What do you think?
Rate this book
An Exquisite Sense of What is Beautiful
A sweeping novel of East and West, love and war, truths and denials.
An eminent British writer returns to the resort hotel in the Japanese mountains where he once spent a beautiful, snowed-in winter. It was there he fell in love and wrote his best-selling novel, The Waterwheel, accusing America of being in denial about the horrific aftermath of the Tokyo firebombings and the nuclear destruction at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As we learn more about his earlier life, however - a student in Bloomsbury, involved with a famous American painter - we realise that he too is in denial, trying to escape past events that are now rapidly catching up with him.
An eminent British writer returns to the resort hotel in the Japanese mountains where he once spent a beautiful, snowed-in winter. It was there he fell in love and wrote his best-selling novel, The Waterwheel, accusing America of being in denial about the horrific aftermath of the Tokyo firebombings and the nuclear destruction at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As we learn more about his earlier life, however - a student in Bloomsbury, involved with a famous American painter - we realise that he too is in denial, trying to escape past events that are now rapidly catching up with him.
289 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 2013
About the author
J. David Simons
10 books31 followersJ. David Simons (born 27 August 1953) is a Scottish novelist and short story writer. His novels include The Credit Draper (2008), The Liberation of Celia Kahn (2011), An Exquisite Sense of What is Beautiful (2013), The Land Agent (2014) and A Woman of Integrity’(2017) and are all published by Saraband. His latest novel – The Responsibility of Love – will be available as an ebook as well as a special limited edition from 1stMay 2021 and will be published commercially by BackPage Press in Autumn 2021.
Simons has been awarded several grants from Creative Scotland and the Society of Authors, his work has been shortlisted for the McKitterickl Prize and in 2012 he was a recipient of a prestigious Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship. Apart from his fiction writing, he is also an editor with the Blue Pencil Literary Agency and a media journalist for global technology research firm, Omdia.
Simons has been awarded several grants from Creative Scotland and the Society of Authors, his work has been shortlisted for the McKitterickl Prize and in 2012 he was a recipient of a prestigious Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship. Apart from his fiction writing, he is also an editor with the Blue Pencil Literary Agency and a media journalist for global technology research firm, Omdia.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
September 28, 2013
Yes, I liked it, but if you stop and analyze what happens you over and over find things that just do not make sense! That wouldn't happen! That is unbelievable! If I give you examples, I am going to wreck the book for you. Here is just one example,
Contemporary authors seem to think readers today no longer want a book that runs in chronological order. They all have to flip back and forth in time. Here we start in 2003 and then flip back first to the 50s and then to time periods closer and closer to 2003 when Edward is in his 70s. We learn retrospectively why he has become who he is. This flipping is not difficult to follow, but tell me, what is gained by this manner of writing?! Nothing as far as I can see.
Did I care for the characters? No, but they felt real. Edward is self-centered, egotistical and detached.
Do you get much history? No, even if some well-recognizable people (Churchill, Nehru) flash by! That Edward saw the American destruction of Japan (specifically Tokyo, Nagasaki and Hiroshima) with unforgiving eyes is not ever explained. He writes a book about it, but why he felt so moved is left unexplored. More could have been done with this theme.
What the book does excellently is beautifully draw for the reader the ambiance of a place - NY, London and Japan (around Tokyo). Mostly the latter two. Edward is Scottish. The Japanese characters feel Japanese. The American characters too. All the dialogs are perfect. Over and over I thought, "Yeah, that is exactly how a Japanese would talk to a foreigner." I have been there. I have also been to the places where the story is set, outside Tokyo. Everybody that goes to Japan will visit Kamakura and Hakone. On a crowded train near Hakone we were given painted toothpicks by a Japanese man. Given, they were a present from someone I did not know. You feel that the description of the places is genuine. However, I am a little unsure if my own memories make the lines more enjoyable for me than for a reader who has not been there..... How much have my own experiences added to the author's lines?
Japanese value beauty. This is an important theme of the book, and this is spot-on.
If you are curious about Japan or have been there, I think you will enjoy the book. I did.
One word about the narration by Nick Cheales - excellent! He perfectly captures different accents, Scottish, Japanese and American.
Contemporary authors seem to think readers today no longer want a book that runs in chronological order. They all have to flip back and forth in time. Here we start in 2003 and then flip back first to the 50s and then to time periods closer and closer to 2003 when Edward is in his 70s. We learn retrospectively why he has become who he is. This flipping is not difficult to follow, but tell me, what is gained by this manner of writing?! Nothing as far as I can see.
Did I care for the characters? No, but they felt real. Edward is self-centered, egotistical and detached.
