Spring Snow

Book Description

The first novel of Mishima's landmark tetralogy, The Sea of fertility

Spring Snow is set in Tokyo in 1912, when the hermetic world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders -- rich provincial families unburdened by tradition, whose money and vitality make them formidable contenders for social and political power.

Among this rising new elite are the ambitious Matsugae, whose son has been raised in a family of the waning aristocracy, the elegant and attenuated Ayakura. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new -- fiercely loving and hating the exquisite, spirited Ayakura Satoko. He suffers in psychic paralysis until the shock of her engagement to a royal prince shows him the magnitude of his passion, and leads to a love affair that is as doomed as it was inevitable.

Customer Reviews:

Boring and maudlin.......2007-10-08

Maybe it was a bad transalation. Maybe I could not relate as a westerner to an old Japanese story, but I really did not enjoy this book. It was maudlin and unbelievable. Story was boring. Character development was terrible and it was poorly written/transalated. I recommend Murakami's Norwegian Wood for those who want to read books by Japanese authors.

the beauty and destructive power of all-consuming love.......2007-07-23

Mishima's Spring Snow is a coming-of-age tale for nouveau riche Kiyoaki, whose naive childhood crush on the more mature Satoko grows into something much more powerful, beautiful and, ultimately, destructive. Kiyoaki's failings are human and familiar; acting on rash impulses, immaturity, a failure to realise what he wants till he has lost it. Mishima's characterisation is finely drawn and accurate. The scheming Tadeshina turns out to have her own secret heartbreak, enervated Ayakura lacks guile but not luck, the ancient loyalties of the Abessess make her a formidable eminence grice. The characters are at once individually drawn and representative of a unique and fascinating era of flux and change in Japan, as ancient modes of behaviour gave way to modernising forces. Mishima's novel is both of its time and timeless. A true masterpiece.

First Novel of Mishima's Masterpiece.......2007-07-01

Just finished reading an excellent book, just a few minutes ago, and I feel compelled to write a review, while ideas are still fresh in my mind.

This is the first book I've finished reading for my Summer Reading. The book is called Snow Spring (Haru no Yuki) by Mishima Yukio and its the first book in his masterpiece, The Sea of Fertility or Hojou no Umi. The Sea of Fertility is a series of four novels by one of Japan's greatest authors. The book I have is the Vintage International edition, translated by Michael Gallagher.

This novel really moved me. In the last 100 pages, I couldn't do anything but finish it. Just like a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, where the reader hangs onto every word until the truth and mystery is finally revealed in the last word, so does this novel grip the reader.

On the surface is a conventional tale of the Japanese idea of unrequited love, a theme that is done over and over again in Japanese fiction. What sets this piece apart from others, is Mishima narrative drive and richly detailed characters and the psychological insight into every major and minor character involved.

Kiyoaki begins his ill fated relationship with the beautiful Satoko, whom he has known all his life. At first he disregards her and then he is on fire to obtain her love after she is engaged to a Prince. Wealthy families are invovled in making the Wedding ceremony a success and any type of scandal leaking out to the press must be avoided at all costs. But Kioyaki single minded determination to pursure Satoko, despite such obstacles, causes the reader to want him to succeed.

On the one hand, Kiyoaki lets his desires and emotions rage out of control and on the other all those emotions put him into action. He used to sit around in his room all day, lonely and depressed, until he just decided to pusure love. Its his drive to obtain love and his selfish quest for Satoko's heavenly beauty that pushes him along page after page. These type of overly romantic novels can quickly turn unwittingly comical in lesser writer. But Mishima combines the richness of Japanese traditional and culture with romantic ideas of love and realistic views, based in concrete reality, that prevent the work from becoming a low form of soap opera.

The novel is both realistic novel and emotional charged romantic that causes the entire work to be a cleverly crafted paradox. For example, Honda is Kiyoaki's best friend in high school. Honda has a revelation that he must prevent Kiyoaki from pursuing Satoko becomes of his friend's harmful obession. The fact that Honda can't bring himself to hurt his friend by giving him a cold rational arguement, shows love between friends that isn't distorted by irrational love. Kiyoaki's love for Satoko is more based on his own selfish fantasy. It is this fantastic love that wins out between Satoko and over Honda, who had good intentions but failed to act on them. Irrational love wins out over the gloom of reality.

