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The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet
By David Mitchell
(Random House Trade Paperbacks, Paperback, 9780812976366, 512pp.)

The Short of It:

Elegantly written, but a bit too slow for me.

The Rest of It:

I’m at a loss for words and cannot describe this book properly so here is the blurb from the publisher:

The year is 1799, the place Dejima in Nagasaki Harbor, the Japanese Empire’s single port and sole window onto the world, designed to keep the West at bay. To this place of devious merchants, deceitful interpreters, and costly courtesans comes Jacob de Zoet, a devout young clerk who has five years in the East to earn a fortune of sufficient size to win the hand of his wealthy fiancée back in Holland. But Jacob’s original intentions are eclipsed after a chance encounter with Orito Aibagawa, the disfigured midwife to the city’s powerful magistrate. The borders between propriety, profit, and pleasure blur until Jacob finds his vision clouded, one rash promise made and then fatefully broken—the consequences of which will extend beyond Jacob’s worst imaginings.

This novel and I did not get along. There were sections that were beautifully written, but in between those were long spans of overly descriptive text that I really did not have the energy to appreciate. As interesting as pieces of this novel were, it’s really the most frustrating love story ever. Jacob is totally infatuated with Orito and as decades pass, they cross paths maybe four times (I lost count)? This would be great if Orito felt the same way about him, but she doesn’t, so the periods in between their meetings are long, painful stretches where Jacob continues to imagine how it could be between the two of them.

My book club discussed it last week and although most of us agreed that the writing is beautiful, many agreed that the pace was questionable. It’s one of those books where nothing happens. Some could argue that lots happened, but really… I would have to disagree with that. One member pointed out that long periods of isolation would drag out like that. I thought that was an interesting comment and then started to think that the structure of the novel was intentionally laid out that way…but then I thought the opposite. Not sure why.

This is not a book to skim. You have to take your time with it and perhaps I just didn’t have enough time to devote to it, because it’s well-received by many. For now, I will part ways with David Mitchell but in a year or two, I wouldn’t be surprised if I picked up one of his other books (Cloud Atlas, Black Swan Green) because the writing was beautiful and some of the characters were quite vividly drawn.

Source: Purchased for my Kindle.

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A Canticle for Leibowitz
By Walter M. Miller
(Harper Voyager, Paperback, 9780060892999, May 2006, 352pp.)

The Short of It:

First published in 1960, A Canticle for Leibowitz is at once a telling tale of what happens to civilization after a nuclear war, and a reminder that history has a tendency to repeat itself.

The Rest of It:

This story spans thousands of years as civilization attempts to rebuild itself after a nuclear war. The monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz are charged with preserving historical remnants and protecting technological advances until the world is ready to once again accept them.

I’m not even sure what to say about this one. In a lot of ways it’s a brilliant novel, yet… there was a simpleness to it which made it seem less so. At least, while reading it, I didn’t get a sense that this was one of the greatest literary works to have been published. However, it was (and is) considered a literary masterpiece by many.

As quiet as the delivery is, the message that Miller delivers packs a powerful punch and that message is clearly, that history has a way of repeating itself. As he describes the “simplification” process where all who are learned are either killed or attacked by mobs, you can’t help but think about other historical events which involved the hatred of others just because they were different.

Oh, and let’s talk about industrialization for a moment. The advances in technology that we make use of each and every day are welcomed for the most part, but at some point, the effects of having them will take their toll. We know this, so while reading this story, I found it amusing that these monks were fighting to protect technology.

This is definitely the kind of book that you have to ponder for a while and I must say, I’ve read a lot of apocalyptic novels yet none of them had this “bigger than self” feel. There is so much to discuss between the religious themes, the theme of recurrence and the balance between church and state.

My book club chose this book and we discuss it this Thursday. It will be interesting to hear their reactions.

Source: Borrowed from the library.