Do you get much history? No, even if some well-recognizable people (Churchill, Nehru) flash by! That Edward saw the American destruction of Japan (specifically Tokyo, Nagasaki and Hiroshima) with unforgiving eyes is not ever explained. He writes a book about it, but why he felt so moved is left unexplored. More could have been done with this theme.
What the book does excellently is beautifully draw for the reader the ambiance of a place - NY, London and Japan (around Tokyo). Mostly the latter two. Edward is Scottish. The Japanese characters feel Japanese. The American characters too. All the dialogs are perfect. Over and over I thought, "Yeah, that is exactly how a Japanese would talk to a foreigner." I have been there. I have also been to the places where the story is set, outside Tokyo. Everybody that goes to Japan will visit Kamakura and Hakone. On a crowded train near Hakone we were given painted toothpicks by a Japanese man. Given, they were a present from someone I did not know. You feel that the description of the places is genuine. However, I am a little unsure if my own memories make the lines more enjoyable for me than for a reader who has not been there..... How much have my own experiences added to the author's lines?
Japanese value beauty. This is an important theme of the book, and this is spot-on.
If you are curious about Japan or have been there, I think you will enjoy the book. I did.
One word about the narration by Nick Cheales - excellent! He perfectly captures different accents, Scottish, Japanese and American.
May 13, 2013
Having just read and been disappointing by the Murakami trilogy I did wonder if I should leave off reading another novel with a Japan setting. I am glad I didn't. I loved An Exquisite Sense of What is Beautiful - from the title, the cover, the characters, the language and the plot.
This delicate little beauty, told over two time periods (1950's and 2003), teases out the mystery of why eminent British writer Sir Edward Strathairn returns to a hotel in the Japanese mountains after almost fifty years.
Although the main character is cruel, selfish, sometimes violent and vain I couldn't help liking him because Simons has built these flaws into a rounded story that describes his childhood, his triumphs and failures. The setting was so evocative I found myself reaching for the miso jar at every meal.
I hope this novel is shortlisted for many prizes, it certainly deserves to be.
This delicate little beauty, told over two time periods (1950's and 2003), teases out the mystery of why eminent British writer Sir Edward Strathairn returns to a hotel in the Japanese mountains after almost fifty years.
Although the main character is cruel, selfish, sometimes violent and vain I couldn't help liking him because Simons has built these flaws into a rounded story that describes his childhood, his triumphs and failures. The setting was so evocative I found myself reaching for the miso jar at every meal.
I hope this novel is shortlisted for many prizes, it certainly deserves to be.
May 25, 2013
An Exquisite Sense of What Is Beautiful is J. David Simons’ third novel, a novel that I can only describe to be a graceful narrative of perspective. We follow eminent British author Edward Strathairn as he returns to Japan, to the very same hotel and room where he wrote his hugely successful debut The Waterwheel over forty years previously. Chapters alternate between Edward’s current stay in Japan (in 2003) and his extensive past covering his self-discovery as a writer and his tumultuous relationships that unfold over his years in London and Japan. These swift changes in perspective can be daunting at first but quickly become seductive as Simons invites us to discover the events that have made Edward the man he is, for better and for worse.
It becomes clear that Simons has the utmost respect and love for Japanese culture, unsurprising when you consider his seven years in Japan as a university lecturer. Japan is described through Edward’s sympathetic eyes with skill and attention, it is hard to not fall in love with Simons’ portrayal of towering mountains, gentle floral landscapes and the native people who surround Edward, from his past and his present. This stands in stark contrast to Edward’s London life as a challenging romantic interest becomes a life-changing influence that Edward can never forget. Simons dangles such intriguing characters in front of the reader’s nose and pulls them away making sure we consistently return to the present setting after viewing a revealing flashback. This guarantees a satisfying pace, not too rampant but not too leisurely. You’ll find it hard to put down the book where each bite-sized chapter ends on a little hook to keep you reading on.
Upon reading the blurb I was initially weary as to how Simons would approach the controversial aspects of Tokyo’s firebombings and the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I feared that such delicate matters could either swamp the narrative in misplaced polemic debate or that Simons would only touch upon the subject without placing the deserved weight on the importance of the events, for both Japan and America. I was relieved to find his approach does justice to both Edward’s story and the larger issues at hand. The Waterwheel was Edward’s sympathetic attempt to humanise the Japanese military and civilians in the face of brash American nationalism and denial. However, Edward is not immune from denial himself and his hypocrisy begins to show itself as the novel progresses through frustrating youthful vitriol into aged perspective.
Edward’s conscious decision to nurture his career over his happiness is a familiar decision that the reader knows is questionable from the very beginning, yet his rationalisation is strangely convincing, challenging the reader’s loyalty to specific characters, all of whom are flawed in painfully engaging (and at times irritating) ways. This choice haunts Edward as he attempts to come to terms with his lifelong denials, facing his past with a calm grace that puts the spotlight on Simons as the skilled writer he is.
