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Kokoro

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Kokoro

By: Natsume Soseki
Narrated by: Matt Shea
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About this listen

"The subject of Kokoro, which can be translated as 'the heart of things' or as 'feeling,' is the delicate matter of the contrast between the meanings the various parties of a relationship attach to it. In the course of this exploration, Soseki brilliantly describes different levels of friendship, family relationships, and the devices by which men attempt to escape from their fundamental loneliness. The novel sustains throughout its length something approaching poetry, and it is rich in understanding and insight. The translation, by Edwin McClellan, is extremely good." (Anthony West, The New Yorker)

©1957 Regnery Publishing (P)2015 Regnery Publishing Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction United States World Literature
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Kokoro was the last work of the great Japanese novelist Soseki. At the height of his powers, this story looks at how decisions, personal honesty and relationships can impact us for life. Soseki manages to strip away our outer layers and expose our souls raw to our live’s hardships. Intense!

Classic novel by classic writer at his best

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Written beautifully and narrated beautifully.
Can’t wait to read all the works by Natsume Soseki. Brilliant !

It’s a Masterpiece

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Kokoro-the heart of things. An apt title for this book. I felt a quiet sadness on completion of reading this. A book that gives insight into Japanese sentiment/culture during the death of the Meiji era and the birth of modernisation. This is analogous to "the heart of things" with respect to the individuals experiences in their own life. I feel it is very relevant today with individual mindsets increasingly becoming concerned with the id, and the mindset shifts in the world. A good read that seems straightforward during the experience but has a lot if depth that stays with you.

Touching story

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loved the listen. very engaging story making you want to listen to what happens next. not full of surprises or anything but great easy listen

mesmerising listen

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I enjoyed this as a spectator of the past, with still some relevance to today. I prefer books with more women in them but this book has some good feminine energy

interesting read

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