A beautifully written book

I'm listening to books I read decades ago to see of they're still among my favorites. Kawabata is one of my favorite authors and this is considered his masterpiece. I was about to give it 4 stars. As I started writing my review I realized what the ending was all about. So if I could give it 4.75 stars I would, but 4 is too few. Japanese literature is one of my favorite genres, but it can take some getting used to. This is about a man from Tokyo and a geisha. It's set in a snowy area of Japan that's popular with travelers. I love the female lead character who is much younger than the male. As time in the story passes by we see different facets of her. I think it's better to savor this book over at least a couple of days and not to read or listen in one sitting, despite its short length. The ending was a complete surprise even though I read this in the mid 1980s. The Japanese really have mastered the novella, but there is so much to many of these books. I hope Audible continues to expand their offerings of Japanese literature. There were hardly any when I first signed up, but there are more choices all the time.

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The Tragedy...

of a woman socially beneath the love she desires, a fragile girl, and a man not quite capable of truly loving either of them.

6 people found this helpful

A n exploration of being human

As Russian literature is so informative about the darker side of hunaness this amazing Japanese novel explores the paradoxes of love.