It is obvious that Simons is a master of written word, his engagement with the English and Japanese languages is shaped with delicacy and intricacy. The very title of the novel raises the reader’s expectations and Simons does not disappoint. We are indeed offered a bittersweet sense of what is beautiful but beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder and so the reader is left to make their own conclusions as to where beauty lies in Edward’s world, even when Edward cannot see it himself.
It becomes clear that Simons has the utmost respect and love for Japanese culture, unsurprising when you consider his seven years in Japan as a university lecturer. Japan is described through Edward’s sympathetic eyes with skill and attention, it is hard to not fall in love with Simons’ portrayal of towering mountains, gentle floral landscapes and the native people who surround Edward, from his past and his present. This stands in stark contrast to Edward’s London life as a challenging romantic interest becomes a life-changing influence that Edward can never forget. Simons dangles such intriguing characters in front of the reader’s nose and pulls them away making sure we consistently return to the present setting after viewing a revealing flashback. This guarantees a satisfying pace, not too rampant but not too leisurely. You’ll find it hard to put down the book where each bite-sized chapter ends on a little hook to keep you reading on.
Upon reading the blurb I was initially weary as to how Simons would approach the controversial aspects of Tokyo’s firebombings and the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I feared that such delicate matters could either swamp the narrative in misplaced polemic debate or that Simons would only touch upon the subject without placing the deserved weight on the importance of the events, for both Japan and America. I was relieved to find his approach does justice to both Edward’s story and the larger issues at hand. The Waterwheel was Edward’s sympathetic attempt to humanise the Japanese military and civilians in the face of brash American nationalism and denial. However, Edward is not immune from denial himself and his hypocrisy begins to show itself as the novel progresses through frustrating youthful vitriol into aged perspective.
Edward’s conscious decision to nurture his career over his happiness is a familiar decision that the reader knows is questionable from the very beginning, yet his rationalisation is strangely convincing, challenging the reader’s loyalty to specific characters, all of whom are flawed in painfully engaging (and at times irritating) ways. This choice haunts Edward as he attempts to come to terms with his lifelong denials, facing his past with a calm grace that puts the spotlight on Simons as the skilled writer he is.
It is obvious that Simons is a master of written word, his engagement with the English and Japanese languages is shaped with delicacy and intricacy. The very title of the novel raises the reader’s expectations and Simons does not disappoint. We are indeed offered a bittersweet sense of what is beautiful but beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder and so the reader is left to make their own conclusions as to where beauty lies in Edward’s world, even when Edward cannot see it himself.
April 1, 2025
Setting: UK & Japan; 1936-1971 and 2003.
In 2003, Sir Edward Strathairn returns to the Tokyo hotel where he wrote his first novel, The Waterwheel, in the 1950's - and also had a relationship with Sumiko, a member of staff at the hotel.
The novel was controversial, criticising the American decision to drop a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
Having returned to England on hearing the news of publisher interest in his first novel, Edward reluctantly leaves Sumiko behind. He eventually meets and marries Macy, an American artist, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship. Later, in an attempt to resurrect his life, Edward returns to his favourite Tokyo hotel where he has a challenging reunion with Sumiko....
This was an excellent read - what's not to like about a book featuring someone who successfully writes books! - with great characters and storylines as the action jumps back and forth in time, tracing Edward's growth from childhood to old age - 9/10.
In 2003, Sir Edward Strathairn returns to the Tokyo hotel where he wrote his first novel, The Waterwheel, in the 1950's - and also had a relationship with Sumiko, a member of staff at the hotel.
The novel was controversial, criticising the American decision to drop a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
Having returned to England on hearing the news of publisher interest in his first novel, Edward reluctantly leaves Sumiko behind. He eventually meets and marries Macy, an American artist, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship. Later, in an attempt to resurrect his life, Edward returns to his favourite Tokyo hotel where he has a challenging reunion with Sumiko....
This was an excellent read - what's not to like about a book featuring someone who successfully writes books! - with great characters and storylines as the action jumps back and forth in time, tracing Edward's growth from childhood to old age - 9/10.
August 27, 2013
An excellent title for a challenging, difficult, heartbreaking book. Perfect for this exquisite book.
I don't often read books about old men, and I liked that, at the beginning; I enjoyed experiencing Edward's twilight years, then getting to know him as a young man. As Edward's life unfolds, the book becomes challenging, but it is a credit to Simons's writing that instead of quitting the book I was keen to see how everything would be resolved. Simons grabs the reader early, somehow evoking empathy for this character who is hugely flawed yet uncomfortably likeable. The book touches on some horrifying themes and particular incidents, which Simons handles with grace and honesty.
