Autoren-Bilder

Randy Taguchi

Autor von Outlet

9 Werke 102 Mitglieder 6 Rezensionen Lieblingsautor von 1 Lesern

Werke von Randy Taguchi

Outlet (2000) 52 Exemplare
Fujisan (2012) 35 Exemplare
Riku and the Kingdom of White (2016) 5 Exemplare
Antenna (2007) 4 Exemplare
Mosaico 2 Exemplare
Presa elettrica 1 Exemplar
Vertij 1 Exemplar

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Wissenswertes

Geschlecht
female
Nationalität
Japan

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Rezensionen

Edit---I went back and finished this book, as I could not stand the idea of giving up, especially after giving a negative review. After finishing, I feel the same as I mentioned below. I noticed she started splashing in sex scenes as well. While sexual imagery can benefit a novel, this appeared to be used to keep the reader's attention and it is one I find tiring from overuse. If you liked the gore in this novel, I recommend Ryu Murakami. He's a lot stronger writer that features plenty. If you were interested in the Buddhist aspects then Yukio Mishima, Yasunari Kawabata,
Ruth Ozeki (Zen Buddhist Monk that lives in Canada) are a few of many. Finally if you liked the surreal aspects of the novel, I would recommend Haruki Murakami, Kobo Abe, and Osamu Dazai. Thank you for any who took the time to read this in full and as always please message with questions, recommendations, comments etc. Thank you.

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If you enjoyed this book, then I apologize for how offensive this review may come across. I realize it is difficult to write a novel and I struggle to write such a despairing criticism; however, I do not agree with the positive feedback of this work. I enjoy Japanese literature and I enjoy complex plots. The quality of this work is why I had to stop halfway and actually add a did not finish category on here. This is why I find the work lacking:

1.) The dialogue is artificial. I read 10 pages in and stopped to see if a teenager had written this work. To my surprise, it is by a 56 year old with several prior novels. I thought I was reading a high school short story.

2.) The narration was filled with short, choppy sentences that severely hindered the flow.

3.) This novel comes accross as a rough draft for a first time author. If this was given to me for peer review in college, I would be far more forgiving and supportive; however, this is by a seasoned author. She has been writing since 1996 and I am left pondering if her early work was far better, if the translator completely blotched it, and/or she has been very fortunate with a publisher.

4.) The plot structure is difficult to follow. I'm up for a difficult plot anytime. I love surrealist and magical realist pieces but this work appeared to have paragraphs missing. I considered I was missing something and returned to amazon for reviews. To my reassurance, many had the same issue.

I'm not trying to come off as a snob. I'm just a lowly English undergrad that loves reading and I realize there is a line between literature and general fiction. This book just doesn't have the quality to be considered good. I would only advise reading this if it was given to you. There are only a few novels I have refused to finish and it frustrates me that this another. I made it halfway and had to stop. If it was her translator than I am sincerely sorry for her, as the amazon reviews aren't favoring. If it was the original text, then I hope she improves and keeps working at being a writer. I won't be returning to this author but if she makes you happy then I am sincerely happy to just see people reading, even if I don't like the same work.
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My_Humble_Parnassus | 3 weitere Rezensionen | Jun 9, 2016 |
Very strange novel - I'm very indifferent on it if I did enjoy it or just read it because I had to finish it to find out what the hell is going to happen in the end.
 
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rayneofdarkness | 1 weitere Rezension | Feb 2, 2013 |
A beautiful collection of four stories written in calm and lingering prose that will stay with me for a long time. Randy Taguchi has interwoven similar themes which are not immediately apparent, but are so cleverly written (and wonderfully translated) that almost seem to run in to one another.

All have Mt Fuji as a "backdrop" to the tales. For me that symbolised the perceived, insurmountable problems each character was facing in their own minds. I particularly liked "The Sea of Trees" which is a coming of age story of three young men at a crossroads in their lives who decide to camp out in a forest well known as a suicide location. There they swap secret stories about themselves and confront death and hard decisions. "Child of Light" is a deeply moving tale of a nurse and compassion. The first story, " The Blue Summit" is told from the perspective of a former sect member who is facing a different life outside. "Jamila" deals with the subject of hoarding and the mental problems which surround it.

I highly recommend this Amazon Crossing publication. They are discovering some true gems of literature which demand to be read.

This book was made available to me, by Amazon, in exchange for an honest review.
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½
 
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teresa1953 | 3 weitere Rezensionen | Dec 18, 2012 |
While little known in America- ‘Fujisan’ is only her second book released in English- Randy Taguchi has written 14 novels and many short stories and essays and is immensely popular in Japan. The four stories in ‘Fujjisan’ are all set on or near Mt. Fuji. That, and the fact that all four protagonists are struggling psychologically, is what connects these stories together. In ‘Blue Summit’, a former cult member working in a convenience store strives to deal with life now that he is allowed free will. ‘Sea of Trees’ is a coming of age story, as three boys in their early teens meet danger and death for the first time. ‘Jamila’ is the name of a hoarder, the psychological opposite of the narrator, who throws away his past like dirty hankies. In ‘Child of Light’, a nurse faces life and death and the human spirit- far from the first time for her- as she wonders about her future.

The protagonists are all struggling to reconcile their images of themselves. Faced with change on a deep level, they are all knocked off balance and into new understanding of themselves by other people. The stories are quiet and reflective like a Japanese garden but deeply moving.
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lauriebrown54 | 3 weitere Rezensionen | Nov 4, 2012 |

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Werke
9
Mitglieder
102
Beliebtheit
#187,251
Bewertung
3.1
Rezensionen
6
ISBNs
11
Sprachen
2
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