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Is one's fate created by the people one is lucky or unlucky enough to love? The Snow Fox raises this question as it brings to life three people who existed almost one thousand years ago in Japan. One of them is Lord Norimasa, whose highest love is to reunify his country and restore peace. The second is a member of his court, Lady Utsu, one of the supreme poetic geniuses of her time. She is also a woman renowned as the country's most beautiful woman, as famous for her cruelty as for her beauty and artistry. The third is Matsuhito, a samurai who apprentices himself to Lord Norimasa, and who, in time, becomes a legendary warrior.
When Matsuhito and Lady Utsu fall hopelessly in love, the lives of these three are forever changed. Separated by the warfare ravaging Japan, Matsuhito and Lady Utsu do not meet until both of them have aged so greatly that they no longer recognize each other. But when they do discover each other, their ecstatic and long-delayed reunion is shadowed by the caprices and cruelty of time, the transience of all living things, or what the Japanese call mono no aware.
The Snow Fox not only portrays a great and moving love story but also paints memorable portraits of characters at all levels of society: a man who loves to paint on skin, Shinda the resourceful bandit, the nobleman who freezes to death for love, and the eta, the untouchables who inhabit graveyards and other forbidden places. Last but not least are two remarkable foxes who in their own way, live as meaningful and influential lives as any human being.
472 pages, Hardcover
First published January 19, 2004
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1124 people want to read
About the author
Susan Fromberg Schaeffer
34 books71 followersSusan Fromberg Schaeffer was an American novelist and poet who was a Professor of English at Brooklyn College for more than thirty years. She won numerous national writing awards and contributed book reviews for the New York Times.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Fr...
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Fr...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
June 5, 2022
I am always hesitant about starting long books by an author that I do not know, because I have a sometimes regrettable need to finish every single book that I begin, no matter what. And if a very long book is awful from the beginning, I just know that I'll have to torture myself through the rest of it.
"The Snow Fox" was such a book.
It is the scattered, odd story of a coldly beautiful woman, Lady Utsu, in medieval Japan, and the men who love and obsess over her. Lord Norimasa longs to possess her, while Matsuhito spends his life wishing that they could have been together.
For the first half of the book, dominated mainly be Lady Utsu's story, there is little but dialogue. I often felt as if I was reading a bad play, because nothing was described except for what the characters said aloud. Just as I was beginning to grudgingly get accustomed to it, the style changed to suit a different character.
I had thought that the book could get no worse, and yet it did. After this point, I really cannot say what the book was about. A samurai wanders through the woods for months (or perhaps it is years, or perhaps only days - the author is very bad at giving the reader any indication of how much time has gone by). During all of these hundreds of pages, he does little except let a fox lick him.
The last portion of the book, yet again, grew even more ridiculous. Lady Utsu, now an old woman, finds Matsuhito, and they fall in love all over again. However, their supposed love story fell flat, and they must be the most annoying couple that I have ever had the unfortunate privilege of reading about.
Most of their relationship, especially toward the end of the story, went like this:
Utsu: Our foxes will die! They will go into the woods and never come back!
Matsuhito: No they won't.
Utsu: The child will die!
Matsuhito: No it won't.
Utsu: We are cursed! I see an evil spirit!
Matsuhito: No you don't.
Utsu: You will die! You will leave me! You will stop loving me!
Matsuhito: No I won't.
Utsu: I will die! I will keep getting old and I will die!
Matsuhito: Well, erm, um, eh.....
Utsu: *weeping disconsolately*
And so it went.
Lady Utsu is constantly being described as a cold, cruel woman. I got the feeling that Schaeffer wanted to depict her as a sort of ice queen, regal and fascinating in her terrible beauty. And, indeed, this is exactly how the other characters of the book see her. But as the reader, I saw no such thing. First of all, I saw little cruelty from her, but rather a misunderstood woman who makes painful decisions that she thinks are, nevertheless, best. I had been anticipating a complex heroine-villain from the inside cover's description, so the Lady Utsu that I found was disappointing, as well as rather boring.
Also, she is a hard-as-nails, somber lady in the first part of the book, an essential aspect to the feeling of her character.
By the last portion of the book, when she comes back into the story, she has inexplicably become a weepy, pathetic woman who sees tragedy and evil spirits lurking behind every corner.
See the dialogue above, you'll understand what I mean.
