Customer Reviews

The Sound of the Waves

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Richard Hugo, an excellent poet and teacher, said that each poem has two subjects - the triggering subject (or the story), and the second, deeper subject. This holds true for many great works of literature, not just poems, and The Sound of Waves is no exception.

On the surface, we have a subtly erotic love story about Shinji and Hatsue, two hard-working young Japanese people in a close-knit, isolated, traditional village. They go on with their romance despite ugly rumors which prompt Hatsue's father, Terukichi (known as "Uncle Teru") to forbid his daughter from seeing Shinji. There is a happy ending, but I won't give it away.

This is more than your typical love story. The main characters, Shinji and Hatsue, are ideal Japanese people in the traditional, uncorrupted village: hard-working, devoted to the family, honest, and religious. The rumormongers are Westernized: Chiyoko - a pessimistic girl - is a student in western literature at a city university, and Yasuo - a rude, selfish, lazy boy who wants Hatsue for himself - is well-read in pulp magazines. It is traditional Japanese willpower and discipline that keeps Shinji and Hatsue together despite their obstacles.

What is remarkable is that the book does not make its point with a sledgehammer. The traditional characters win out, not because they tattle or scream; their integrity forces the modern characters to face the errors of their modern ways. This book is almost as relavent to our changing America as it was to Mishima's changing Japan. One read-through and you will understand Mishima's patriotism, his long quest for a return to tradition that led to his seppuku.

Few books accurately capture the feeling of first love the way Yukio Mishima's "The Sound of Waves" does. Set in a small Japanese fishing village in the mid-20th century, this is a beautiful story that will charm the romantic at heart with its simplicity and intensity.

Shinji is a poor young fisherman, living with his widowed mother and relatively carefree. That changes when he sees a lovely young pearl-diver named Hatsue looking out to sea. Shinji soon finds that he can't get Hatsue out of his mind; he's fallen in love, for the very first time. She soon falls in love with him as well -- it's first love for them both, and for a few days everything seems fine.

But things start to go wrong when an unhappy young girl sees the two of them leaving a secluded spot. Soon rumors are spread about Hatsue and Shinji's relationship, and the arrogant Yasuo even physically chases Hatsue when she is getting water. When Hatsue's overprotective father forbids her to see Shinji again, and seems about to betroth her to Yasuo, Shinji has only one chance to be reunited with his love.

Generally the word "romance" conjures images of busty half-naked women being held in impossible positions by chiseled he-men with torn shirts. But "Sound of Waves" is genuine romance, about the sort of love that any person could experience if they are open to it, in any part of the world. He is also one of the few authors who can convey the joy and pain of being in love. Not to mention the exalted way one can feel, without losing sight of their humanity: Shinji and Hatsue definitely have hormones, but keep them in check. There's a kind of mature innocence to how these two interact.

Yukio Mishima's writing is both brief and detailed. Simple and descriptive, evoking the wind, sea, trees, and shorelines. The story is a simple one (boy meets girl, girl and boy fall in love, boy and girl are separated, etc), but its simplicity is part of its appeal. There are even some things about pearl-diving and fishing included, to give a glimpse of the lives that Hatsue, Shinji and their families live.

The best thing abou this brief novel is the lead characters. Shinji is a shy, inexperienced, capable teenage boy, not a confident stud. Hatsue captures his attention not through mere physical beauty (though she sounds quite pretty), but through her sweetness. The wannabe-playboy, and the "ugly" girl who wistfully falls for Shinji, are like real people.

This is romance as it should be written, beautiful and tender with lovable characters and haunting prose. What it lacks in complexity it makes up for in sweetness. A memorable and beautiful story.

A 16-year-old recommended this book to me because "it has a lot of SAT words" and I, being the SAT prep instructor that I am, had to investigate. My young pupil was indeed correct in saying that the English translation of this book contains many words commonly seen on the SAT, but she failed to mention how incredibly well-written the book was, too!

I had a very hard time putting down this book simply because it flows so beautifully. Words are not wasted; everything is said for a purpose, from the desriptions of the scenery of this small Japanese island to the descriptions of the sunburnt faces of the main characters. Mishima tells the story of a forbidden love that doesn't become too sappy sweet. It is refreshing to read a novel that focuses so much on human character traits (& flaws) while also leaving room for serendipity & fate.

An easy read with a nice plot and excellent character developments, this book is highly recommended to readers of all ages. And if you happen to know of a high school student who wants to improve his/her vocabulary and critical reading abilities (or you happen to be one), then this is the perfect book for you! You won't regret it!