The dual settings of London and Japan are beautifully rendered. I love books set in exotic locations, and this did not disappoint; Simons is a master of evoking setting.
This is what great literature does, takes us to dark places and back out again. Highly recommended.
I don't often read books about old men, and I liked that, at the beginning; I enjoyed experiencing Edward's twilight years, then getting to know him as a young man. As Edward's life unfolds, the book becomes challenging, but it is a credit to Simons's writing that instead of quitting the book I was keen to see how everything would be resolved. Simons grabs the reader early, somehow evoking empathy for this character who is hugely flawed yet uncomfortably likeable. The book touches on some horrifying themes and particular incidents, which Simons handles with grace and honesty.
The dual settings of London and Japan are beautifully rendered. I love books set in exotic locations, and this did not disappoint; Simons is a master of evoking setting.
This is what great literature does, takes us to dark places and back out again. Highly recommended.
November 4, 2018
Sir Edward Strathairn ist weit über 70 und körperlich hinfällig, als er zu einer letzten Reise nach Japan aufbricht. Edward scheint verblüfft darüber, dass in Japan noch immer Weggefährten von früher leben, auch mit der Verleihung einer Ehrendoktorwürde scheint er nicht gerechnet zu haben. Der Hotelmanager erkennt in ihm den jungen Briten wieder, der in den 50ern in seinem Haus den kontroversen Roman „Das Wasserrad“ schrieb zur Verantwortung der USA für den Atombombenabwurf auf Hiroshima und Nagasaki. Rückblenden zeigen, wie Edward mit seinem Studium der Japanologie Grundlagen schuf für ein Dasein als Pionier, zu einer Zeit, in der andere in Japan zunächst nur den ehemaligen Kriegsgegner sahen. Sein erster Japanaufenthalt dient ihm als Flucht aus der Einsamkeit einer freudlosen Jugend. Eine großzügige Erbschaft seines Onkels ermöglicht ihm schließlich die Arbeit an seinem ersten Roman, mit dem er Japan als Nation die Selbstachtung zurückgibt. In weiteren Rückblenden zeigt sich Edward als kaltschnäuziger Karrierist, der Namen und Biografien anderer Menschen in seinen Romanen verwurstet, ohne sich die Mühe der Verfremdung zu machen. Der Beziehung zu einem Zimmermädchen seines Hotels entzieht Edward sich – wie üblich – durch Flucht. Seine Opfer jedoch können nicht flüchten, sie bleiben ein Leben lang in Strathairns Romanen bloßgestellt. Im „Wasserrad“ hat Edward das kolonialistische Gebaren der USA gegenüber Japan kritisiert. Je näher man Edward kennenlernt, umso stärker tritt sein nicht weniger ausbeuterisches Verhalten gegenüber anderen Menschen hervor, seinen Eltern, seinen Förderern und seinen Frauen. Edwards Partnerinnen drücken ihre Wünsche in den Beziehungen nicht gerade deutlich aus, das entschuldigt sein verantwortungsloses Verhalten allerdings nicht. Trotz klassischer britischer Knabenschule hat Edward keinen Ehrbegriff entwickelt und entzieht sich Konflikten mit simplen Schuldzuweisungen.
Edward ist 1928 geboren, nur wenig jünger als die britische Königin Elizabeth. Beide Personen sind vom Krieg geprägt, wenn auch Edward diesen Teil seiner Biografie nicht wahrhaben will. Simons zeichnet in der Person Edwards das raffinierte Psychogramm einer Generation von Männern, die Frauen passend zur Karriere erwählen und wieder fallenlassen, aber keine Partnerschaften entwickeln können. Das 50er Jahre-Feeling; eine Zeit, in der der Begriff Romanautor automatisch bedeutete, dass es sich nur um einen Mann handeln kann, bringt Simons hier treffend zum Ausdruck.
Simons komplexer Roman spielt auf mehreren Zeitebenen, in der Gegenwart 2003 in Japan, in den 50ern in London und Japan, ein Rückblick führt in seine Kindheit in Glasgow, enthalten sind Briefe und Ausschnitte aus Edwards erstem Roman. Die Coverabbildung der „großen Welle vor Kanagawa“ weckt Erwartungen an idyllische Landschaftsschilderungen, die Simons meisterlich erfüllt mit der Beschreibung eingeschneiter Gasthäuser und im Wind trocknender Algen.
„Ein feines Gespür für Schönheit“ (im Original 2013 erschienen) lässt gegensätzliche Kulturen aufeinander treffen, berührt jedoch besonders durch die Zeitlosigkeit der Konflikte. Im Jahr nach der Entstehung von MeToo und im Jahr des Richters K. scheint Simons damit den Finger mitten in die Wunde der Beziehungen zwischen Männern und Frauen zu legen.