There was a story of Utsu's children that I thought would have been interesting. I was truthfully hoping that the story would switch to them, since I disliked Lady Utsu so much.
They are built up as if they will later come into the story, and yet, they never do.
The single enjoyable sentence I found in this book was - "Memories are a dark wood. Do not enter them."
However, I repeat, that was a single sentence. The rest of this book is dreadfully written, and I will not be reading any more of the author's work.
Not recommended.
"The Snow Fox" was such a book.
It is the scattered, odd story of a coldly beautiful woman, Lady Utsu, in medieval Japan, and the men who love and obsess over her. Lord Norimasa longs to possess her, while Matsuhito spends his life wishing that they could have been together.
For the first half of the book, dominated mainly be Lady Utsu's story, there is little but dialogue. I often felt as if I was reading a bad play, because nothing was described except for what the characters said aloud. Just as I was beginning to grudgingly get accustomed to it, the style changed to suit a different character.
I had thought that the book could get no worse, and yet it did. After this point, I really cannot say what the book was about. A samurai wanders through the woods for months (or perhaps it is years, or perhaps only days - the author is very bad at giving the reader any indication of how much time has gone by). During all of these hundreds of pages, he does little except let a fox lick him.
The last portion of the book, yet again, grew even more ridiculous. Lady Utsu, now an old woman, finds Matsuhito, and they fall in love all over again. However, their supposed love story fell flat, and they must be the most annoying couple that I have ever had the unfortunate privilege of reading about.
Most of their relationship, especially toward the end of the story, went like this:
Utsu: Our foxes will die! They will go into the woods and never come back!
Matsuhito: No they won't.
Utsu: The child will die!
Matsuhito: No it won't.
Utsu: We are cursed! I see an evil spirit!
Matsuhito: No you don't.
Utsu: You will die! You will leave me! You will stop loving me!
Matsuhito: No I won't.
Utsu: I will die! I will keep getting old and I will die!
Matsuhito: Well, erm, um, eh.....
Utsu: *weeping disconsolately*
And so it went.
Lady Utsu is constantly being described as a cold, cruel woman. I got the feeling that Schaeffer wanted to depict her as a sort of ice queen, regal and fascinating in her terrible beauty. And, indeed, this is exactly how the other characters of the book see her. But as the reader, I saw no such thing. First of all, I saw little cruelty from her, but rather a misunderstood woman who makes painful decisions that she thinks are, nevertheless, best. I had been anticipating a complex heroine-villain from the inside cover's description, so the Lady Utsu that I found was disappointing, as well as rather boring.
Also, she is a hard-as-nails, somber lady in the first part of the book, an essential aspect to the feeling of her character.
By the last portion of the book, when she comes back into the story, she has inexplicably become a weepy, pathetic woman who sees tragedy and evil spirits lurking behind every corner.
See the dialogue above, you'll understand what I mean.
There was a story of Utsu's children that I thought would have been interesting. I was truthfully hoping that the story would switch to them, since I disliked Lady Utsu so much.
They are built up as if they will later come into the story, and yet, they never do.
The single enjoyable sentence I found in this book was - "Memories are a dark wood. Do not enter them."
However, I repeat, that was a single sentence. The rest of this book is dreadfully written, and I will not be reading any more of the author's work.
Not recommended.
May 18, 2015
This is a strange and beautiful book. It's definitely not for everyone; I can see the slow pacing, the odd movement through time, and the deliberate simplicity of the writing style putting some readers off. For me, however, it worked really well––I found it gorgeous and heartbreaking. It has love and death and war and poetry and tragedy and humanity, and I loved the characters.
I was initially a bit wary of reading a historical novel about Japan by an American author, for fear that it would be exoticized dreck (e.g. Memoirs of a Geisha, ugh), but fortunately The Snow Fox avoided those pitfalls. My knowledge of Japanese history is pretty much limited to the Edo and Meiji periods, so I can't really judge the novel's historical accuracy, but its world felt very solid, and there was nothing that jumped out at me as being off. Also, this sounds odd, but the writing style, which is simultaneously plain and lyrical, felt to me very much as though it had been translated from Japanese, although the novel was written in English.
I was initially a bit wary of reading a historical novel about Japan by an American author, for fear that it would be exoticized dreck (e.g. Memoirs of a Geisha, ugh), but fortunately The Snow Fox avoided those pitfalls. My knowledge of Japanese history is pretty much limited to the Edo and Meiji periods, so I can't really judge the novel's historical accuracy, but its world felt very solid, and there was nothing that jumped out at me as being off. Also, this sounds odd, but the writing style, which is simultaneously plain and lyrical, felt to me very much as though it had been translated from Japanese, although the novel was written in English.
