Remote Japanese island beautifully depicted

Central Japan's tiny little island is where this story takes place. This is a classical love story in Japanese sense - with characters bound by constraints of a traditional society. A shy boy and a shy guy who both have hard times expressing their feelings toward each other. Some readers might be put off by the underlying male dominant premise of the island community where women have to unite to influence the decision of a powerful male elder of the island, the decision that has a vital bearing on the destiny of the love between two protagonists Shinji and Hatsue.

I actually visited the island which Mishima used as the model for Utajima island in the novel. Mishima stayed on this island called Kamishima while he was writing this novel. Listening to this story, I can picture the island's lay of the land. I'm fully aware that nostalgia and familiarity skew my evaluation of this work. I'm not surprised if others give lower ratings to this as The Sound of Waves doesn't have usual mystical and somewhat eerie air more typical of Mishima's other works. Simple, straightforward love story with not so many twists and turns along the way where (spoiler alert) Shinji and Hatsue in the end see their happy ending. For me, the beauty of the depiction of the place is more than enough to draw me deeply into this story every time I re-listen. I'm also quite fond of it's sunny, optimistic undertone.

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Had my suspicions when the theme was romance

Have you listened to any of Brian Nishii’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Listened to Temple of the Golden Pavillion (also Mishima) right before. He's a bit stiff, but I love that he actually pronounces the Japanese names correctly. There are several other books I have refrained from downloading because of the awful americanized pronounciations.

That said, I guess I could see how some people not familiar with Japanese would find this annoying because it does stick out a bit in the text and feels as there's a slight emphasis everytime someone's name is read. Luckily, Japanese has really simple phonetic structure so I think anyone (regardless of linguistic background) will get used to it very quickly.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The lighthouse scene was very vividly described, so I enjoyed that part quite a bit. Part with the storm too.

Any additional comments?

If you're new to Mishima, grab Temple of the Golden Pavillion first (out of the two I've read, maybe The Sailor Who Fell from Grace With the Sea is even better - I refrain from Spring Snow since the sequels aren't available).

Not to be all macho or anything but.. it's a romance novel (youth romance, even) and while I'd never call this book itself bland or boring, the theme really is.

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The story is beautiful; the reader destroys it for me

I am tempted to get a different version, if there is. This reader reads with disregard for the tone of the scenes. There is no interpretation. The scene of the first time the lovers see each other naked is read as if it was a text book. Loses the sensitivity of the scene. As an example. Terrible!

Wonderful Love Story

Rooted in a small fishing island in Japan, This book is a must read for all those interested in learning about the force of love that exists in any culture and any language.

Really Liked It

I liked everything. I wish the narrator would pronounce the Japanese words will less of an accent but they still did a good job and I would listen to it again.

A simplistic masterpiece!

This was a very unique novel. I loved the Romeo and Juliet aspect of it and the relationships were ever-changing and relatable.

A Lyrical Tale

of first love in the Japanese tradition. A wonderful introduction to classic Asian love stories.

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Dull Plot

I expected something for this but spent 5 hours extremely bored and felt like it was dragging on.