Edward ist 1928 geboren, nur wenig jünger als die britische Königin Elizabeth. Beide Personen sind vom Krieg geprägt, wenn auch Edward diesen Teil seiner Biografie nicht wahrhaben will. Simons zeichnet in der Person Edwards das raffinierte Psychogramm einer Generation von Männern, die Frauen passend zur Karriere erwählen und wieder fallenlassen, aber keine Partnerschaften entwickeln können. Das 50er Jahre-Feeling; eine Zeit, in der der Begriff Romanautor automatisch bedeutete, dass es sich nur um einen Mann handeln kann, bringt Simons hier treffend zum Ausdruck.
Simons komplexer Roman spielt auf mehreren Zeitebenen, in der Gegenwart 2003 in Japan, in den 50ern in London und Japan, ein Rückblick führt in seine Kindheit in Glasgow, enthalten sind Briefe und Ausschnitte aus Edwards erstem Roman. Die Coverabbildung der „großen Welle vor Kanagawa“ weckt Erwartungen an idyllische Landschaftsschilderungen, die Simons meisterlich erfüllt mit der Beschreibung eingeschneiter Gasthäuser und im Wind trocknender Algen.
„Ein feines Gespür für Schönheit“ (im Original 2013 erschienen) lässt gegensätzliche Kulturen aufeinander treffen, berührt jedoch besonders durch die Zeitlosigkeit der Konflikte. Im Jahr nach der Entstehung von MeToo und im Jahr des Richters K. scheint Simons damit den Finger mitten in die Wunde der Beziehungen zwischen Männern und Frauen zu legen.
August 5, 2017
Ich persönlich finde das Buch wirklich gut, es ist schön geschrieben und hat etwas sehr poetisches an sich. Die Selbstfindung und Sühneleistung des Protagonisten ist sehr interessant, auch wenn man beizeiten beginnt, den Protagonisten weniger und weniger zu mögen.
Zunächst erscheint einem der Protagonist als ein alter gebrechlicher Mann, der sich nach Jahren des Ruhmes und dem Licht der Öffentlichkeit zurückziehen will. Er hat ein Buch namens „Das Wasserrad“ geschrieben, welches die Schuld der Amerikaner thematisiert – die Schuld von Nagasaki.
Mit jedem Kapitel erfährt man mehr über den Protagonisten Edward, und es stellt sich heraus, dass er hinter der träumerisch poetischen Fassade seiner selbst eigentlich ein selbstsüchtiger, hasserfüllter und brutaler Mann ist.
So erfahren wir als Leser, dass er seine Ehefrau mehrmals zusammenschlägt und – auch wenn dies nicht direkt angesprochen wird – seine Geliebten zu Zärtlichkeit und Sexualität zwingt. Edward übt auf die Frauen die er „liebt“ Zwänge aus, indem er sie so lange Überredet, bis sie sich ihm aus Ausweglosigkeit und Deeskalation heraus hingeben.
Letztlich ist sogar der Suizid des 75-jährigen nur ein weiterer Kontrollversuch und geschieht aus reiner Selbstsucht heraus: Statt sich der Wahrheit zu stellen, die seine Ex-Frau Macy veröffentlicht (seine häusliche Gewalt ihr gegenüber), wählt Edward lieber das Hintertürchen aus der Verantwortung.
Er bleibt somit sowohl Macy (die er misshandelte) als auch Sumiko (die er allein in Japan zurücklies) eine Entschuldigung schuldig.
In einer Stelle des Buches wird folgendes erwähnt: „ein feines Gespür für Schönheit, aber kein Gespür für Hässlichkeit“.
Dieses Zitat trifft absolut auf den Charakter von Edward zu: Er fühlt sich schönen Dingen hingezogen, schreibt schöne poetische Texte nieder und liebt wunderschöne Frauen.
Dabei hat er jedoch kein Gefühl für seine eigene Hässlichkeit, die sich auf ihn als Persönlichkeit bezieht. Er ist in einer Weise arrogant, wie sie kaum verständlich ist. Sämtliche Personen in seinem Umfeld nimmt er nicht als Menschen war, und erst im hohen Alter bemerkt er, dass er seinen ganzen Wegbegleitern nie auch nur ein einziges Mal für ihre Hilfe gedankt hat.
Ich muss ehrlich zugeben, dass ich noch nie ein Buch gelesen habe, das mich berührt hat und welches ich als sehr schön – vom literarischen her – empfinde, obwohl ich den Protagonisten so wenig leiden kann, dass mir das Buch noch lieber gewesen wäre, wenn er gar nicht erst darin aufgetaucht wäre.
