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The Sound of Waves

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( 23,076 ratings, 2,613 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima is set on a remote Japanese island and tells the story of a young fisherman, Shinji, who falls in love with Hatsue, the daughter of a wealthy family. Their innocent and pure romance faces challenges due to societal expectations and jealousy among villagers. Through evocative descriptions of the sea and the natural world, the novel explores themes of love, bravery, and the struggle against adversity.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're drawn to beautifully crafted tales of young love and personal growth set against a backdrop of stunning natural beauty. Its evocative portrayal of life's struggles in a small coastal village is enriched by Mishima's lyrical prose and deep insight into human emotions.

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Set in a remote fishing village in Japan, The Sound of Waves is a timeless story of first love. It tells of Shinji, a young fisherman and Hatsue, the beautiful daughter of the wealthiest man in the village. Shinji is entranced at the sight of Hatsue in the twilight on the beach and they fall in love.

A classic, elegant romance set in a Japanese fishing village.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Sound of Waves is a classic, elegant romance set in a Japanese fishing village.

In a remote fishing village in Japan, two very different young people fall in love. Shinji is a hard-working fisherman, while Hatsue is the beautiful daughter of the wealthiest man in the village. She is also a diver for pearls and seaweed alongside the other women of the community.

Shinji is entranced at the sight of Hatsue in the twilight on the beach, and a relationship develops through secret notes and meetings. However, when the villagers' gossip threatens to divide them permanently, Shinji must risk his life to prove his worth.

'A work of art...altogether a joyous and lovely thing' β€” New York Times

'A sunny masterpiece' β€” Los Angeles Times

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The book is celebrated for its exquisite prose and vivid depiction of island life according to Japan Times. The New York Times praises it as a joyous work of art, while the San Francisco Chronicle highlights its timeless quality. The Boston Globe notes its pastoral nature with Greek influences, and the Los Angeles Times describes it as a sunny masterpiece.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780099289982

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 March 1999

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 12.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 140g

Pages: 192

About the Author

Yukio Mishima was born into a samurai family and imbued with the code of complete control over mind and body, and loyalty to the Emperor - the same code that produced the austerity and self-sacrifice of Zen. He wrote countless stories and thirty-three plays, in some of which he performed. Several films have been made from his novels, including The Sound of Waves, Enjo which was based on The Temple of the Golden Pavilion and The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea. Among his other works are the novels Confessions of a Mask and Thirst for Love and the short story collections Death in Midsummer and Acts of Worship. The Sea of Fertility tetralogy, however, is his masterpiece. After Mishima conceived the idea of The Sea of Fertility in 1964, he frequently said he would die when it was completed. On 25 November 1970, the day he completed The Decay of the Angel, the last novel of the cycle, Mishima committed seppuku (ritual suicide) at the age of forty-five.

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