- Hardcover
- Publisher: Lester Orpen Dennys, Toronto, 1981.; F edition (1981)
- ASIN: B002JE7RWO
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,123,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dreamy,
By
This review is from: Obasan (Mass Market Paperback)
Are you the kind of person who has vivid dreams and finds them fascinating? Do you walk around old dusty antique stores and find yourself absorbed in another world? Do those large picture books that have you try to find a small item hidden in a cluttered room draw you in? Do you hear rich poetic prose and be able to visualize every symbol and alusion? Are you knowledgeable enough about people and history and culture to be able to piece together and relate to what a character is trying to share with you through symbolism? Do you even know what all the literary elements are and how they are used? If yes, then you will be able to enjoy this book. If you understand the Japanese culture and mind-set, you will enjoy it even more. You will understand the mastery of brilliant connections that weave throughout Obasan like a spider's web in the attic. Pick silence: she is silent when she is abused because she is young and there is poor communication at home, she is silent against the bullies because silence is all she knows, she is silent because she is Japanese and in her culture, communication is silent and symbolic rather than straight forward, but because of this silence, so many things have gone wrong and unresolved. It is a story about an innocent culture that has had to suffer because of their nature to just bow their heads in silence and deference to others. Shallow thinkers just won't get it and may even find it boring or slow, but the deep thinker will be fulfilled. BTW, my son, who is a musician and self-described philosopher, was 17 at the time he read this book for English 12. He was so moved and inspired by it that he wrote a stunning poem after reading the dream sequences. He was also inspired to make a video using dry ice to depict the boat dream, and you should have read his thoughtful essays. Oh my, this is what Obasan can do to the right type of reader.
3.0 out of 5 stars
I remember enjoying this book,
By
This review is from: Obasan (Mass Market Paperback)
I remember reading this book in the mid-90s while in university. It's powerful at times, tender at others. Worth reading.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well written, yet somewhat disappointing...,
By Adina Warren (Anderson, Indiana) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Obasan (Paperback)
Obasan, written by Joy Kogawa, is a deeply detailed book that sends the reader on a journey through actual events, dream sequences, and a twisted maze of a Japanese family's struggle in Canada during the 1940's-1970's. Although the book is obviously written with deeply emotional images and events, I found myself completely let down with the ending. With more than 250 pages of build up to what I expected to be a somewhat shocking ending, I was disappointed to discover that I wasn't emotional attached enough to the characters to appreciate their struggles. Although I enjoyed the book to an extent, I can not deny that it took me awhile to get into it, and then slipped in a heart wrenching account of events at the end that just didn't evoke emotions in me. Expect a well written novel with detailed images and poetic flow, yet also expect a slow beginning and an ending that seems to leave the reader hanging.
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