Wirklich empfehlenswert für alle, die Romantik, Vergangenheitsbewältigung, Altschmerz und Torschlusspanik in Büchern schätzen.
Zunächst erscheint einem der Protagonist als ein alter gebrechlicher Mann, der sich nach Jahren des Ruhmes und dem Licht der Öffentlichkeit zurückziehen will. Er hat ein Buch namens „Das Wasserrad“ geschrieben, welches die Schuld der Amerikaner thematisiert – die Schuld von Nagasaki.
Mit jedem Kapitel erfährt man mehr über den Protagonisten Edward, und es stellt sich heraus, dass er hinter der träumerisch poetischen Fassade seiner selbst eigentlich ein selbstsüchtiger, hasserfüllter und brutaler Mann ist.
So erfahren wir als Leser, dass er seine Ehefrau mehrmals zusammenschlägt und – auch wenn dies nicht direkt angesprochen wird – seine Geliebten zu Zärtlichkeit und Sexualität zwingt. Edward übt auf die Frauen die er „liebt“ Zwänge aus, indem er sie so lange Überredet, bis sie sich ihm aus Ausweglosigkeit und Deeskalation heraus hingeben.
Letztlich ist sogar der Suizid des 75-jährigen nur ein weiterer Kontrollversuch und geschieht aus reiner Selbstsucht heraus: Statt sich der Wahrheit zu stellen, die seine Ex-Frau Macy veröffentlicht (seine häusliche Gewalt ihr gegenüber), wählt Edward lieber das Hintertürchen aus der Verantwortung.
Er bleibt somit sowohl Macy (die er misshandelte) als auch Sumiko (die er allein in Japan zurücklies) eine Entschuldigung schuldig.
In einer Stelle des Buches wird folgendes erwähnt: „ein feines Gespür für Schönheit, aber kein Gespür für Hässlichkeit“.
Dieses Zitat trifft absolut auf den Charakter von Edward zu: Er fühlt sich schönen Dingen hingezogen, schreibt schöne poetische Texte nieder und liebt wunderschöne Frauen.
Dabei hat er jedoch kein Gefühl für seine eigene Hässlichkeit, die sich auf ihn als Persönlichkeit bezieht. Er ist in einer Weise arrogant, wie sie kaum verständlich ist. Sämtliche Personen in seinem Umfeld nimmt er nicht als Menschen war, und erst im hohen Alter bemerkt er, dass er seinen ganzen Wegbegleitern nie auch nur ein einziges Mal für ihre Hilfe gedankt hat.
Ich muss ehrlich zugeben, dass ich noch nie ein Buch gelesen habe, das mich berührt hat und welches ich als sehr schön – vom literarischen her – empfinde, obwohl ich den Protagonisten so wenig leiden kann, dass mir das Buch noch lieber gewesen wäre, wenn er gar nicht erst darin aufgetaucht wäre.
Wirklich empfehlenswert für alle, die Romantik, Vergangenheitsbewältigung, Altschmerz und Torschlusspanik in Büchern schätzen.
July 4, 2013
Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Delicately written. I know next to nothing about Japanese culture, but the idea you get from Japanese brushwork on scrolls was reminiscent of the Zen feel in the word choice here. I liked also the parallel narrative of the young writer experiencing the excitement of a new culture and then returning many years later - allowing the reader to compare and contrast how his character had developed / changed. I'm not a quick reader - but I read this in two or three sittings. Nice too to see Glasgow depicted in this sensitive way!
April 7, 2013
The stunning title and cover give this novel a lot to live up to it, but it does it beautifully. East meets west in a modern classic. Go buy.
July 17, 2013
This is an elegant and thought-provoking novel that skilfully challenges the assumptions of the reader. Here is my full review on Vulpes Libris: http://wp.me/p7orS-5X1
August 25, 2024
A wonderful little book that resonates with me, and I imagine with everyone else, as we all need to admit that we humans are not very good at being honest with ourselves! The story involves many human qualities, including truth and love but in so many ways it is about denial, our denial of the truth!
August 22, 2013
This book checks all the right marks: well crafted prose, a main character with a mysterious past, and a cast you'll remember long after the last page, on a background of a world gone mad first with war and later with consumerism.
On the down side, you'll want to get to know the secondary characters more than the protagonist, who is your typical writer-in-training literary character, and just not that interesting other than in his regrets.
Forget the whining of an old man, however. This tale is well worth reading. An Exquisite Sense of What is Beautiful offers an absurdly well paced and layered story that will catch you off guard with its intrigue and bittersweet ending.
On the down side, you'll want to get to know the secondary characters more than the protagonist, who is your typical writer-in-training literary character, and just not that interesting other than in his regrets.