Without giving away any more of the story, let me just end with how this book took over my imagination and wouldn't let it go for 2 whole days. All day Saturday and all Sunday afternoon, I cared more about the characters in this story then my own family. I couldn't do anything else except finish reading it.

It starts out slow but builds to a breakneck speed in the end. It is highly recommended for anyone who wants to read an excellent novel this Summer. Forget about it being Japanese and look past all that exoticism and you will see the novel for all its beauty.

Today I will start on the second novel in the series, called Runaway Horses.

I can't wait.

Landscapes -- Interior and Exterior.......2007-03-06

In "Spring Snow," Yukio Mishima has chosen the perfect title for his novel. The narrative is as gentle and as beautiful as wet snow on spring blossoms, and indeed there is a poignant scene where two lovers have a tryst in a rickshaw under such conditions. It was my first foray into the world of Mishima -- indeed, of Japanese literature -- and will not be my last.

The story of a young and handsome aristocrat, Kiyoaki Matsugae, and the beautiful and mysterious Ayakura Satoko, comes from the same time-honored tradition of as more familiar star-crossed lovers such as Romeo and Juliet, Pyramus and Thisbe, Tristan and Isolde, and Lancelot and Guinevere. Set just after the Russo-Japanese War in the early 20th century, the novel offers intriguing insights into a Japanese culture that is at once in flux and clinging to traditions.

If you love a writer whose strength is description of nature, Mishima is not to be missed. His words are as fit as any Nature Channel special on the wonders of Japan and he is equally adept at describing the contours of his young lovers' bodies. In addition to the sensual and sensuous wonders, the inner psychology of passion-plagued minds is a point of expertise for this writer. He deftly avoids sentimentalism while walking the thin line between hatred and love, between passion and pain.

Symbolism, description, psychology, and a gentle narrative pace. What's not to love? Readers looking for a fast-paced plot might not be overwhelmed, but those who love it when they stumble upon a "writer's writer" will be glad they tried Yukio Mishima. It is the first book of the tetralogy, "The Sea of Fertility."

Beautiful Modern Allegory for the Aristocrats of the Soul.......2006-11-21

Suprisingly, after reading the reviews for Yukio Mishima's literary masterpiece "Spring Snow," I was unable to find anyone who interpreted this tragic Romeo and Juliet like love story the same way that I did. Perhaps, because of my own right wing and nationalistic belief systems that were similar to Mishimas I was able to catch the subtle hints of greater depths beneath the somewhat simple and cliched story of two lovers whose desire to be with one another was thwarted by unfortunate circumstances. I understood "Spring Snow" to be an elegantly written allegory full of symbolism and metaphors and describing the decline and gradual dissolution of the traditional world of the past; a society that existed as a thriving, living hierarchy wherein the Emperor represented the peak. I understood the main protagonist Kiyoaki, a son of an ancient traditional samurai family, to represent a weakened and diluted traditional Japanese society that has become listless and frail due to the inroads that "progressive" Western society and influence had made on it, but which still retained some residue of its health. Satoko, Kiyoaki's love whom he is obsessed with, is the soul of that traditional society. Honda, Kiyoaki's best friend, represents the modern world with its emphasis on all of its afflictions such as rationality, reason, "progressiveness," intellectualization, and industrialism. The ending is a tragic scenario describing symbolically and microcosmically what has happened on a macroscopic scale. The life and spirit of the traditional world has separated (Satoko willingly renounces this world and becomes a nun at a Buddhist convent, swearing an oath never to see Kiyoaki again in this life), Kioyaki, representing the traditional world, lacking the very spirit that gives it life, dies, leaving only his dreams to Honda (the best friend who is compassionate, caring, and sympathizing, but incapable of understanding Kiyoaki) the new sterile modern world which replaces the old. However, once our declining civilization finally self destructs, a world will be reborn in which Kiyoaki and Satoko will be reunited, and a mechanistic sort of life will be again reinvested with a passionate spirit. Also described is the corruption in the nobility who no longer follow principles and modes of behavior that arise not through the acknowledging of rules and ideas that are imposed on them from the outside, but a way of life that permeates from within, overflowing and filled with an organic livelihood, and who are instead preoccupied with pettiness and a pathological preoccupation of appearances.
"Spring Snow" is the first book I have had the fortune of reading by this luminary literary figure from Japan and it will not be the last.

