said his daughter.

His wife's eyes said, "Is that so?" [52–3]

ihfdayton's review

emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad 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

When short story collections are released (in this case translated) posthumously, they can tend to feel cynical or exploitative. Thankfully, this is not the case here. Michael Emmerich has done wonders with Kawabata's prose (itself exceptional, of course). Many of the pieces in this collection were written after Kawabata's most famous novels and they showcase one of the world's best authors at his most experienced, most refined, and most skillful. Stories such as "Nature", "First Snow On Fuji", and "This Country, That Country" stand as some of his finest work.

sakawara's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

levi_masuli's review

3.0

I was initially bored by this one. It was nothing special. However after finishing the book in its entirety, Kawabata's prose shook a subtle quake of awesomeness that is very direct yet droning. Very japanese.

megannewsome's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

100reads's review

emotional informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Beautiful stories. My favourites were; silence, Yumiura and Raindrops. The writing is out of this world.