Forget the whining of an old man, however. This tale is well worth reading. An Exquisite Sense of What is Beautiful offers an absurdly well paced and layered story that will catch you off guard with its intrigue and bittersweet ending.
May 13, 2013
A great read, extremely satisfying, with substance as well as style, and definitely my best book of this year so far. At the beginning I was savouring the writing style, cultural references and historical events, but as the plot picked up pace, I couldn't linger over it – I just had to know what was going to happen. Exciting, moving, full of twists, by turns sad and more upbeat, I will be reading this again almost straight away, because the personal story made me turn the pages too fast! Great book.
September 14, 2013
This book follows a British author through post war Japan, to London, his family home in Glasgow and also to New York. It deals with war and guilt in a sensitive way especially when looking at the dropping of the atomic bombs in Japan in 1945. Cultural differences are discussed the guilty diplomatic Brit and gung ho Americans in disagreement about the ending of the war and whether these bombs were of benefit to the war effort. Relationships were looked at as well and the main character looked back with a lot of regret at past relationships and the mistakes made in life.
August 26, 2015
a wonderful book with rich characterisation, beautiful settings and an emotionally uplifting plot with a surprisingly morose, yet fulfilling ending. Simons is a wonderful writer and a joy to read. I will be sure to put more of his novels on my to-read list.
July 24, 2013
I would have given 4 and a half stars if I could,only one quibble I think it ended to soon..
April 1, 2024
4 🌟
Some really beautiful writing and particularly interesting bits about age, death and Japan. But some of the scenes and the way women were treated and depicted made me cringe. Obviously they’re showing Edward’s view (not the author’s), but I did not enjoy them and feel like the narratives of the women deserved more attention. Again, maybe the point is Edward did not give them enough attention…
Some really beautiful writing and particularly interesting bits about age, death and Japan. But some of the scenes and the way women were treated and depicted made me cringe. Obviously they’re showing Edward’s view (not the author’s), but I did not enjoy them and feel like the narratives of the women deserved more attention. Again, maybe the point is Edward did not give them enough attention…
June 17, 2019
The book is beautifully written but the end lets it down. The writing in the character’s book extracts at the end is dull and simple. The character says his emotions come out in his writing and I was left wanting more revalation and metaphor . Summiko had so much more of an impact on the main character than the extracts give credit for.
June 26, 2022
This was difficult to read - not because it isn’t beautifully written but because there is a lot of self loathing, unkindness and raw truth.
The unabridged audio book version wasn’t great in some places. No pauses between paragraphs and even at the end before it dived into the author’s background!
The unabridged audio book version wasn’t great in some places. No pauses between paragraphs and even at the end before it dived into the author’s background!
May 18, 2017
A beautiful dream of a book! Full of wistful longing. Is almost certainly going to feature as one of the best books i have read this year.
March 12, 2020
Story of a rather dislikeable hero at the end of his life, flashbacks to his earlier life. An evocative, readable and intelligent novel.
October 11, 2022
3.5 rounded up. Beautifully written and a good original story I just didn't much like or engage with any of the characters. Maybe that was the whole point.
March 4, 2017
Mildly interesting story of an author who wrote a book in Japan condemning Americans post bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Had a love affair with a Japanese woman and left her behind. Had an unsuccessful marriage. Underdeveloped and unlikeable characters all. 2.5
July 31, 2016
Edward is a Scottish author fascinated by Japan. He takes a course in Japanese studies at SOAS, gets a job in Japan in the 1950s and then writes a successful novel set there. This novel, by a Scottish author, is also partly set in Japan in the 1950s, partly in London and partly in Japan in 2003, but I did not find it successful.
I did not find the parts set in post-war and later London evoked the place or time very well (is Winston Churchill the only Englishman the author has heard of from the twentieth century?), but that is not critical because London just serves as a place where Edward can study Japan and have a poisonous relationship with an American woman; it is the two visits to Japan which are significant. Modern Japan, post-war Japan and pre-war Japan are all very different and I think the author may have shown up those differences quite well (although he should perhaps have known that there was a translation of Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata into English in 1956-1957). US attitudes to Japan and the destruction of Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki are also addressed quite well.
My main problem with the book was that I could not understand the characters, why they acted as they did or believe in the relationships between them. Edward's love affair with Japan worked, but that with a Japanese woman did not. I also felt the 2003 sections would have been better gathered together at the end than scattered through the book.
I did not find the parts set in post-war and later London evoked the place or time very well (is Winston Churchill the only Englishman the author has heard of from the twentieth century?), but that is not critical because London just serves as a place where Edward can study Japan and have a poisonous relationship with an American woman; it is the two visits to Japan which are significant. Modern Japan, post-war Japan and pre-war Japan are all very different and I think the author may have shown up those differences quite well (although he should perhaps have known that there was a translation of Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata into English in 1956-1957). US attitudes to Japan and the destruction of Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki are also addressed quite well.