The behavior of the snow bunting in spring (Linnaean Society of New York. Transactions)

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The behavior of the snow bunting in spring (Linnaean Society of New York. Transactions)
Niko Tinbergen
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Binding: Unknown Binding

Violets Blooming in a Late Spring Snow: A Birthmother Reflects on Adoption

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Tears of understanding
An inspiring, beautifully written true life story.

Violets Blooming in a Late Spring Snow: A Birthmother Reflects on Adoption
Jacqueline Ramthun
Manufacturer: Worlds a Stage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adoption | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0966190114

Customer Reviews:

Tears of understanding.......2000-10-31

I work with hopeful adoptive couples, so I ordered this book for them. Unbeknown to many of them,I am also a birth grandmother. The book was a delightful read that brought tears of joy, and sorrow, to my eyes. I want to send a special copy to my daughter (the birth mother), the adoptive parents of her child, as well as to my mother, because I think it's a book we can all relate to as a way of understanding what we've gone through these past 7 months. We have an "open adoption" so can see/write/talk to each other whenever we want. It's amazing to even imagine what it would have been like 20 or 30 years ago; we have much to be thankful for. But that doesn't take away from the losses that everyone brings to the adoptive table. Everything about the book was enjoyable--even the cover of the book, a soft pastel/water color print of violets, was pleasing to look at. And I loved all the quotes from those great songs of the 60's and 70's (with a few earlier ones thrown in)!

An inspiring, beautifully written true life story........1999-04-30

This true life story about a young woman who faced a life-giving decision (all alone) has made a great impact upon many readers. I know, because I have given several copies of "Violets" to friends. Beautifully written, Jacqueline Ramthun allows the reader into her very soul. Her recall of simple, yet difficult memories are woven throughout her story. Readers will share along with the author, the feelings this young woman felt along her decision-making path. I would describe this book as inspirational and hope giving for a world filled with so much tradegy and despair. The author's choice at a time so filled with remorse and sorrow is rewarded with love and new lives, she could not imagine. I highly recommend this book for both young men and women, parents and grandparents. It will leave you feeling better about the gift of life.

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Excellent book for children.

Spring Snowman
Jill Barnes , and Fusako Ishinabe
Manufacturer: Garrett Educational Corp
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0944483836

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book for children........1999-10-18

It is a wonderful story about a snowman that melts in the spring. The children that used to come and see it are disappointed. However, they are surprised to find something else in its place in the spring! My children and I loved it!

The Primavera of Sandro Botticelli: A Neoplatonic Interpretation (New Connections : Studies in Interdisciplinarity, Vol 5)

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The Primavera of Sandro Botticelli: A Neoplatonic Interpretation (New Connections : Studies in Interdisciplinarity, Vol 5)
Joanne Snow-Smith
Manufacturer: Peter Lang Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Renaissance | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 082041736X

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Animals in the Snow
Margaret Wise Brown
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786820322

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Footprints on a Late Spring Snow
Larry L. Sayles
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1418491330

Book Description

In the mid-1800's when the northwest territories were coming into being, a special brand of men and women settled that country. Among those early settlers were roughshod mountain men, scalleywags, murders, thieves, gamblers and occasionally, men of character and honor. The latter describes the focus of this book, one Thomas Parsons. Born as a slave, young Thomas was given his freedom in San Francisco and then shortly thereafter shanghaied for two years and abused by a sea captain. He eventually escaped and became a mountain man, business man, successful rancher and eventually a medical doctor. Throughout his life he was fair and generous with his good fortune.

