• Title: The Makioka Sisters
• Author: Junichiro Tanizaki
• Genre/Subject: Japanese literature, Nip fiction (Niption)
• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication Date: 1957
• Start date: 3/12/2022
• Finish date: 3/24/2022

Review:

This was excellent. Elegantly crafted prose and a strong central narrative.

A fascinating look at middle class life in Japan during the late 1930s. Four sisters with one foot in the past and one in the modern westernized world.

This was a great read, but far too long and the ending was rushed and unsatisfying. Like the author had run out of paper, or more likely was under pressure from a publisher’s deadline. Not exactly a deus ex machina, but a lot of: she got married, they moved into a new house, the cat had three healthy kittens, and so on.

I liked it, no question this is a beautiful novel, but I’m glad it’s over.