My main problem with the book was that I could not understand the characters, why they acted as they did or believe in the relationships between them. Edward's love affair with Japan worked, but that with a Japanese woman did not. I also felt the 2003 sections would have been better gathered together at the end than scattered through the book.
January 10, 2017
I borrowed this book from Kinghorn Library and found it beautiful, shocking, informative, gripping in places and haunting. It was one of those books which live on with you long after you’ve read the final page.
Edward was fascinated by Japan and a legacy enabled him to realise his dream to live and work there. His view of the culture and his surroundings, as well as delving into the morality of the war, took you into an exotic but scarred and unfamiliar world. An escape which included a love affair with a Japanese maid and the realisation of Edward’s other dream, to be a successful writer.
His success unfortunately led to his return to England, a bitter sweet time in his life when he married an artist beginning a tumultuous off/on relationship. Hidden truths festered, only resurfacing when Edward was an old man before his time and he revisited Japan, meeting his first love Sumiko once more.
A clever plot with an unexpected ending, which I will not spoil for you, but which left me haunted for some time.
Edward was fascinated by Japan and a legacy enabled him to realise his dream to live and work there. His view of the culture and his surroundings, as well as delving into the morality of the war, took you into an exotic but scarred and unfamiliar world. An escape which included a love affair with a Japanese maid and the realisation of Edward’s other dream, to be a successful writer.
His success unfortunately led to his return to England, a bitter sweet time in his life when he married an artist beginning a tumultuous off/on relationship. Hidden truths festered, only resurfacing when Edward was an old man before his time and he revisited Japan, meeting his first love Sumiko once more.
A clever plot with an unexpected ending, which I will not spoil for you, but which left me haunted for some time.
June 6, 2014
I liked this book very much. It was slow to develop and in the early stages a little confusing. with the jumps in time from Japan in 2003 back to the UK in the 1950s.
However, once I got used to the alternating chapters, this proved to be a real strength in helping the historical significance of the novel to unravel.
Although the cultural and historical aspects of the book are important, the real differences in the social attitudes of Edward, Macy and Sumiko, are where the real story develops.
The flash back chapters were what helped to keep the historical setting alive. the modern day Japan chapters, developed the differences in social attitudes. Without risking any spoilers, the quotes from selected chapters in the novel, the Waterwheel, help to tie up some of the loose ends. in all; a sensitively written story, which deals with several difficult sub-plots.
However, once I got used to the alternating chapters, this proved to be a real strength in helping the historical significance of the novel to unravel.
Although the cultural and historical aspects of the book are important, the real differences in the social attitudes of Edward, Macy and Sumiko, are where the real story develops.
The flash back chapters were what helped to keep the historical setting alive. the modern day Japan chapters, developed the differences in social attitudes. Without risking any spoilers, the quotes from selected chapters in the novel, the Waterwheel, help to tie up some of the loose ends. in all; a sensitively written story, which deals with several difficult sub-plots.
March 1, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the prose this book is beautifully written. I liked how it flicks from the Uk to japan and covers different time periods - 1950's and present day. Edward, the main character, is first introduced to us as an older successful man visiting Japan and then we meet him in the 1950's when he was in his early 20's and get the back story. I read this book quite quickly and thought about it in-between reads - always a good sign. I also enjoyed how the story covered historical events and people but never lost sight of the personal experiences and stories of the characters.
May 25, 2014
The descriptions of past and modern Japan were beautiful and I liked the way we were made aware of Edward's failing health and frustrations as an old man in a sensitive way. As the chapters moved cleverly between past and present we learned more of his story, little by little and with a few surprises along the way. I also liked the way the author dealt with both American and Japanese denial of the war alongside Edward's own story and denial. The sense of place and time and the characters were all strong. An excellent book.
October 30, 2015
A good read, but for me it just didn't hold together, and I think the author was a bit too ambitious. The implied parallel between the American bombing of Nagasaki and the protagonists Unacknowledged domestic violence towards his American wife was a bit clumsy. There were beautiful moments in this book, and the glimpses into Japanese culture were breathtaking. I think the author set himself a challenge which he didn't quite manage to pull off.
July 4, 2015
A haunting and beautiful book about the gaps in our own self-knowledge, and how the most apparently prophetic and challenging voices are hiding something in the themselves. Split across eras, the story is simply told and the moments of pain and tragedy come like thunderclaps on a clear summer's day. Not easily forgotten, and if you let it be so, it's deeply challenging.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews