I do not understand why people love this book so much. It is long-winded, difficult to follow, full of flat and empty characters. It works well as a gateway into a small part of the history and culture of feudal Japan.
The author shifts perspectives to give you a first-person view of many of the characters thoughts and feelings, but reading interminable passages about religious enmity between seventeenth century ideologues (or more accurately: reading what a 1950's era white guy's notion of what that would be) gets really old, and after I while I just didn't care any more. The author's willingness to describe the details of court intrigue stretched this novel to over 1000 pages, but by the end of it not very much actually happens. Famously, he put the big final battle in a two paragraph epilogue. On the evidence it must be easier to write about how people went hunting again, or whatever.
If you can buy into the mythology of the white man that all who come into contact with hold in awe because of his power, then this might be for you. He's always in the right place at the right time, ends up with the most beautiful women, and - for real I am not making this up, because it comes up several times in the novel - he has a huge dick. What's not to like?
Two stars, since the detail and scale of the novel was great. Aside from that, meh.
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