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martydah's review against another edition
2.0
Flat, pedestrian and dull. I'm sorry to say that, because the premise is so interesting. The introduction lead me to believe that this would be a swashbuckling tale. The legend of the 47 Ronin certainly has that potential - against all odds, 47 loyal retainers of the executed Lord Asano plot to avenge his death. They have to be crafty about it since the Shogun's spies are shadowing them wherever they go. Their target is the corrupt court official Kiro, who is the cause of their Lord's death and disgrace.
The book isn't all bad. The historical/cultural details are quite interesting. Sadly, that's not enough to resurrect this bland retelling. Some portions seemed tacked on, as with the affair of the commander Oishi and the geisha Agaru. There wasn't much character development either. The characters seemed a bit like automatons. I'd give this one a pass.
The book isn't all bad. The historical/cultural details are quite interesting. Sadly, that's not enough to resurrect this bland retelling. Some portions seemed tacked on, as with the affair of the commander Oishi and the geisha Agaru. There wasn't much character development either. The characters seemed a bit like automatons. I'd give this one a pass.
acid_at_711's review against another edition
3.0
“…for a man will only be as long as his life, but his name will be for all time.”
I admit. The first half of this book was not enjoyable to get through, and the writing style is tough. 47 Ronin is written in a third-person omniscient style that can feel bland at times.
But, the writing mimics the nature of the samurai— minimal; beautiful.
Ill approach this review in that manner.
The last half was heartfelt, and through action alone, we see commitment undertaken with utmost bravery. While no scenes are flashy or overly detailed, nothing needs to be. Everything is, and so shall everything be.
“If he did not know how to live, he at least meant to show that he knew how to die.”
3.5/5
I admit. The first half of this book was not enjoyable to get through, and the writing style is tough. 47 Ronin is written in a third-person omniscient style that can feel bland at times.
But, the writing mimics the nature of the samurai— minimal; beautiful.
Ill approach this review in that manner.
The last half was heartfelt, and through action alone, we see commitment undertaken with utmost bravery. While no scenes are flashy or overly detailed, nothing needs to be. Everything is, and so shall everything be.
“If he did not know how to live, he at least meant to show that he knew how to die.”
3.5/5
answertherairai's review against another edition
1.0
I really tried with this one, guys. This review is for the audiobook version, and maybe consuming this book in a different format may have served it better.
In any case, I actually listened to it three times to see if I could glean SOMETHING from it, but each time I found myself utterly surprised when the book had ended - it felt disjointed and really lacked cohesion for me. The premise seemed so promising, and looking at online summaries for the story... it seems like something that really should have held my attention for longer than it did.
I may actually try giving it a re-read later, but emphasis being on 'read', as I don't think listening to the text did it any justice.
I'm a pretty regular consumer of audiobooks and I don't think this was any fault of the narrator, just more that the text didn't suit being read out loud in my opinion.
In any case, I actually listened to it three times to see if I could glean SOMETHING from it, but each time I found myself utterly surprised when the book had ended - it felt disjointed and really lacked cohesion for me. The premise seemed so promising, and looking at online summaries for the story... it seems like something that really should have held my attention for longer than it did.
I may actually try giving it a re-read later, but emphasis being on 'read', as I don't think listening to the text did it any justice.
I'm a pretty regular consumer of audiobooks and I don't think this was any fault of the narrator, just more that the text didn't suit being read out loud in my opinion.
wallabees's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting story that wasn’t written in an always-interesting manner.
ipehalena's review against another edition
3.0
Lord Asano terpaksa melukai Kira - seorang ketua adat upacara di istana milik Shogun. Karena ucapannya yang menghina Lord Asano, alasannya jelas, Kira membenci Lord Asano karena tidak pernah menyuapnya. Sementara bagi Lord Asano, Kira bukan orang yang pantas dihormati karena dia kebetulan saja menjabat sebagai pemimpin upacara.
Setelah melukai Kira, akhirnya Lord Asano dijatuhi hukuman di hari yang sama. Hukuman mati dengan cara yang terhormat yaitu Sheppuku. Sementara Kataoka yang menunggu Lord Asano di gerbang halaman istana Shogun terkejut mendengar penjelasan Lord Date, setelah mendengar itu, dia meminta Hara untuk menyampaikan pesan pada Oishi - Kepala keamanan di kediaman milik Lord Asano.
Semua begitu cepat, kepergian Lord Asano serta hukuman yang berlaku bagi keluarganya membuat Lady Asano tidak sempat berpisah dengan anaknya. Dia harus menjalani pengasingan sementara itu Oishi masih menjaga anak Lady Asano yang masih kecil ini untuk terus bersamanya.
