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Loading... Cloud of Sparrows (original 2002; edition 2004)by Takashi Matsuoka
Work InformationCloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka (2002)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Here's what I wrote in 2008 about this read: "Simple and easy reading, describing period at the end of Japan's isolation (1860's). Mystical and romantic, hard-to-truly-believe-in characters, but still fun to read and builds additional insights to Japanese culture and history." ( ) Cloud of Sparrows is a study of the contradictory nature of the Samurai in a time when their world was inexorably moving forward. They are ruthless killers, incited to decapitate a foe over insulting words, but are also moved to tears by the nuance of a gesture, or a perceived boon found in what was not said, or not done to spare feelings and perception of a reputation. This brutal beauty is reflected on an individual as well as a cultural level, and it is into this passionate, yet rigidly structured society that Lord Genji ushers in foreign Christian missionaries, who become a catalyst for the events of the story. Genji himself is a huge juxtaposition of ideas, welcoming the outsiders but at the same time not taking their religion seriously, even as he plans to assist them in setting up a mission location, he seems more fascinated and amused by a new toy, more interested in how it is unsettling his rivals than in their purpose for being there. He is the more forward thinking of the Great Lords, but also has difficulty letting go of some traditions and ingrained ideas, even as he recognizes they are outdated, and sometimes downright ridiculous. Coupled with the difficulties of navigating political waters, he also carries the burden of prescient visions, which often make no sense, but sometimes are all too clear. Genji and Heiko, Matthew and Emily, Shigeru and even Genji’s loyal warriors and servants are all excellent characters who are tested to their limits throughout the course of the story. We learn the history of how the Americans came to be in Japan and see the Samurai way of life beginning to crumble under the press of time and traditions that cannot be sustained as the world moves in. It is by turns beautiful and violent, poignant and humorous, sensitive and senseless, and it was exactly what I wanted on my visit to this culture and time period. Feudal Japan is being compelled to give up their isolationism and entreat with powerful foreigners (in this case, mid-19th century US). This is blood story of ancient blood feuds amidst encroaching foreign intervention. Like most Japanese novels, the prose seems very stilted, just like the abrupt dialog of a Kurasawa movie. The audio book version additionally was read rather matter-of-factly, adding strange humor to passages where limbs and heads are being struck off the bodies in graphic detail. The Japanese characters seemed a little too pragmatic when dealing with the foreigners, especially considering their transition from a isolationist nation. The book does occasionally give us some historical information regarding battles that occurred hundreds of years earlier, when great warlords consolidated power in epic battles. Hard feelings still resonated generations later through descendants of the participants. The characters were interesting, but not terribly likeable. Which is just as good, as Matsuoka has a George RR Martin streak in him. no reviews | add a review
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"Exotic, entertaining . . . [an] exceptional first novel."--San Francisco Chronicle The year is 1861. After two centuries of isolation, Japan has opened its doors to the West. And as foreign ships threaten to rain destruction on the Shogun's castle in Edo, a small group of American missionaries has arrived to spread the word of their God. They have yet to realize that their future in Japan has already been foreseen. For a young nobleman has dreamt that his life will be saved by an outsider in the New Year. . . and it is said that Lord Genji has the gift of prophecy. What happens next--when the handsome lord meets an appa rently reformed gunslinger and a woman in flight from her own destructive beauty--sets the stage for a remarkable adventure. For as this unlikely band embarks on a journey through a landscape bristling with danger, East and West, flesh and spirit, past and future, collide in ways no one--least of all Genji--could have imagined. Praise for Cloud of Sparrows "The book seizes you from start to finish."--The Washington Post "Adventure-filled."--Entertainment Weekly "Rich . . . with an ambitious, unexpected ending that cuts deeper than a samurai sword."--San Francisco Chronicle No library descriptions found. |
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