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Exquisite Sense of What is Beautiful, An

Simons, J David

  13 Reviews

Japan and all things Japanese have always held Briton Edward Strathairn in thrall, so much so that he writes his best-selling novel while living there. Although launching his stellar career, 'The Watershed', the novel in question, proves to be a divisive issue in his life as it challenges the treatment meted out by America to the Japanese citizenry during World War II, in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Now in his twilight years, Edward returns to Japanese shores, reflecting on his life and work.

Moving between past and present, this is a gently provocative story of changing perspectives and world events rendered accessible through the lives of individuals. [small font]

Comments from Groups

We were fascinated by this book because of the beautiful and excellent descriptive writing. Despite not liking the self-centred main character, he and the others were so well drawn and very real, and the interaction between them very interesting...We would be interested in trying another book by this author. Auckland 293

There were mixed responses to this book. Some people loved it while others were less keen, and were annoyed by the main character's flawed personality. We all agreed however, that it was well written and it provided several interesting and thought provoking issues to discuss. We very much appreciated Joan Curry's book notes - in fact we always enjoy reading her comments. Wellington 007

Most enjoyed it, we felt we learnt quite a lot and had a good discussion.We thought the notes were well written, the questions mostly relevant. We would recommend it it to other readers. Geraldine 002

Our group enjoyed this book. We seem to have had a lot of "time-hop" books but this one flowed quite well. It demonstrated the complexities of relationships....love , hate, anger and violence. We had an interesting discussion re Japanese/American perceptions of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings... Auckland 293

There was a mixed reaction to this book. Most did not admire the central character, and some had trouble finding the 'beautiful' aspect. But we did realize it was well-constructed book with many facets. We found Joan Curry's notes very good indeed; most helpful, and great discussion ensued. Coromandel 002

A beautiful book to end the year - well written and descriptive. Many issues in it made for good discussion. More like this please! Nelson 062

Complex with many layers covering history, cultures, human relationships and much more. Beautifully descriptive passages capturing the essence of Japan. We all highly recommend this book. Great in-depth discussion. Diamond Harbour 001

Provocative, very well crafted, an excellent read, perhaps the best for the year. We would recommend it. A good book for discussion with almost too many themes! Upper Hutt 001

The group were fairly lukewarm to this book. The strength of the book was the descriptions of Japan, particularly of Tokyo in 2003. However, the main character is very unsympathethic and we didn't feel that overall the book was successful. Wellington 001

Pages
272
Year
2013

Reviews

GISB 003
14-03-2024
We all enjoyed the writing in this book and were grateful for the small number of characters to follow. There was much interest in the Japan connection. Not all of us liked the character Edward, but we all liked Aldous.
AUCK 172
14-03-2024
Everyone ( but one!) enjoyed this book. Long discussion followed.
KATIK 005
14-03-2024
Most members of this book discussion group rated this novel highly. In particular the well crafted writing and the sense of conveying the story without superfluous words...
WANAK 016
14-03-2024
It was unanimous - we all enjoyed this book!
NELS 022
14-03-2024
A popular book.
KATIK 008
14-03-2024
Generally, members found it a difficult read, and not particularly enjoyable. However the historical background and settings encouraged much discussion. We thought his character portrayal was good, and that it was an interesting format.
TEKUI 002
14-03-2024
Everyone enjoyed this book on different levels - a first for this year! Layered story telling and great writing, and we had good discussions on many points.
ASHB 022
14-03-2024
We all thought that this was a very well-written book, but the main character didn't appeal to us. We all thought that he was very selfish, and we were disappointed that there wasn't enough information on Japanese culture and post war effects.
CHCH 353
14-03-2024
The group found it difficult to engage with this book. Some members found the main character Edward to be self absorbed and unlikeable. The group would have liked more description or an account of the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
GORE 006
13-03-2024
Thought provoking, re second World War, bombs etc. Lots of discussion.
AUCK 085
13-03-2024
Nearly all of us enjoyed this excellent read. A great weaving of decades into the one story.
TAIRU 001
11-03-2024
Provoked good discussion. We all thought his writing was excellent. We found it hard to make any judgements on the bombing - our judgements would be out of context.
MARTO 004
06-11-2019
"Exquisitely" written. Easy to follow the back and forth in time. Well researched. Gave a good sense of the culture, history and reactions/hatred/resilience of the Japanese people. Fantastic 'book club' book - initiated excellent discussion. Recommended reading.