Seluruh samurai yang pernah bekerja untuk Lord Asano akhirnya mau tidak mau menjadi seorang Ronin, namun dendam dalam diri merekalah yang membuat mereka berkumpul sambil menyusun strategi. Sebagai ketua keamanan Oishi banyak mengambil keputusan yang bertentangan dengan Hara. Namun, kepemimpinannya tidak diragukan lagi.
Tidak disangka ternyata ada mata-mata yang terus berjaga di depan kediaman Oishi, ini membuatnya merasa tidak nyaman. Sehingga Oishi bersiap untuk menutupi jejak pertemuan mereka. Walaupun sebenarnya tidak mudah. Oishi sendiri sampai haru menceraikan istrinya, menjadi seorang ronin seperti yang lain dengan menghabiskan waktu di tempat-tempat geisha.
Ini membuat Hara, temannya yang bertugas menjaga wilayah Edo marah besar. Baginya Oishi tidak lagi bisa menjadi seorang pemimpin untuk mereka. Sementara kehidupan Oishi yang terbilang jauh dari kesan pemberontakan membuat mata-mata dari Lord Uesugi akhirnya diberhentikan karena laporan yang diterima tidak memuaskan.
Lord Kira mendengar pemberhentian aktifitas mata-mata ini akhirnya merasa ketenangannya terganggu. Dia merasa perlu waspada. Namun ternyata Chiara tidak memberinya perlindungan lain selain meminta Lord Kiara yang sudah pensiun serta tak lagi memiliki kekayaan, untuk tetap berada di kastilnya.
Dengan berhentinya mata-mata yang mengawasi Oishi, itu sebagai pertanda bahwa waktu untuk membalas dendam sudah tiba. Di saat inilah akhirnya Oishi datang pada pertemuan yang diadakan oleh Hara tanpa mengikutsertakan Oishi. Sementara sebagai pemimpin, Oishi sudah sangat paham dengan tingkah laku rekannya ini.
Di sinilah para ronin berjanji untuk membalas dendam demi majikannya, Lord Asano. Mendekati hari, ronin yang ikut serta semakin berkurang, tinggal total berjumlah 47 ronin. Hari sudah ditentukan, ketika mereka menyerang masuk ke kastil milik Lord Kira. Mereka dihadang oleh prajurit, itu membuat Kira bisa bersembunyi di tempat yang aman.
Tapi ternyata setelah pencarian sosoknya, akhirnya Hara tahu bahwa Kira bersembunyi di sebuah kamar yang sepi. Di situ ancamannya berhasil membuat Lord Kira keluar dari persembunyiannya. Pertempuran antar samurai ini terjadi antara Kira dengan Oishi. Seperti diketahui, Kira memang seorang ahli pedang, namun kehidupannya di istana dengan penuh kemanjaan membuatnya lemah.
Kisah 47 ronin ini menjadi kisah rakyat yang sering di angkat menjadi film dan drama. Bahkan ada sebuah kuil tempat senjata ronin yang digunakan untuk membunuh Kira. Seperti kehidupan ronin pada umumnya yang merupakan strata terendah dalam lapisan masyarakat di jepang saat itu. Membuat mereka harus bergantung pada uang pensiun yang mereka terima setelah pembagian harta ketika Lord Asano meninggal.
Sosok Oishi yang masih mencintai istrinya namun menceraikannya. Tapi kemudian jatuh cinta pada Okara seorang Geisha, membuat saya berpikir bahwa kehidupan cerita tidak lepas dari sosok perempuan terutama dalam kisah samurai. Sering saya temui mereka selalu ada hubungan lain dengan Geisha yang digambarkan sangat cantik ini.
Kelemahannya : Cerita saat penyerangan masuk ke kastil milik Lord Kira tidak sebaik saat menceritakan kehidupan Oishi yang sering mabuk-mabukan serta tidur bersama Geisha. Jadi inti ceritanya justru yang terlihat seakan-akan bahwa Oishi seorang ronin yang tidak mencerminkan samurai sejati.
Setelah melukai Kira, akhirnya Lord Asano dijatuhi hukuman di hari yang sama. Hukuman mati dengan cara yang terhormat yaitu Sheppuku. Sementara Kataoka yang menunggu Lord Asano di gerbang halaman istana Shogun terkejut mendengar penjelasan Lord Date, setelah mendengar itu, dia meminta Hara untuk menyampaikan pesan pada Oishi - Kepala keamanan di kediaman milik Lord Asano.
