WOW!!! What an elegant, surprising book! I never expected to like this book as much as I did. I cannot recommend it strongly enough - for its story, for its characters, for its twists and turns, for its ending. I listened to it on CD but I believe that reading it would have the same impact (and you know how I love a good book on CD lately - even better than on paper).

The book is broken into four parts: The first part is straight-forward historical fiction with a frisson of romance (talk about the ultimate meet-cute; it involves a monkey and a severed limb). And I must admit that this part drags a little. As I listened, I despaired that I had 18 disks left, but by 2/3rds of the way through the Part, I was hooked. The second part comes at you out of left field - you will simply not believe what yuo are reading (hearing). To say it is a mystery/supernatural story is not too far from the truth. The third part switches again to a war story. The fourth part ties up the story very neatly (and you know how I love a book with no loose ends!).

I loved the way the author gave many of the characters intricate and absorbing pasts which he found a reason for them to recount to Jacob. I loved Jacob - prig though he could be. I loved the way the author wove Japanese philosophy into the plot so that you could see how a westerner might expect the plot to turn one way but suddenly you would see how it needed to turn the other due to the setting. I loved the suspense. More than once I sat in my car listening because I could not wait to hear how a situation turned out.

Excellent, excellent book! You will not regret spending time with this one.

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The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is an engaging historical novel set in Japan on the cusp of the nineteenth century. Jacob de Zoet is a bright, upstanding Dutchman who signed up for a five-year stint with the Dutch East Indies Trading Company, hoping to gather a fortune sufficient to impress his wealthy fiancée Anna's father into giving her hand. He arrives in Dejima, the artificial island outside Nagasaki which is the sole trading post in Japan for two centuries, to find corruption, courtly intrigue, and Japan off-limits except through a guild of interpreters. Nonetheless, he becomes intrigued by Orito Aibagawa, a skilled, disfigured midwife who studies with the Dutch doctor in Dejima.

Here the story becomes interesting but convoluted and far-fetched. Orito is sent away to a shrine run by a mysterious order; an English warship tries to force the trading port to be open to them. These long interludes seem like diversions from Jacob's story, instead of a seamless execution of David Mitchell's intention to write a bicultural novel. Yet I think he did an excellent job bringing this historical moment to life. While I enjoyed the humor, wit, and the italicized thoughts of various characters, I found Mitchell's frequent use of criss-crossing phrases with ellipses slightly gratuitous. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this off-the-beaten-path romance and adventure long-listed for the 2010 Booker Prize.

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The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell is a wonderful, wonderful read written by a most talented author. The story begins in 1799 in Dejima on Nagasaki Harbor where the Dutch East Indies Company has located its fartherest outpost. Jacob has been assigned to this location. His intention is to stay five years, earn his fortune and return to his sweetheart at home and marry. However, he becomes entranced by Orito Aibagawa, an intelligent woman studying to become a midwife. Orito was injured as a child when her face was splashed by hot liquid. His occupational task is to examine the accounts of the company to ensure that the company is reaping the profits it should. Unfortunately, almost everyone is corrupted and Jacob's honesty leads to many troubles, including the lengthening of his stay. An intriging story, one gains considerable insight into Japanese culture and the role of women in this era.

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The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
One of the things about reading challenges is that they give you a push if not to read outside your usual genre, then to read about little explored area. I dont usually read books set in Asia; my interests lay in Anglo European history. But the challenged called for a book set in Asia and so I picked this book. Of course I knew about the Dutch East India Company, and the trading monopoly they had with Japan. Mitchells prose are nearly breath taking, I found myself going back to read passages several times. His style in this instance was not ponderous nor pretentious, or that the thesaurus was his very best friend, (that is my usual feeling when I read prize winning novels) I learned a great deal about the Dutch East India Company, the love story seemed to be culturally and historically accurate. A solid 4 stars.

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I tried to like this book more, but kept feeling bogged down in it and wondering if it was ever going to end. I read it for my book club. It is slow and hard to get into, but does get more interesting in the middle of the story. I'm not sorry I read it, as I learned a lot about Japan and international trade at the turn of the 18th century. There are some interesting stories told, which kept me reading.

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