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Butterfly
After the American Civil War, a young man from Maine takes a diplomatic position in Nagasaki, Japan, where he and his aide, Harada, explore the city and absorb its history and culture. There, they befriend the lovely geisha Cio-Cio and attend her wedding to the American naval lieutenant Pinkerton. When they discover the marriage is nothing but an empty sham, devastating consequences inexorably follow…
Derived from Puccini’s grand opera, Butterfly deftly retells the tragic story of the young geisha and her seducer as a captivating story of discovery, tragedy, and enlightenment.
Derived from Puccini’s grand opera, Butterfly deftly retells the tragic story of the young geisha and her seducer as a captivating story of discovery, tragedy, and enlightenment.
264 pages, Paperback
Published April 28, 2023
1 person want to read
About the author
Gary Davis
40 books2 followersLibrarian Note: This profile contains more than one author. Those listed below have multiple books listed on GoodReads.
Gary Davis (2 spaces): jazz musician
Gary Davis (3 spaces): American living in Costa Rica
Gary Davis (4 spaces): author of the Chasing a Dying Sun series
Gary Davis (2 spaces): jazz musician
Gary Davis (3 spaces): American living in Costa Rica
Gary Davis (4 spaces): author of the Chasing a Dying Sun series
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 13, 2023
If you're familiar with Madama Butterfly, this is an excellent way to experience the story from a fresh perspective. If you are not (and I wasn't), Nagasaki makes for an alluring, hypnotizing setting and the meditative conversations that take place in it make a strong case for familiarizing yourself as soon as possible.
The book begins like many Fitzgerald novels, or like John Fowles's "The Magus": a bright young protagonist finding himself pulled into progressively higher rungs of society. Sharpless's adventure becomes ours as he journeys halfway across the world to an ambassadorship in Nagasaki, a city that is expertly depicted and becomes a character in its own right. He develops relationships during his tenure that feel particularly organic in that they are not born of dramatic clashes, but develop slowly as the characters enjoy long exposure to each others' personalities.
Particularly enjoyable is the dynamic between Sharpless and Harada. Harada's ethos drips off the page, and his earnestness contrasts brilliantly with his incisive critiques of Sharpless's worldview. These jabs at American Exceptionalism help contemporize the story, which echoes Fitzgerald again with the its critique of the selfish recklessness of the privileged.
If you're a fan of the source material, this is a no-brainer read. It's also an excellent choice if you're looking for a nice, pleasant read that transports you to a lovely setting en route to telling a compelling, tragic tale.
The book begins like many Fitzgerald novels, or like John Fowles's "The Magus": a bright young protagonist finding himself pulled into progressively higher rungs of society. Sharpless's adventure becomes ours as he journeys halfway across the world to an ambassadorship in Nagasaki, a city that is expertly depicted and becomes a character in its own right. He develops relationships during his tenure that feel particularly organic in that they are not born of dramatic clashes, but develop slowly as the characters enjoy long exposure to each others' personalities.
Particularly enjoyable is the dynamic between Sharpless and Harada. Harada's ethos drips off the page, and his earnestness contrasts brilliantly with his incisive critiques of Sharpless's worldview. These jabs at American Exceptionalism help contemporize the story, which echoes Fitzgerald again with the its critique of the selfish recklessness of the privileged.
If you're a fan of the source material, this is a no-brainer read. It's also an excellent choice if you're looking for a nice, pleasant read that transports you to a lovely setting en route to telling a compelling, tragic tale.
Displaying 1 of 1 review