May 8, 2015
After a nearly 6-month hiatus, I finally picked up where I'd left off in Susan Fromberg Schaeffer's evocative novel, The Snow Fox. I'm left sort of speechless about it. I have very little to say, even though while reading it my thoughts were boundless. It's an excellent portrait of feudal Japan, and does not come across as written from an American perspective. Rather than seeming like a Western exploration of the exotic East, it feels, much of the time, as if it was translated, thought for thought, from original Japanese, and retains many of the mysterious qualities of a Japanese folktale. While it is labeled a "historical novel", and not much in the text refutes it, it really seems to dance along the line between historical and magical realism, without fully committing to the magical aspect. Foxes are present, and preternaturally intelligent, but they do not seem to be kitsune. Ghosts are suggested, but no one is truly haunted. Horrors abound, but they are set against the backdrop of daily life for peasants in the feudal era. It is an unbelievable, folkloric tale, but only if you view it outside of its context. Within the confines of the novel, everything that occurs makes sense.
It's ostensibly a love story about the stoic samurai, Matsuhito, raised from poverty to his lord's most trusted man, and the Lady Utsu, a proud, fierce poet whose beauty is wielded as a weapon, both of whom discover that they may, very possibly, be two of the legendary four children, two sets of siblings switched as children.
Yet The Snow Fox feels, many times, aromantic in its exploration of gender roles and their place in tradition. It simultaneously contemplates whether true happiness is something to strive for, or only something that happens when you are not looking for it, ultimately unable, or unwilling, to answer its own questions.
The ending is perfectly unsatisfying, and yet it could not have ended any other way. It feels like a Noh play, filled with tragedy and sorrowful women and lonely ghosts- perhaps.
I'm sad to have finished it, only because I have so many questions left. A beautiful, truly haunting work. One I'll have to read again some day, if only to unravel my own thoughts about it. Perhaps, like the titular foxes in the text, its real nature is obscure.
It's ostensibly a love story about the stoic samurai, Matsuhito, raised from poverty to his lord's most trusted man, and the Lady Utsu, a proud, fierce poet whose beauty is wielded as a weapon, both of whom discover that they may, very possibly, be two of the legendary four children, two sets of siblings switched as children.
Yet The Snow Fox feels, many times, aromantic in its exploration of gender roles and their place in tradition. It simultaneously contemplates whether true happiness is something to strive for, or only something that happens when you are not looking for it, ultimately unable, or unwilling, to answer its own questions.
The ending is perfectly unsatisfying, and yet it could not have ended any other way. It feels like a Noh play, filled with tragedy and sorrowful women and lonely ghosts- perhaps.
I'm sad to have finished it, only because I have so many questions left. A beautiful, truly haunting work. One I'll have to read again some day, if only to unravel my own thoughts about it. Perhaps, like the titular foxes in the text, its real nature is obscure.
February 23, 2018
I found this book at the Chester, CA library. I hadn't heard of Schaeffer. She was a professor at Brooklyn College, University of Chicago and the author of 14 novels (1970-2006), plus books of poetry and short stories published by Knopf and Simon & Schuster. She always takes a time and place that she knows nothing about, researches it and starts her novel. "Snow Fox," set in sixteenth century Japan seems way out of her realm. However, for those who long for more Murasaki's "Tale of the Genji" novels, this one is seamless. The book is written beautifully, taking the reader from the palaces of shoguns to the mountains of the north. It seems every leaf is noticed. There is court intrigue, there are palace fires, pet foxes, old age, bandits in the hills, and many strange deaths--but all in all, I would fall for Lady Utsu and Samurai Matsuhito again. Schaeffer has also written novels about the Holocaust, the Queen of Egypt, suicide, and the Vietnam war, among others. She also won the National book award for Poetry.
November 16, 2012
Like other historical Japanese novels I've read, this one tediously focuses on mundane activities in great detail. It took six pages for a woman to wash her hair. I couldn't take the characters bursting out into poetry at odd intervals as if they were in some kind of musical; that was too strange. I couldn't connect with a single character and didn't feel bad putting the book down.