Semua begitu cepat, kepergian Lord Asano serta hukuman yang berlaku bagi keluarganya membuat Lady Asano tidak sempat berpisah dengan anaknya. Dia harus menjalani pengasingan sementara itu Oishi masih menjaga anak Lady Asano yang masih kecil ini untuk terus bersamanya.
Seluruh samurai yang pernah bekerja untuk Lord Asano akhirnya mau tidak mau menjadi seorang Ronin, namun dendam dalam diri merekalah yang membuat mereka berkumpul sambil menyusun strategi. Sebagai ketua keamanan Oishi banyak mengambil keputusan yang bertentangan dengan Hara. Namun, kepemimpinannya tidak diragukan lagi.
Tidak disangka ternyata ada mata-mata yang terus berjaga di depan kediaman Oishi, ini membuatnya merasa tidak nyaman. Sehingga Oishi bersiap untuk menutupi jejak pertemuan mereka. Walaupun sebenarnya tidak mudah. Oishi sendiri sampai haru menceraikan istrinya, menjadi seorang ronin seperti yang lain dengan menghabiskan waktu di tempat-tempat geisha.
Ini membuat Hara, temannya yang bertugas menjaga wilayah Edo marah besar. Baginya Oishi tidak lagi bisa menjadi seorang pemimpin untuk mereka. Sementara kehidupan Oishi yang terbilang jauh dari kesan pemberontakan membuat mata-mata dari Lord Uesugi akhirnya diberhentikan karena laporan yang diterima tidak memuaskan.
Lord Kira mendengar pemberhentian aktifitas mata-mata ini akhirnya merasa ketenangannya terganggu. Dia merasa perlu waspada. Namun ternyata Chiara tidak memberinya perlindungan lain selain meminta Lord Kiara yang sudah pensiun serta tak lagi memiliki kekayaan, untuk tetap berada di kastilnya.
Dengan berhentinya mata-mata yang mengawasi Oishi, itu sebagai pertanda bahwa waktu untuk membalas dendam sudah tiba. Di saat inilah akhirnya Oishi datang pada pertemuan yang diadakan oleh Hara tanpa mengikutsertakan Oishi. Sementara sebagai pemimpin, Oishi sudah sangat paham dengan tingkah laku rekannya ini.
Di sinilah para ronin berjanji untuk membalas dendam demi majikannya, Lord Asano. Mendekati hari, ronin yang ikut serta semakin berkurang, tinggal total berjumlah 47 ronin. Hari sudah ditentukan, ketika mereka menyerang masuk ke kastil milik Lord Kira. Mereka dihadang oleh prajurit, itu membuat Kira bisa bersembunyi di tempat yang aman.
Tapi ternyata setelah pencarian sosoknya, akhirnya Hara tahu bahwa Kira bersembunyi di sebuah kamar yang sepi. Di situ ancamannya berhasil membuat Lord Kira keluar dari persembunyiannya. Pertempuran antar samurai ini terjadi antara Kira dengan Oishi. Seperti diketahui, Kira memang seorang ahli pedang, namun kehidupannya di istana dengan penuh kemanjaan membuatnya lemah.
Kisah 47 ronin ini menjadi kisah rakyat yang sering di angkat menjadi film dan drama. Bahkan ada sebuah kuil tempat senjata ronin yang digunakan untuk membunuh Kira. Seperti kehidupan ronin pada umumnya yang merupakan strata terendah dalam lapisan masyarakat di jepang saat itu. Membuat mereka harus bergantung pada uang pensiun yang mereka terima setelah pembagian harta ketika Lord Asano meninggal.
Sosok Oishi yang masih mencintai istrinya namun menceraikannya. Tapi kemudian jatuh cinta pada Okara seorang Geisha, membuat saya berpikir bahwa kehidupan cerita tidak lepas dari sosok perempuan terutama dalam kisah samurai. Sering saya temui mereka selalu ada hubungan lain dengan Geisha yang digambarkan sangat cantik ini.
Kelemahannya : Cerita saat penyerangan masuk ke kastil milik Lord Kira tidak sebaik saat menceritakan kehidupan Oishi yang sering mabuk-mabukan serta tidur bersama Geisha. Jadi inti ceritanya justru yang terlihat seakan-akan bahwa Oishi seorang ronin yang tidak mencerminkan samurai sejati.
misssweetsweet's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't expect it to read like a novel, but it made it even more engrossing for me. A nice short book about a fascinating moment in Japanese history. I would have liked to have a glossary for some of the Japanese terms used in the book.
crufts's review
adventurous
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was such an odd little book. I notice some reviewers questioning whether it's an accurate novelization of what really happened (it's based on a historical event), but I'm just going to focus on the content of the book regardless of whether it's true or not.
