One of "TIME" magazine's most influential novelists in the world presents a bold and epic novel about a rarely visited point in history--18th-century Japan--in a work as exquisitely rendered as it is irresistibly readable.
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One of "TIME" magazine's most influential novelists in the world presents a bold and epic novel about a rarely visited point in history--18th-century Japan--in a work as exquisitely rendered as it is irresistibly readable.
Read Less
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One of the valuable features of a reading group is that it encourages readers to explore works they would not otherwise choose for themselves. This can result in unexpected finds but it can also result in tedious reading. In either case, the chance is worth taking. Our reading group recently chose David Mitchell's novel "The Thousand Autums of Jacob de Zoet" (2010). Although Mitchell has a broad following, I had not earlier read him. In thinking about the book, I found useful many of the reader reviews which express a wide variety of responses to Mitchell's novel.
Mitchell's book is a lengthy, sprawling historical novel set near Nagasaki, Japan between 1799 and 1811. Most of the action takes place during the first year. The book considers European efforts to open up Japan for trade. Most of the book involves the activities of the Dutch. The late sections of the story show the rivalry between the Dutch and the British. Japan at the time was an isolated, by choice, feudally organized culture that wanted to severely limit European trade because, among other reasons, it strongly opposed earlier efforts by missionaries to convert the Japanese to Christianity. The Europeans were interested in markets and economic domination.
The main character in the novel is the young Jacob de Zoet. He is a bookkeeper who travels with the Dutch East Indies Company to Japan in the hopes of earning enough money to win the hand of Anna, the woman he loves. Jacob is a devout Christian. He smuggles a family psalter into Japan at great risk to himself. As the story progresses, Jacob falls in love and proposes to a beautiful, intelligent Japanese woman, Orito, a midwife studying European medicine, whose face is severely burned. Besides the historical theme and the love theme, the book explores the character of de Zoet, among other people, and how he develops during his stay in Japan. Jacob's mission was to examine the books of the trading company and to root out corruption and fraud. He has a strong sense of honesty in the middle of a corrupt trading partnership between the Dutch and the Japanese together with intellectual curiosity and a wish to better himself.
An extraordinary number of characters and types people this novel, and the story is told from a number of perspectives and voices. The tone shifts throughout. The book raises several issues involving personal moral decision. At three critical places, de Zoet, Orito, and the British frigate captain, Penhaglion, are presented with significant ethical choices and engage in a combination of reflection, moving forward and backtracking. With its large cast and meandering storytelling, the book also explores Dutch social structure, including its servants and slaves, Japanese society, Dutch-British relations, and the rise of Napoleonic Europe. A substantial portion of the novel is set in a wicked Japanese monastery and nunnery. Activities at the monastery are outside the pale of any ethical standards, both those of the Japanese and those of the Europeans. I would have liked a consideration of the nature and purpose of Japanese monasticism, rather than only its corruption.
The book displays a collage of themes and a collage of action. Much of the book has the quality of a yarn more than a historical novel or a character study. It includes graphic portrayals of medical operations, beheadings, tortures, long, carefully planned intrigues, narrow escapes from disaster, poisonings, and much else.
Some of the scenes in this book work well. De Zoet's character is developed as is that of his friend, the scholarly Dr. Marinus. I was pleased to see Marinus play Scarlatti on the harpsichord. The scenes of life on the British frigate, Phaeton, and of its captain are among the best in the book. They reminded me of the wonderful novels of Patrick O'Brien dealing with this time period.
On the whole, I was markedly dissatisfied with this book. It is written with a panoramic sweep that is overly broad and not sustained. I thought the book might have benefitted from more modest ambitions. The treatment of Japanese culture, and the Japanese attitude towards the Europeans remains at a basic level. I would have welcomed a more thoughtful, focused treatment. Although the book includes some good, clear writing, it suffers from its form, from verbosity, overwritng, and straining for effect. Some of the long passages, such as the opening of chapter 39, that have attracted admiration seem to me strained and theatrical. The book pulls in to many directions at once and dissipates whatever strength its themes might have. The writing is slow and difficult. I did not find the content of this novel justified the serious effort required to work through it.
I would have welcomed a serious treatment of Japan, its culture, and its early relationship with Europeans. I did not find such a treatment in this book. What there might be is buried among a welter of other material. It was valuable, as suggested at the outset of this review, to make the effort required to read this novel as part of a book group to share thoughts and as part of a community of online readers and reviewers. It is also important to me try to explain the reasons for disliking a book that has been praised by other good readers. In spite of some valuable aspects, this book left me seriously disappointed.
Robin Friedman
Martha S
Oct 11, 2012
Fascinating and well-written
A time and place that readers know nothing about; interesting characters; touching love story....
Leon
Jun 16, 2011
Another David Mitchell marvel
I don't have a long time to write this critique, so I'll get the point - David Mitchell is absolutely schizoid. No one can write in so many personalities, dialects, and side plots. He is absolutely amazing and, at the end, you'll swear you read and anthology or something from several authors.
If you have any doubts whatsoever, pick up a copy of "Cloud Atlas" (if you can afford it - it is EXPENSIVE, unless you get it on your Kindle) and you will be treated to a masterpiece of the richest literature. Enjoy.
RHYN
Sep 16, 2010
a Different Time & Place
A curious peek into the Japanese character and societal values as well as a good historical fiction story that has all the elements of a 17th century Madam Butterfly.