July 9, 2007
This book was wonderful, lyrical and mystical at the same time. Definitely going to read more of her books.
November 3, 2024
I actually read this years ago - and remember liking it! It is a convoluted story though.
November 28, 2025
I have not read many historical novels and for sure this is my first set in Japan. A story set approximately 800 years ago in feudal Japan and in it a love story so doomed.
The author's style of writing was perfect for a japanese tale - it was circular, meandering and descriptive. At first I was confused and could not follow the cadence of her writing, but as the pages advanced I felt more in tune to reading and enjoying the unfolding of the battles, courtesan life, bandits, poems and slowly the story became mythlike. By the time Book 3 started I was all in.
And the feelings/longings of the 2 lovers were palpable. And sadness of the tragedy in their life was told in such sorrow I felt overwhelmed. A book to be immersed in, not just for the plot but more for the essence of those time long gone.
The author's style of writing was perfect for a japanese tale - it was circular, meandering and descriptive. At first I was confused and could not follow the cadence of her writing, but as the pages advanced I felt more in tune to reading and enjoying the unfolding of the battles, courtesan life, bandits, poems and slowly the story became mythlike. By the time Book 3 started I was all in.
And the feelings/longings of the 2 lovers were palpable. And sadness of the tragedy in their life was told in such sorrow I felt overwhelmed. A book to be immersed in, not just for the plot but more for the essence of those time long gone.
February 14, 2020
Terrible. I made it to page 81..
It’s all dialogue, and bad dialogue at that. You can barely keep up with who’s speaking, and nothing they’re saying is of any real significance or makes any sense in regards to the plot, which seems basically nonexistent. The characters are all flat.. Lady Utsu is boring and not at all compelling when she murders a man she supposedly loves because the Lord makes her do it. She acts like she can do whatever she wants, but then moped around and talks about how terrible and cruel she is and life is all death anyways so what’s the point? Here’s a poem I wrote let me recite it for you but “it’s not good”. So fucking emo... anyways, I won’t be trying to read anything else by this author either.
It’s all dialogue, and bad dialogue at that. You can barely keep up with who’s speaking, and nothing they’re saying is of any real significance or makes any sense in regards to the plot, which seems basically nonexistent. The characters are all flat.. Lady Utsu is boring and not at all compelling when she murders a man she supposedly loves because the Lord makes her do it. She acts like she can do whatever she wants, but then moped around and talks about how terrible and cruel she is and life is all death anyways so what’s the point? Here’s a poem I wrote let me recite it for you but “it’s not good”. So fucking emo... anyways, I won’t be trying to read anything else by this author either.
January 24, 2023
This book was the first historical novel I read that was set in Japan. I've read some contemporary set books set in Japan, but this was defiantly a first for me. At first I was a little unsure if I liked this book or not. However, I avoided judging until I read the last page and was done. I then let my mind think and work out what I just read. It was an amazing love story and one that will always stay with me. At first I was irritated with how the author wrote the story. She jumped to different points in time without warning. I would find myself absolutely confused and frustrated with the characters.
However, once I got to book two, I was absolutely in love with this book! I even loved how foreboding the book was, it warns you and give you so many clues to what's about to happen and how the book will end. You want to enjoy these and believe that everything will be okay. I wanted so badly for every character to find they're happy ending, but as we all know that that never happens. I will admit that I fell for Matsuhito. He's sort of the Japanese version of William Marshal from 'The Greatest Knight' by Elizabeth Chadwick. He's such a great guy! He's so loyal and perfect. (Spoiler coming) I was devastated that he died at the end, but it was romantic because he couldn't live without Lady Utsu and his son. (Spoiler done).
I hated how the author skipped around and how she plotted out the story. I would've preferred it running in a straight line, but I know she did it purposely. I loved the story and all the characters, even Lord Norimasa's and his psychotic wife. I loved how she well she used the idea of foxes as the symbolism of the entire book. All-in-all, I found this a great story and if you love history like me, you'll enjoy this book. It shows you life of three historical figures in medieval Japan. It shows you a completely unique and misunderstood world. I do recommend that you give this book a shot. Out of 5 stars, I will grant this book 5 stars. It was 4.8, but since I don't do decimals I rounded up.
