The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (2010)

A page-turner (so to speak, as I listened to it on audio) a much more pleasant read than other David Mitchell novels which I personally have found extremely annoying in their precious conceits. This is a much more regular narrative, and fun, though implausible in parts. Here's an excerpt from the Guardian, which I agree with:
"The main problem seems to be that Mitchell hasn't decided if he's writing a straight historical novel, a grandly themed fable or a cheerfully trashy romp. Or rather that he's decided to write all three, but without a structure robust and flexible enough to keep the different elements in balance. The basic premise – a colonial-type cultural encounter in one of the few non-European countries that fended off the colonial powers – is a good one. But much of the thematic-looking stuff, such as the repeated images of seclusion and enclosure, turns out to be little more than structural gaffer tape, and more substantive matters are handled simplistically. The European Enlightenment, for example, is served up in two flavours: good, associated with botany and sound midwifery practices, and bad, associated with predatory lending and guns. With one or two exceptions, the characters fall into goodies and baddies as well, and their doings – including the central love story – don't often rise above the needs of the plot.

All the same, it's hard not to warm to the fluency and copiousness of Mitchell's yarn-spinning. Even – or especially – at his silliest, he keeps the pages turning, effortlessly throwing out each character's back story, setting up cliffhangers and moments of pathos, and, when it's necessary, summoning Abbot Enomoto to kill butterflies by telepathy. Mitchell has been under pressure for a while now to write something tastefully understated, even middle-of-the-road. Sensibly, and perhaps to his credit, he hasn't tried too hard to do so here." ( )

I liked it because it is different than most of what I read, it did not follow an expected trajectory (every time I thought I'd figured it out it took a different turn), there were many good descriptions, and there's a scene near the end that's described in rhyme (though no clear rhythm to said section). It's history I was totally ignorant of, but connects well enough to other books I've read that allowed me to see familiarity. Oh, and many of the characters are Dutch. Not a love story, mystery, or historical retelling, but had a bit of all of the above. ( )

An absorbing historical novel.

Most of the action takes place in Dejima, off the coast of Nagasaki, Japan, in 1799-1800, and culminates in an actual historical event. Dejima was an artificial island built as a center of Japanese/Dutch trade, and was constructed for the reason that foreigners were not permitted to live on Japanese soil. Creating a canal between the mainland and a peninsula solved this problem to the satisfaction of the Japanese.

The title character is a young clerk for the Dutch East India Company looking to make his fortune, at least to an extent that would enable his marriage to his sweetheart back home. Complicating this are his innate honesty and his immediate attraction to a young Japanese midwife.

The storyline takes a somewhat fantastic turn that involves a cult claiming the ability to bestow immortality through horrific means. The actual historical event I mentioned actually took place in 1808, but was moved by Mitchell, presumably for dramatic reasons, to 1800.

The book is well plotted, but doesn't take you on the path you expect, and there are numerous well-drawn characters, many of an earthy and bawdy nature. I particularly liked the crusty and unconventional Dr. Marinus. There's just the right mix here of adventure, terror, humor, and yes, fun. Yet there's enough ambiguity to satisfy the literary-minded who want some questions to chew on when the book is finished.

In the final analysis: a cracking good read! ( )

I decided to check this novel out after hearing Joe Hill rave on and on about how great it was. So great, I believe he read it straight through twice. And it lived up to the hype.
A profoundly moving historical fiction; I didn't really even realize just how emotionally involved I had become in the characters and their lives until close to 3/4 through the story. I thought I was merely being entertained. But that's what great stories can do, right? Bring you inside so subtly you never catch on until something happens and - BANG! - you're lying on your kitchen tile, weeping over a character's death, or loss, or misfortune, or triumph.
That's what this novel is: The most disarming of faces (Don't mind us, just go about your business, we won't be long, just gonna open up your heart here) hiding an incredibly powerful tale that will get hold of you (just putting in some new wiring) and change you forever (and there you go, some new emotions!).

I was already a fan, but David Mitchell's newest feels like a major step forward. It combines some of the complexities and esoteric-ism of his earlier work (Cloud Atlas) with the sure-handed narrative of his more recent (Black Swan Green) and wraps it all in an impressively researched work of historical fiction.

The story follows an ambitious young clerk entering the strange world of a Dutch East India trading post just outside of Nagasaki in 1799. It's an odd no-man's-land that seems like the edge of the world and Jacob has been tasked with ferreting-out the perpetrators of institutional corruption. As such, he doesn't make many friends among the hands (a rogues gallery), officers, interpreters, and warlords that frequent the docks and warehouses.

Meanwhile, he tries to acclimate himself to the culture shock of his new environs, the rough edges of his new colleagues, and the forbidden attraction he feels for a disfigured midwife.

Mitchell does a great job of exploring the nooks and crannies of human character and behavior during love, war, and commerce. Within its gritty realism it evokes the best bits of David Liss, Lisa See and even a little Patrick O'Brian. A great read! ( )