The Samurai

De: Shusaku Endo

Narrado por: David Holt

17th Century Europe, the first Japanese ever to set foot in Europe, travel to Rome on a diplomatic mission. All are baptised, but upon returning to Japan they discover that the Shoguns no longer wish to forge links with the West, nor will they tolerate the Christian religion. The Samurai who have until now reviled their adoptive religion, begin to find it may be all that is left for them. The events in the story actually took place.©1980 Shusaku Endo (P)2009 Audible Ltd

Outstanding Story!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Samurai to be better than the print version?

I always prefer print! But the audio is good.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Padre -

What about David Holt’s performance did you like?

He did a great job!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Winds of Change

Exceptionally odd book

I think I will "google" the author for more information. Written by a Japanese individual who is most obviously Christian...or is he/she? Is this a satirical novel? I purchased the audio book as I am interested in the Samurai culture. However, the book has only a nominal connection to the Samurai culture and in a disheartening fashion, you come to understand very little about Samurai and a lot about the torment of faith. Lots of scriptural quotes at the end..very odd, indeed.

Wonderful

A great novel that becomes ever more interesting considering it is based on a real event and then fictionalized by Endo. A deep study of the clash of East and West, and ultimately, the place of Christianity in that world.

shusaku is my new favorite author!

this story does not hide any ugliness in the church it shows how manipulative the church can be for conversations and how even though all the churches filth the real Jesus can shine through.

Well Written History Novel

The erudite writing suggests deep historical research, coupled with a sensitivity to realistic human motivations and emotions.

Interesting

This was an interesting view of a part of history I knew very little about. I was surprised by the religious theme running throughout until I read moreabout Mr. Endo. To be honest, the book was a little slow and lacked action. I am sure someone would argue that the glimpse into Japanese culture and the realness was amazing, but I found my interest waning.

It took a while for me to get into it.

I think I may have been almost halfway through when I really began to care about where this book was headed.

It's well written, well read, the story gets interesting, and the book has a greatly appreciated authentic feel about it. I just can't give it 5 stars because the whole time I wanted some action. This is absolutely not the intention of this book, and it would have helped if I had done more research before starting it.

Disappointing

Being a fan of Endo-sama's other book 'Silence' I thought this might be good but I struggled to finish this one. It meanders for too long and the title's titular samurai feels more like a supporting character to the priest's story which was unfortunate.