Shōgun, James Clavell
Desert island time.
My one food? Cheesecake and
original Gardetto’s (Yeah, yeah,
yeah. I know that’s two, but it’s my
island. Sue me.) My one book?
Shōgun.
Shōgun is just
simply my all-time #1 favorite book.
I’ve read it four times – I don’t read anything four times – and I fully
plan on reading it once or twice more before I die if things work out that way.
Why? It has just
about everything you could possibly want in a story: Kings & peasants, soldiers &
priests. True love, impossible beauty, sex,
hope, and heartbreak. Unbelievable
bravery, incredible deceit. Planning,
scheming, warring, building, destroying, & backstabbing. Interesting characters, an exotic location,
and a mesmerizing time period all set within one of the most fascinating cultures
on the planet.
Whenever I read this book, I walk around for days afterward in what I can only describe as a literary hangover. The beauty and violence keep spinning around my head in a delicate ballet. Samurai swords continue their lethal flashing. And Mariko won’t let me go.
Is it great fiction? I don’t know. Is it historically accurate? I don’t care. When you love something, facts don’t really matter.
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