Update on Genji

Readers! This is a short post. I am finally more than half-way through The Tale of Genji! It has taken me longer than usual, but I am not worried :). I am still enjoying the novel as much as I always have, though there have been changes!

Genji, for one, is no longer a shining youth, but a grown man...and a little less lovable, at that. He still exceeds in everything he does, and his consideration for those around him is generally pretty clear, yet the reader becomes privy to some of his not-so-pretty moments as Genji grows(like trying to seduce his brother-in-law's daughter when he should have been acting as a father figure, all the while distastefully showing her off to other suitors).

I love novels that follow the whole life of a character, and Shikibu surprises me in her ability to show true character change and development over time in characters that really matter. Not only does The Tale show Genji's development from child, teenager, young adult, to now full grown adult, it does the same for his children, his family and his friends. The characters are unique and have very real personal relationships that change, or don't change, as time passes.

I shall add much more to the character list in the future-- I have been working on it as I read but it is difficult to transfer to the blog, so I shall do it all at once when I have finished the novel. Though it was really helpful, I think I finally got enough of a hang on the characters to not need it much more. As the pages turn, I get more accustomed to the Japanese Heian culture; I can already anticipate many of the footnote references! After 700 pages of the same types of human interactions, historical references and cultural practices, it's hard not to be completely invested!

All of this to say that I still maintain my recommendation of the novel! Except it does drag on, and the novel might not be interesting for readers who need an exciting story to keep entertained. In many ways The Tale of Genji is quite boring, except for moments of death, birth and other dramatic events. The novel is a simple story about life. This is what makes it appealing, though, and I dare readers looking for a new experience to pick it up!

Up next:Shards, by Ismet Prcip. Highly recommended to me by a friend, I simply CANNOT wait to be able to start it! I am sorely tempted to just start it now, but I worry I won't ever finish Genji if I do!

I am reading in bed now, but I wish all readers a good day! Even those who stumbled here by accident while Internet browsing, though you may not read too much, I urge you all to try a new book today. It's so much more fun than you can even imagine! Often, people who do not read just haven't found that one book yet, the one book to show them the pleasure of reading. Maybe Genji won't be the best for you, but comment and I would love to give a personalized recommendation! Or browse through the pretty exhaustive list of my books in one of my tabs for some ideas.

Sunset was approaching, mist beautifully veiled the sky, and the mountain's shadow seemed to dim, while everywhere cicadas sang and pinks gracefully nodded their pretty colors along the fence. The flowers in the near garden bloomed in bright profusion to cooling water sounds, while the pines sighed like a forest in the mournful mountain wind; and when the bell rang in new monks to take up the perpetual scripture reading for the old, the voices of both blended a moment to awesome effect.

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