In The 47 Ronin Story, a Japanese lord (Lord Asano) is executed. As a result, his loyal samurai warriors become ronin (masterless samurai) who believe the execution was unjust, and that it was due to Lord Asano's enemy (Lord Kira).
Led by Asano's chief retainer (the samurai Oishi), forty-seven of the ronin plot to assassinate Kira and avenge Asano's death.
I found it interesting to see how the novel depicted Japan in the early 1700s. How did ordinary people live in those days? What did they eat? What did their houses look like? What did they wear?
At the same time, the plot and motivation of the story are unintentionally ridiculous. The samurai are constantly going on about the importance of honour and self-discipline, which is their supposed justification of why Lord Asano was in the right and why they must commit murder to avenge him. This is supposed to be what sets a samurai apart from the common people: "The peasants ... you and I know they are not capable of maintaining the eternal self-discipline of a samurai."
But why was Lord Asano executed in the first place? It was because he drew his sword and slashed Kira across the shoulder, nearly killing him! What provoked this attack? Nothing more than an insulting verbal comment from Kira. Who is really the "self-disciplined" one here?
Yet the ronin still cling to the idea of Lord Asano as this wonderful guy. And they consider it "justice" that they proceed to storm Kira's castle, killing anyone who gets in their way.
It was absurd that these supposedly dignified, disciplined men were constantly ready to draw their katanas at the slightest insult. Or in the case of Oishi,divorcing his wife, quickly followed by sleeping with a famous geisha - several times . They were barbaric, with the irony that they were constantly justifying their actions as "honourable".
But to be fair, the ronin's over-the-top reaction was entertaining and without it there would be no story.
In terms of technical ability, the writing was decent. However, the climactic final duel was over way too quickly. It was literally half a page long, and there were hardly any specifics of the actual parries/thrusts/attacks of the duel! What happened to "show, don't tell"?!
Overall, not a book to be taken too seriously.
In The 47 Ronin Story, a Japanese lord (Lord Asano) is executed. As a result, his loyal samurai warriors become ronin (masterless samurai) who believe the execution was unjust, and that it was due to Lord Asano's enemy (Lord Kira).
Led by Asano's chief retainer (the samurai Oishi), forty-seven of the ronin plot to assassinate Kira and avenge Asano's death.
I found it interesting to see how the novel depicted Japan in the early 1700s. How did ordinary people live in those days? What did they eat? What did their houses look like? What did they wear?
At the same time, the plot and motivation of the story are unintentionally ridiculous. The samurai are constantly going on about the importance of honour and self-discipline, which is their supposed justification of why Lord Asano was in the right and why they must commit murder to avenge him. This is supposed to be what sets a samurai apart from the common people: "The peasants ... you and I know they are not capable of maintaining the eternal self-discipline of a samurai."
But why was Lord Asano executed in the first place? It was because he drew his sword and slashed Kira across the shoulder, nearly killing him! What provoked this attack? Nothing more than an insulting verbal comment from Kira. Who is really the "self-disciplined" one here?
Yet the ronin still cling to the idea of Lord Asano as this wonderful guy. And they consider it "justice" that they proceed to storm Kira's castle, killing anyone who gets in their way.
It was absurd that these supposedly dignified, disciplined men were constantly ready to draw their katanas at the slightest insult. Or in the case of Oishi,
But to be fair, the ronin's over-the-top reaction was entertaining and without it there would be no story.
In terms of technical ability, the writing was decent. However, the climactic final duel was over way too quickly. It was literally half a page long, and there were hardly any specifics of the actual parries/thrusts/attacks of the duel! What happened to "show, don't tell"?!
Overall, not a book to be taken too seriously.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Suicide and Sexual content
Minor: Animal death
Violence: Throughout the book.Suicide: In the form of seppuku. Due to cultural norms in the setting, the seppuku'ing characters often face their deaths with an odd pride and stoicism.
Animal death: A street dog is killed, not described in detail.
Sexual content: One of the ronin becomes involved with a famous geisha.
alexa_ayana's review against another edition
3.0
- kagum dengan kesetiaan para samurai Lord Asano
- Oishi agak complicated, dia menceraikan istrinya tapi menjalain hubungan dengan geisha
- 3/4 buku diisi dengan penyamaran mrk saat menunggu keputusan tanggal pembalasan
- alur lambat dan sangat detail
- Oishi agak complicated, dia menceraikan istrinya tapi menjalain hubungan dengan geisha
- 3/4 buku diisi dengan penyamaran mrk saat menunggu keputusan tanggal pembalasan
- alur lambat dan sangat detail