A beautifully written book

I'm listening to books I read decades ago to see of they're still among my favorites. Kawabata is one of my favorite authors and this is considered his masterpiece. I was about to give it 4 stars. As I started writing my review I realized what the ending was all about. So if I could give it 4.75 stars I would, but 4 is too few.

Japanese literature is one of my favorite genres, but it can take some getting used to. This is about a man from Tokyo and a geisha. It's set in a snowy area of Japan that's popular with travelers. I love the female lead character who is much younger than the male. As time in the story passes by we see different facets of her.

I think it's better to savor this book over at least a couple of days and not to read or listen in one sitting, despite its short length. The ending was a complete surprise even though I read this in the mid 1980s. The Japanese really have mastered the novella, but there is so much to many of these books. I hope Audible continues to expand their offerings of Japanese literature. There were hardly any when I first signed up, but there are more choices all the time.

12 people found this helpful

The Tragedy...

of a woman socially beneath the love she desires, a fragile girl, and a man not quite capable of truly loving either of them.

8 people found this helpful

BEAUTIFUL

This is my first book by mr. Yasunari Kawabata. It certainly will not be my last one. So beautifully written an narrated by one of my favorite narrators, mr. Brian Nishii. Thanks to everyone involved in making it available to us, JK

3 people found this helpful

A n exploration of being human

As Russian literature is so informative about the darker side of hunaness this amazing Japanese novel explores the paradoxes of love.

3 people found this helpful

Beautiful understatement

Probably not everyone’s cup of tea, this classic engages the reader as much by what is left unsaid as what is said. The description of landscapes, light and snow are worth the listen alone. A must for fans of haiku and Basho.

Horrible Narration

I’ve never read this book before, and the story actually seems really beautiful and enjoyable, but the narrator does not reflect this at all. I was only able to get half way through because of the narration, his imitation of what a woman would sound like is often laughable, and distractingly goofy, for what is a quite serious book.