However, once I got to book two, I was absolutely in love with this book! I even loved how foreboding the book was, it warns you and give you so many clues to what's about to happen and how the book will end. You want to enjoy these and believe that everything will be okay. I wanted so badly for every character to find they're happy ending, but as we all know that that never happens. I will admit that I fell for Matsuhito. He's sort of the Japanese version of William Marshal from 'The Greatest Knight' by Elizabeth Chadwick. He's such a great guy! He's so loyal and perfect. (Spoiler coming) I was devastated that he died at the end, but it was romantic because he couldn't live without Lady Utsu and his son. (Spoiler done).
I hated how the author skipped around and how she plotted out the story. I would've preferred it running in a straight line, but I know she did it purposely. I loved the story and all the characters, even Lord Norimasa's and his psychotic wife. I loved how she well she used the idea of foxes as the symbolism of the entire book. All-in-all, I found this a great story and if you love history like me, you'll enjoy this book. It shows you life of three historical figures in medieval Japan. It shows you a completely unique and misunderstood world. I do recommend that you give this book a shot. Out of 5 stars, I will grant this book 5 stars. It was 4.8, but since I don't do decimals I rounded up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2010
I want to like this book. I really do. I've read it twice now and I just can't get past the clichés and the seeming lack of emotional investment in the characters. I sympathized with the main female character only occasionally and the male character not at all. I didn't understand the underlying theme of the four children - it seemed to have been tossed in to just confuse the reader more.
On the surface, it starts out as a good literary read. But the characters never develop, our desire to care for them never develops and the reader just gets lost in over-used metaphors, obvious writing and a very strange time line.
On the surface, it starts out as a good literary read. But the characters never develop, our desire to care for them never develops and the reader just gets lost in over-used metaphors, obvious writing and a very strange time line.
April 4, 2011
It took me a long time to finish this book. This narrative moved very slowly and I just wasn't compelled to read on. What's more is that main character, Lady Utsu, was supposed to have been a famous poet. Was it just me? The poems she wrote seemed useless and non-sensical. I wanted to appreciate the lyrical value that I expected these poems would add to the overall style of the novel but I just didn't get it.
Maybe you really have to know how to appreciate the art and nature of Haiku to really appreciate this novel.
Maybe you really have to know how to appreciate the art and nature of Haiku to really appreciate this novel.
October 1, 2015
The beginning really grabbed my attention and i thought it would be an engrossing book, but i was disappointed. I thought the story would continue to focus on the characters presented in the beginning since they seemed to be so important, but instead we were diverted and left without resolution as far as i am concerned. I really didn't care about most of the characters except for the man who was killed by ground glass in his food. And, as someone else posted, why should it take 6 pages to wash your hair? honestly.
October 9, 2009
A little confusing at times with the changing of the time periods; but, otherwise an excellent novel. A story that was as beautiful as the ending, which was rather unexpected for me. It seemed less like a portrayal of the Japanese culture, but more like a Japanese fairy tale, if I were to be truthful about it. I loved the book, and I intend of reading it many many times over. I'd recommend it to most everyone.
January 8, 2014
This book was not what i was expecting, i thought this story was going to be about discovering who was who but it was not.
Furthermore, I found it hard to follow sometimes and I was confused as to whether the text was referring to a point in time or jumping back to it entirely, I also thought that transition between the story of one character to the narrative of the other irksome.
This book left me wanting, it was hard to read and finish
Furthermore, I found it hard to follow sometimes and I was confused as to whether the text was referring to a point in time or jumping back to it entirely, I also thought that transition between the story of one character to the narrative of the other irksome.
This book left me wanting, it was hard to read and finish
March 22, 2008
This book was interesting as far as learning a little more about the ancient Japanese culture goes. But as far as the point and the plot I found it very lacking. By the end of the book I was just pushing myself through it so that I could finish it. It never felt like it really reached a climax or an ending. Nobody likes an experience like that...
December 29, 2018
When I first bought this book, I couldn't put it down. I think I blew through the first half of it in one night. There's something in the storytelling that's both minimalist and overwhelming, and for a reason that I can't quite define, it's probably my favorite book ever. By the time I got to the last page, I was actually in tears, and that's never happened before or since.
July 17, 2010
I really thought that this book was poorly written and disjointed. Much of the narrative sluggishly moved along and the characters were weakly rendered-I couldn't care about any of them and couldn't wait for the ending just to get it finished, so that I could move on to something else...we sell this at the bookstore and I am wondering how it got on the shelves since everything is hand-selected?
