Taiko
by Eiji Yoshikawa
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Book Summary Information
Author: Eiji YoshikawaTranslator: William Scott Wilson
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); Japanese (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-01-16
ISBN: 4770026099
Number of pages: 940
Publisher: Kodansha USA
Book Reviews of Taiko
Book Review: A commitment...
Summary: 4 Stars
Taiko describes the unification of 16th-century Japan by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Rising from obscurity, the circuitous, but ever-ascending path of Hideyoshi is a story of political intrigue and war. And, a lengthy story it is. An ingratiating schemer, Hideyoshi either marginalized his opponents or destroyed them. Clausewitz tells us that war is diplomacy by other means. This maxim suits Yoshikawa's protagonist well.
As with most English translations of Japanese source material, one can find the writing too simple, almost naive. Though charming in moderate doses, the long-term effect can be the hindrance of plot and character development. This is evident in Taiko. The question becomes whether the story is dynamic enough to overcome these weaknesses. If one has an affinity for Japan, like me, it does. I wonder, though, if the casual reader would enjoy 940 oversized pages of place names and people served up with simplistic prose.
Epic, though not grand, in the end Taiko doesn't have the page-turning power to propel itself - at least not for me. I read, perhaps, twenty pages at a time. Stubbornly linear, it wasn't a book that kept me up late, though I did find it quite informational. All things considered, I must rate it on the low end of 4 stars.
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