Quote:
Originally Posted by ATDrake
My personal not!recommendation for least favourite Asian Saga book that should only be read from the library or on dirt-cheap deep-discount sale would have to be for Gai-Jin, which I really, really wanted to like, but just didn't click for me and turned out to be dismayingly turgid and boring, although it had a bunch of otherwise interesting elements and backstory-filling-crossover-events that by all rights I should have loved when put together.
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I'm in full agreement. I had hoped that 'Gaijin' would be a captivating as 'Shogun,' but it just really fell flat. As you said, there were quite a few sub-plots and background issues that seriously tried to make the book work, but just couldn't do it. "Shogun" did have one or two cultural gaffs that would never be noticed by anyone not completely immersed in Japanese life, but they didn't detract from the story at all. "Gaijin" was full of them, and when combined with bad writing and plot, led to the overall loss.
There are just some things that a writer shouldn't do when writing an English version of Japanese speakers addressing their elders. Just because the
-san ending to a name is called an 'honorific' doesn't mean that in English you would address your mother as 'Honorable Mommy!'
Stitchawl