A review by xander79
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu

4.0

WE DID IT we conquered the beast. INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO READ (the class was much needed). But very rewarding in the end I think! Murasaki Shikibu's accomplishment here is very impressive with limited models. Sprawling narrative that was still compelling, dare I say entertaining. Each episode was rich with intricacies and fragile emotions truly it was so shocking to me how sensitive these people were like those sleeves were dewy as hell. Filled with romance to the brim from what seems like every possible angle, every possible outcome. I developed a strange attachment to some of these characters like pure entertainment value was here no matter what the haters say like some of those women... Ukifune, Murasaki, Akashi you will always be famous. I have read some long books but I have never been more impressed by the scope of a story. I 100% do not remember all of it. Extremely inaccessible without some level of knowledge of Heian culture even to begin the book so beware. Also the POETRY I am not a poetry gal in the slightest but the poems were so beautiful + so intelligent. I dock this one star because I can't lie there are full stretches where we are like okay Genji what are we doing now and why do I gaf because I'm sensing that I don't BUT I think that's OK for what this tale is. SO MANY things to think about in this book I'm not even going to try to go into it. I am going to set a ten year clock for me to reread it again – I feel like I must and it will be even better on a second read but I don't know when I'll be ready to do that again. READ IT BUT ONLY IF YOU REALLY REALLY WANT TO.