Yukio Mishima wrote The Sound of Waves following a visit to Greece and his immersion in the literature of ancient Greece. His fascination with the Mediterranean world and his affection for ancient literature (in particular, Daphnis and Chloe) is reflected in this sunny novel. He produced a very approachable and charming story about a island fishing village, and it is no wonder that this book was the first selected for translation into English in 1956 (published in Japan in 1954).

The novel centers around Shinji, a young fisherman, and Hatsue, who had been given away by her father Terukichi but was called back by him when his son died so he could marry his daughter and adopt the husband into his family. The story follows what one would expect in a small village where everyone is known and gossip abounds. It is assumed that Hatsue will marry Yasuo, who is from a family that is well off whereas Shinji is poor. Love, however, takes a different hand and when Shinji and Hatsue see each other something begins that cannot be stopped. Of course, there are obstacles in their way and Terukichi places his daughter under house arrest because of the gossip that has grown over their relationship. But the reader understands early that Shinji is bound to triumph over adversity and win Hatsue because his character is noble and hard-working. I don't think anyone would doubt the end of the novel; it is the character development and Mishima's powers of description that keep your attention.

What adds so much to this novel is Mishima's description of island life. For example, he brilliantly describes the women divers who struggle to bring up abalone and notes how they cut their toes when they use their foot to push off the sea floor. We also have descriptions of the men of the island relaxing in the bath-house, the meetings of the islands Young Men's Association and such mundane tasks as the women fetching water from the local spring.

Mishima's fascination with the cultures of the Mediterranean did not last long and he repudiated The Sound of Waves. This novel may not be characteristic of Mishima's writing but it is a good place to start to get to know his writing before advancing on into Confessions of a Mask. The Sound of Waves is a lyrical and sunny book that deserves a high readership.

A subtle and masterfully told tale about two youths discovering love on a rural Japanese island. This book is very different from the other 5 or 6 Mishima novels I've read, but it is still beautifully constructed and skillfully rendered.

The book explores themes of innocence, loyalty, fidelity to tradition and the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Despite the lack of "action" in the book, the story is still riveting because of the chasm between rumor and truth that the protagonists must cross.

Mishima definately adds a unique twist at the end that is sure to irritate some and I was a bit perplexed about it myself for a while. Then I remembered this is a Mishima novel and we certainly wouldn't expect anything less from a man capable of such grave seriousness, outlandish specatcles and biting humor.

I found this book to be very unique, which is why i loved it so much. Though it's for a more mature audience. At my school it was such a controversial book because some of the sexual content. Though i'm glad that the teachers won the battle agains't the parents of banning it. That's what created the mood in the story, without it, it wouldn't be The Sound Of Waves. A very good romantic book, it will draw you in, you'll feel your in it.

Yukio Mishima's THE SOUND OF WAVES is, on its face, a classical and infinitely subdued love story, a Romeo and Juliet tale without the tragedy. A young but poor fisherman, Shinji, falls deeply in love with Hatsue, daughter of the wealthy businessman Terukichi Miyata who has just returned to her small home island of Uta-Jima (Song Island) during a vacation break from her studies. Hatsue reciprocates Shinji's amorous interests, and the two exchange secret messages and arrange covert (but essentially Platonic) trysts. The more sociably acceptable match, Yasuo, also desires to marry Hatsue, and her father presumably leans toward this better arrangement. Yasuo's marital goals are further aided by Chiyoko, daughter of the island's lighthouse keeper, who informs Yasuo about the young couple's illicit romantic escapades because she fancies Shinji for herself. Unknown to Shinji (but patently obvious to the reader), Uncle Teru recruits both young men to work on one of his ships in order to gauge their character and test their mettle for their marriageable worth to his daughter.

Of course, for the ultranationalistic Mishima, the story provides little more than literary cover for his philosophical leanings. In that regard, THE SOUND OF WAVES operates on several symbolic levels. First is the question of fate versus free will - are Hatsue and Shinji fated to be together, or are their actions (and those of others) the driving forces from free choice that bring them together. Mishima offers events on both sides of this issue, from Hatsue's writing of hidden notes and Shinji's courageous actions on Uncle Teru's ship during a bad storm on the one hand to the interventions on the other hand by Nature in the form of an angry wasp when Yasuo attempts to seduce Hatsue during her late-night water drawing and during Hatsue's chance meeting of Shinji at the island's former military observation tower.

