So...we reached the end of this Japanese week and I wanted to finish with a book review!
Hope you all enjoyed this week's contents and have a great Sunday!
さようなら!
1600 d.CHope you all enjoyed this week's contents and have a great Sunday!
さようなら!
A Dutch vessel named 'Erasmus', lead by English pilot John Blackthorne, is in a terrible situation: the sea and wind are trying their best to sink it and is only by a miracle that he's able to carry it to safety on the Japanese shores. But as soon as they hit land they're taken prisoners by the Japanese, who also confiscate the ship and everything on it, included Blackthorne's precious routers, the maps of the ways he followed during his journey.
The political situation in Japan couldn't be worse: the Taikō (absolute Lord and Protector of Japan) died and his 7 years old son is obviously too young to heir the power and all clans are making or breaking alliances so that one of the two most powerful daimyo, Ishido, Lord of Osaka, or Yoshi Toranaga, Lord of Kwanto, can surmount the other and take the lead of the country.
Add to that the unstable tolerance over Spanish and Portugues Jesuit priests, who want to proselytize Japanese with Catholicism, and you have a pretty good picture of how critic the situation is. Blackthorne somehow has to do his best in order to stay alive and find a way back home.
👍👎My Thoughts
This novel counts more than 1000 pages, but you'll barely notice them. The first part is about introducing the characters and Japanese hierarchies and society. The second part is the story is about how Blackthorne managed to become essential for one of the two contenders and for the future of the war.
Probably a few of these are over-exaggerated to give some kind of solemn tone, but overall I think I'll keep on reading Clavell's Asian Saga!
My vote: 9/10
Other Japanese books reviews on the blog
(click on the cover)
Photo credits: studioremarkable.com & goodreads.com
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