Modern Fiction Studies: A Critical Quarterly Published by the Modern Fiction Club of the Purdue University Department of English, Volume XII, Number 1, Spring 1966: Henry James Special Number

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Modern Fiction Studies: A Critical Quarterly Published by the Modern Fiction Club of the Purdue University Department of English, Volume XII, Number 1, Spring 1966: Henry James Special Number
Maurice Beebe , Leon Edel , Manfred Mackenzie , Stephen Reid , Walter Dubler , Lotus Snow , Ernest H. Lockridge , Stephen Koch , Alan Rose , and William T. Stafford
Manufacturer: Purdue University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000S6ODUY

Product Description

Articles: "To the Poet of Prose" by Leon Edel; "Ironic Melodrama in The Portrait of a Lady" by Manfred Mackenzie; "Moral Passion in The Portrait of a Lady and The Spoils of Poynton" by Stephen Reid; "The Princess Casamassima: Its Place in the James Canon" by Walter Dubler; "'The Prose and the Modesty of the Matter': James's Imagery for the Artist in Roderick Hudson and The Tragic Muse" by Lotus Snow; "A Vision of Art: Henry James's The Tragic Muse" by Ernest H. Lockridge; "Transcendence in The Wings of the Dove" by Stephen Koch; "The Spatial Form of The Golden Bowl" by Alan Rose; and "Criticism of Henry James: A Selected Checklist" by Maurice Beebe and William T. Stafford.

Nieve de primavera/ Spring Snow (El Mar De La Fertilidad/ the Sea of Fertility)

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Nieve de primavera/ Spring Snow (El Mar De La Fertilidad/ the Sea of Fertility)
Yukio Mishima
Manufacturer: Alianza Editorial Sa
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Japanese | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Other Side of the Bridge
W. HSnel , and A. de Wolf
Manufacturer: North-South
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1558586261

Book Description

"[Morse is] the most prickly, conceited, and genuinely brilliant detective since Hercule Poirot."
--The New York Times Book Review

Inspector Morse isn't sure what to make of the truncated body found dumped in the Oxford Canal, but he suspects it may be all that's left of an elderly Oxford don last seen boarding the London train several days before. Whatever the truth, the inspector knows it won't be simple--it never is. As he retraces Professor Browne-Smith's route through a London netherworld of topless bars and fancy bordellos, his forebodings are fulfilled. The evidence mounts; so do the bodies. So Morse downs another pint, unleashes his pit bull instincts, and solves a mystery that defies all logic.

"[Dexter] is a magician with character, story construction, and the English language. . . . Colin Dexter and Morse are treasures of the genre."
--Mystery News

"It is a delight to watch this brilliant, quirky man deduce."
--Minneapolis Star & Tribune

Customer Reviews:

Classic Dexter!.......2004-12-21

This book is classic Dexter. There are more blind alleys and corners throughout than you usually find in two or three books, let alone just one. This case causes Morse to use all his skills and abilities when he tries to unravel this mystery. It starts out with a headless torso turning up in a nearby river. Morse and his faithful Lewis have to identify this body as well as find the killer. More bodies keep turning up and it soon appears that they don't have any suspects, let alone an identity to the first murder victim. Once uncovered though, it's a grand tale of deception and plotting all bound up in the ivory tower of an established, highly-regarded school of learning. Good stuff.

Dexter continues his Morse Code in grand style!.......2002-03-06

It's certainly a crime of the most perplexing sort--so perplexing (and convoluted) that it
would take an Inspector Morse to separate the "facts" from "fiction"! In Colin Dexter's
Morse novel, one of a long series, the erswhile policeman finds himself "drowning" in a sea of clues,
lies, innuendos, red herrings.

A dismembered body is fished out of the Oxford Canal--only the torso remains and
Morse and Sergeant Lewis are up to the challenge. As if often the case, Oxford

University is involved. A don has disappeared, leaving about a plethora of clues. It's the
long and winding road down the halls of academe for the Thames Valley police and the
trail bounces back and forth to London and some of its seedier spots.

The scenario seems set with an opening scene out of World War II, when the
Gilbert brothers (local boys from the Oxford area) face the horrors of the battle of El
Alamein, the youngest of the three dieing. The company commander, a Lt. Browne-Smith
just happens now to be a don in question at Oxford.

Dexter pulls on punches as he permits Morse and Lewis to take on this
bizarre--certainly macabre--case. With his usual erudite style, the author's clever, at times
witty and ascerbic, plot and character development takes the reader for a great ride (and
read). Written in 1983, long before, one presumes, Dexter had envisioned Morse's demise
("The Remorseful Day"), "The Riddle of the Third Mile" is carefully orchestrated, with
the climactic results rushing in with a top crescendo! (The reader must be a bit careful as
the facts and events come almost as an onslaught!) The tone of this episode, despite its
shocking crime scenario, is one of greater levity than some of his later books ("The Wench
Is Dead," for instance),but it was written some 15 years before "Remorseful Day," and the
tone and atmosphere are naturally different. This one gives additional insight into Morse's
earlier (younger) days, of his stepping down from Oxford and of the first love of his life
(Morse is ever the eternal optimist when it comes to beautiful women!). Dexter also fills
this one with his usual literary allusions, clever references, and an incredible vocabulary
(probably only equated by Dame P.D. James or William Buckley, themselves!).

