Comments on: Review: The Tale of Murasaki, Liza Dalby

By: AMPM25

AMPM25 — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 21:07:51 +0000

I too, have a passion for historical Chinese & Japense fiction.. But have no real knowledge of eithers history. I adored Chinese Cinderella, Falling Leaves, Memoirs of a Geisha & couldn’t put The Last Empress. But have seriously struggled to get through this book, and at 2/3s of the way through I’m considering putting it down altogether.
From the wonderful descriptions of court life in The Last Empress, I agree that it doesn’t fulfill what it promises in the blurb.
I feel frustrated with the character, who is never satisfied, depressed & quite frankly enjoys spending most of her time moaning.
I also find the constant footnotes, referencing and filling in of back stories distracting and irritating as I often feel like as a reader were just not getting to the point.

All in all feeling very dissatisfied with this read

By: zibilee

zibilee — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 21:57:42 +0000

I have been interested in this book for quite awhile, but judging from your experience with it I think I might skip it. It sounds like it had a hard time delivering what you expected, and the fact that I have not read Genji also worries me in relation to this book. Thanks so much for all your honesty about this book, I really appreciate it. .-= zibilee´s last blog ..Winner of Raven Stole the Moon! =-.

By: Swapna

Swapna — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:50:57 +0000

Thanks for the honest review, I'll skip this one! .-= Swapna´s last blog ..Book Review: Young Bess – Margaret Irwin =-.

By: chelonianmobile

chelonianmobile — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 04:36:07 +0000

Oh, that has been in my TBR forever. Now I am a little more wary of it, though technically it should be right up my alley. Of course, I never did finish Genji. Maybe in a few years. Stick with the first ten or so chapters and then find some good summaries for the subsequent forty-four.

You might like The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, if you haven’t read it. Sei Shonagon was a contemporary of Murasaki’s, and in another time she would have made an excellent blogger. The two women did not particularly like one another.

By: cbjames

cbjames — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 15:57:52 +0000

Describing clothing is exactly what Lady Murasaki would have done. I did read just about half of Tale of Genji and I do intend to finish it some day. Parts of it are wonderful, some of the best stuff I've ever read, but it's a 1000 year old novel, written at a time when there were literally no other novels to compare it to. It's not the sort of thing we've come to expect from a novel. I do think you could read just a few chapters from it, pick them at random if you like, and enjoy them as you would a short story. Most of the chapters are self-contained really. .-= cbjames´s last blog ..Sunday Salon: I have abandonment issues =-.

By: Lenore

Lenore — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 21:10:13 +0000

I read this ages ago, and I had much the same reaction as you did. There was way too much description of clothing I thought. I did not need to know how every single obi looked! .-= Lenore´s last blog ..Book Review: Soldier X by Don Wulffson =-.

By: Beth F

Beth F — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 13:52:02 +0000

This is probably not for me -- although I think I would love the medieval Japan setting, Tale of the Genji wasn't my favorite. .-= Beth F´s last blog ..Featuring . . . The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha =-.

By: Veens

Veens — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:52:05 +0000

The plot sounds interesting to me. And I have not read anything on medieval Japan too, I think I will give the 2 books a try in the future. .-= Veens´s last blog ..Cover Attractions!! =-.

By: Sherrie

Sherrie — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:02:52 +0000

Hi! I have an award for you at my place. Have a great day! Sherrie Just Books .-= Sherrie´s last blog ..BEAUTIFUL BLOGGER AWARD =-.

By: heidenkind

heidenkind — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:18:27 +0000

A book should be enjoyable even if you don't all the literature references in it, imo. Or they could have used footnotes to fill in those details--I mean, how many Westerners are conversant with Japanese Lit, in general? Not that many. .-= heidenkind´s last blog ..Classics Month Meme: Overlooked Classics =-.