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Spring Snow

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( 22,573 ratings, 2,114 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
Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima, set in early 20th century Japan, explores themes of love, tradition, and societal change. It follows the young protagonist, Kiyoaki, as he navigates his tumultuous feelings for Satoko against the backdrop of his aristocratic upbringing and the shifting cultural landscape. The narrative delves into the complexities of desire and the consequences of defying societal expectations.
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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 captivated by tales of forbidden love and the struggles of tradition versus modernity. Set in early 20th-century Japan, it offers rich, evocative descriptions and deep character exploration, immersing you in a world of aristocracy and societal change. If you appreciate literature that delves into themes of honour, passion, and fate, this might be a perfect read for you.

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Spring Snow

The closed world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders - rich provincial families, a new and powerful political and social elite.

Kiyoaki has been raised among the elegant Ayakura family - members of the waning aristocracy - but he is not one of them.

The first novel in Mishima's masterful Sea of Fertility tetraology

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

Spring Snow is the first novel in Mishima's masterful Sea of Fertility tetralogy.

Set in Tokyo, 1912, the closed world of the ancient aristocracy is being breached for the first time by outsiders—rich provincial families, a new and powerful elite.

Kiyoaki has been raised among the elegant Ayakura family—members of the waning aristocracy—but he is not one of them. Coming of age, he is caught up in the tensions between old and new, and his feelings for the exquisite, spirited Satoko. His devoted friend Honda watches from the sidelines. It is only when Satoko is engaged to a royal prince that Kiyoaki realises the magnitude of his passion.

'An austere love story, probably my favourite of his novels' - David Mitchell, Independent on Sunday

'Mishima's best work, unnerving as it may be, still casts a spell; and I suspect it will retain its dark radiance' - Guardian

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?

Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima is highly regarded for its exploration of romantic obsession and sexual intrigue within the backdrop of historical melodrama. The novel is part of a tetralogy that delves into themes of death, sexuality, and the samurai ethic, set against the transformation of Japan from the early 20th century to the 1960s. The work is praised for its compelling narrative and considered a classic in Japanese literature.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780099282990

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 11 March 1999

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 199.0mm

Weight: 283g

Pages: 400

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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