I found this one probably to be the most delightful and intriguing of the Morse series,
perhaps because of the levity he chooses to exhibit. Regardless, readers of the Morse code
will find this episode in fine keeping with the others. A good read!

Dexter continues his Morse code in grand style!.......2002-03-02

A dismembered body is fished out of the Oxford Canal--only the torso remains and
Morse and Sergeant Lewis are up to the challenge. As if often the case, Oxford
University is involved. A don has disappeared, leaving about a plethora of clues. It's the
long and winding road down the halls of academe for the Thames Valley police and the
trail bounces back and forth to London and some of its seedier spots.

The scenario seems set with an opening scene out of World War II, when the
Gilbert brothers (local boys from the Oxford area) face the horrors of the battle of El
Alamein, the youngest of the three dieing. The company commander, a Lt. Browne-Smith
just happens now to be a don in question at Oxford.

Pure vintage Inspector Morse........2001-08-25

When the trunk of a dismembered body is fished out of the canal, Inspector Morse is almost certain that it is Oxford don Browne-Smith, who has recently dropped out of sight. But then a letter, purportedly written by that don, indicates that perhaps the body is that of a different don. But then perhaps the letter is deliberately misleading, and the remains may be Browne-Smith after all. This is one of the most perplexing of the Morse mysteries. The apparent motive is supplied in a World War 2 flashback at the beginning of the novel, when Browne-Smith's cowardice prevents the saving of a soldier who could be the younger brother of a set of twins in the same tank unit, who are now seeking revenge after all these years. But as the novel progresses, the possible identity of the headless, handless, legless corpse keeps changing, and as soon as a new candidate appears, his readily identifiable body pops up elsewhere, until all the probabilities seem to be exhausted. Don't bother trying to guess the outcome of this novel. Just try to keep up with the sudden changes. Morse is at his best here, unraveling the bewildering texture of this complex mystery thread by thread. The characterizations are excellent, and although the overall plot is a bit incredible, it is handled in Dexter's usual smooth style. This is one of the best of the Morse series.

Going Down For the Third Time.......2000-12-09

Was it that I wasn't paying attention? Or was it that this Colin Dexter novel just wasn't as well written as his others? An avid Inspector Morse fan (to the extent of visiting the sites of several of his books in Oxford) I struggled with this one. A very clever double identity premise is doubled again. Then redoubled? I'm not sure. I got lost in the middle and by the time I turned the last page I just shook my head. Despite my going down for the third time on this one, I continue to enjoy the irascible Morse and the ploddingly faithful Lewis. And of course I'll read the next Colin Dexter.

3 Inspector Morse Mystery PBs by Colin Dexter: Daughters of Cain, Riddle of the Third Mile, Service of All the Dead (Inspector Morse)

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3 Inspector Morse Mystery PBs by Colin Dexter: Daughters of Cain, Riddle of the Third Mile, Service of All the Dead (Inspector Morse)
Colin Dexter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RMPKZ6

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Paperbacks

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THE RIDDLE OF THE THIRD MILE

Manufacturer: BANTAM
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GYBWCK

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The Riddle of the Third Mile
Colin Dexter
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S9UYEK

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Riddle of the Third Mile
Colin Dexter
Manufacturer: PAN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000W8L0RM

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The Riddle of the Third Mile
Colin Dexter
Manufacturer: MacMillan
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUIT6S

The Riddle of the Third Mile (Pan Crime)

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The Riddle of the Third Mile (Pan Crime)
Colin Dexter
Manufacturer: Pan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUQHTO

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The Riddle of the Third Mile

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GS642O

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The Riddle of the Third Mile
Colin Dexter
Manufacturer: Pan Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000JBYJF2

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The Riddle of the Third Mile
Colin DEXTER
Manufacturer: St. Martin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OPCB1W

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