Second is the question of individuality versus community - do Hatsue and Shinji owe more allegiance to the good of their island community and their respective families than to their personal feelings for one another? Mishima idealizes the traditional Japanese cultural emphasis on community and family over the welfare of the individual, presenting a Japan that now seems hopelessly naïve and outdated. Every character is ultimately selfless, acting with saintly virtue and atoning for earlier sins and errors before the story's end. Not surprisingly, virtue is its own reward, and each character's selfless action leads, against all societal odds, to a fairy tale ending.

Mishima's characters on Uta-Jima live outside of time - like Rousseau's noble savages or Paul Gauguin's Tahitian natives, they live in a world where a healthy and virginal adolescent boy and girl can like naked in each other's arms without apparent thought of consummation. The only person who displays a sense of heightened sexuality is the author himself, who repeatedly demonstrates a female breast fetish that can only be described as disturbing. Life on Uta-Jima projects an Eden-like simplicity, so utterly withdrawn from the modern (i.e., real) world that the story itself could be taking place any time from 1750 to 1950. Not until well into the novel do we discover that World War II is already history (obviously never having touched this Eden) and that the Korean War is underway. Only in the last several chapters of this book, as the story reaches its denouement, does the modern world impinge ever so lightly on Uta-Jima and its inhabitants. Mishima may well have been lionizing them, but to the modern reader's sensibilities, they appear (with the exception of Uncle Teru) as hopelessly childlike, ill-equipped for the Japan we know is charging toward them from a decade or two down the road.

THE SOUND OF WAVES is elegant in its slow pacing and narrow story line, illustrating a Japan that may once have existed - or perhaps it only ever existed in idealized form, in Yukio Mishima's mind. Regardless, the story line is classical, the writing as translated by Meredith Weatherby is lyrical, and the world it describes contrasts sharply with the militaristic leanings and violent har-kiri death of its author. Uta-Jima is a life some readers might wish still existed, while others may be glad that such backwardness and naïve isolation have followed Mishima into increasingly ancient history.

I read Mishima's "The Sailor who fell from Grace with the Sea" years ago and while Sailor got rave reviews, I actually preferred this story.

Mishima masterfully weaves a simple love story that, despite its Japanese setting, is evocative of youthful love everywhere. The sensitive protagonist is a hero the reader will root for from the first page; of course, it's partly a fairy tale we've read a thousand times before, where the peasant (fisher boy) falls in love with the princess (bourgeois daughter). There are no dragons slain in this tale, however, except those of personal dilemmas and our hero's inevitable rivals.

A charming, heartwarming tale of unforgettable characters told with Mishima's trademark poetic simplicity.

Written in a simple yet lovely style that is vaguely reminiscent of Hesse's Siddhartha, Mishima's tale of innocent love and virtue is stirring. Unlike his customarily dark themes, he takes us to a small fishing village on a Japanese isle and creates a legend of two hardy youths that meet and fall in love. Despite their young age, their bonds are strong and through all their trials together you can't help but fall in love with them both. This is an excellent book that I would recommend to any reader.

The book The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima first caught my attention when I read one of its short reviews saying that it is the story of first love set on a small Japanese island. I decided to read it and was not disappointed.

The book starts when a young and poor fisherman, Shinji, coming back from his work catches a sight of a beautiful girl, Hatsue, a daughter of the wealthiest man in the village. The two young people meet and fall in love with each other - for the first time in their lives. As they set out on adventure of experiencing all joys of their feelings they also have to overcome all the difficulties their life presents them with such as gossips and ill-natured stories aroused by the villagers.

Although this book's major theme is first love it is not the only one that compels the reader to take this book and to keep reading until the end. Yes, The Sound of Waves shows all the beauty of being in love for the first time, it describes all the feelings of wonder, joy and uneasiness that love brings. Also this book captures the beauty of nature of a small island, untouched by civilization. Between describing the adventures of the characters, Yukio Mishima takes time to describe the scenery around them - graceful pine-trees, powerful ocean and rocks on the beach. All of these have their own beauty and wisdom in them that teaches and helps any person from the island that needs it. People and nature in this book are intermingled with each other in some natural and powerful way.

The island is very remote and has its distinct traditions and ways of living and thinking; and the book is excellent in portraying all of these. It describes the ways of fishermen and divers. The book shows the souls of its characters, their hopes and dreams, their reaching out into unknown and growing as a person while still being closely connected with nature and being devoted to each other and their island.

The Sound of Waves is a fairly simple book, yet this fact does not make it less forceful. It does not complicate things but rather shows everything in naive and simple perspective full of events and feelings. If you are looking for some romantic and charming story, The Sound of Waves is your pick.