November 2, 2022
I'm saddened that the author of this book is no longer with us. She was a great storyteller. I enjoyed this book very much. I don't want to say much more than that because I don't want to spoil anything.
August 2, 2010
This book is too slow. I rarely don't finish a book, but this one is so slow that I may never go back to it.
November 5, 2018
I made it halfway through, but when I found myself dreading my reading time, I decided to stop. I just didn't care about any of the characters enough to continue.
January 24, 2020
I have mixed feelings about this book...
I hated the writing style when I first started, and I never thought I'd be able to even finish this book, to be honest. With time, though, I grew to like it, and I realised it adds to the mythical, folklore atmosphere of the book. It is still slightly stiff and makes reading a bit slower and less satisfying at times, though.
The plot itself was very meandering and didn't seem to have any sort of real point apart from just... Being. I suppose that's alright, though. It felt refreshing, really, having a plot that didn't feel the need to bring in a grand, dramatic plot twist around every corner.
In summary, it was quite a unique read, and it felt much like what I would imagine old, translated Japanese books may have been like. In any case, it may not be my favourite new book, but it'll certainly be a memorable read.
I hated the writing style when I first started, and I never thought I'd be able to even finish this book, to be honest. With time, though, I grew to like it, and I realised it adds to the mythical, folklore atmosphere of the book. It is still slightly stiff and makes reading a bit slower and less satisfying at times, though.
The plot itself was very meandering and didn't seem to have any sort of real point apart from just... Being. I suppose that's alright, though. It felt refreshing, really, having a plot that didn't feel the need to bring in a grand, dramatic plot twist around every corner.
In summary, it was quite a unique read, and it felt much like what I would imagine old, translated Japanese books may have been like. In any case, it may not be my favourite new book, but it'll certainly be a memorable read.
January 28, 2020
I cannot truly figure out how I feel about this book, other than it is a duality.
I like it and don't like at the same time.
This book is equal parts a scattered plot and a cohesive plot.
I originally picked up this book because the cover caught my eye and I was tired of the same fantasy genres I had been reading nonstop for several months. I wanted a nice historical fiction.....
I wasn't expecting this. There were times when I couldn't put the book down as I needed to know what happened next and times where I was loathed to pick it up because it felt so dry.
Nothing happened, it was a story about mundane everyday life from birth until death and the changing of seasons.
Everything happened, war, swapped children, murder, politics and plague.
I like it and don't like at the same time.
This book is equal parts a scattered plot and a cohesive plot.
I originally picked up this book because the cover caught my eye and I was tired of the same fantasy genres I had been reading nonstop for several months. I wanted a nice historical fiction.....
I wasn't expecting this. There were times when I couldn't put the book down as I needed to know what happened next and times where I was loathed to pick it up because it felt so dry.
Nothing happened, it was a story about mundane everyday life from birth until death and the changing of seasons.
Everything happened, war, swapped children, murder, politics and plague.
October 14, 2023
Książka, która długa zachowa się w mojej pamięci. Ostatnie strony mnie pokonały emocjonalnie. Niesamowita i dojrzała opowieść o dwóch nieszczęśliwych ludziach poznających się w pięknym świecie. Najbardziej zachwyciły mnie dialogi i przekazywane w nich wartości oraz skupianie się na detalach. Tę książkę czyta się po to, aby poznać co jest tu i teraz a nie wyczekiwać na dalszy bieg wydarzeń. Jest to łapanie chwili i delektowanie się każdą stroną.❤️🩹
February 17, 2023
another book about two foreign lovers surviving war and famine, seperated for a period of a few decades and reunited in older age to rejoice in their memories as young lovers. easy read, clever and playful narrative between the main characters, and a happy ending - good travel read.
picked it up in Tulum, finished it in Miami
picked it up in Tulum, finished it in Miami
December 4, 2018
This book was really atmospheric. I got the sense of a traditional Japanese story with the way everything was described and the sentiments expressed. At times a bit repetitive but I was satisfied with the ending.
January 19, 2025
I found it a very hard read because of the way it was written? The plot seemed kind of all over the place and almost reads like a bad play? I love historical fiction. I love long books. I love Japanese tales. But this book was a tough one to finish.
January 30, 2019
Found it long had a hard time finishing the book. Midway it got better. The characters are interesting the plot a bit long.
April 28, 2020
Interesting book with great historical background to give readers sense of the times and setting.
October 18, 2021
Catch me crying over some foxes and a horse
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews