Shibumi

Rating:
Summary: A simple straight-forward thriller? Definitely not...
Review: I've been reading SHIBUMI for the past 15 years, and keep on coming back to it every few weeks. At first SHIBUMI seems like an ordinary thriller - a breathtaking and gripping one, but still not so very unique. After reading it over and over again, however, the emphasis changed, and concentration shifted to the beauty and wisdom of Far East Philosophy. Each and every time another hidden layer of truth is revealed; a new perception of emotions is discovered. This book has been my comfort in hard times, and the best friend in obscured days. There are only 3 words I can say about this book: R-E-A-D I-T N-O-W!!!

Rating:
Summary: magnific!!
Review: Shibumi is the most intelligently written book that I've read. It is much more than a classic for me!

Rating:
Summary: It was a compelling and imaginative novel. A Classic!
Review: I liked this book so much, I had to read it more than once. I believe that anyone who ventures into reading for enjoyment and experiencing a journey through intrigue, this is a book for you.

It gives an inciteful look into the mindset of Eurasians, especially from the point of view of child, parentless and alone; his journey through life and what he hs been able to achieve.

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably wonderful and totally different
Review: Shibumi is an experience, not a novel. It has been my pleasure to introduce many readers to the riches within its covers. All the characters contribute to the faxcinating world of the Man of Shibumi.

Rating:
Summary: Compelling
Review: This is a magnificent book which is probably not as widely known as it deserves to be. The characterisations are strong and realistic, the plot tight and gripping, and I will never look at Volvos the same way again. One of my all-time favourites!

Rating:
Summary: Shibumi: Just Read It, You Will Love It!
Review: When I first heard the word Shibumi, I knew nothing about it. But after I read this book my whole life changed by this word. Everyone has to read this book. Nikko's life is going to change your life too.

Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding gripping adventure of almost mystic proportions
Review: A book to be read and cherished. The charecterisations and plot seem to the reader to be all too real. I defy you to put it down or out of your mind.

Rating:
Summary: Shibumi: A struggle for trust
Review: In this book, Trevanian depicts Nicholai Hel as mix of Nazi, Russian, and Chinese. Hel struggles to find identity with himself in his early years. But when he moves to Japan as a teenager he starts to fall in love with the Japanese culture. This culture is peaceful and very honorable. Hel comes to accept Japan's philosphies and traditions as his own. Hel becomes friends with a japanese general Kishikawa-san and this man teaches him about honor and respect. He tells him the important Japanese war code, seppuku (honorable suicide). When the war ends, Kishikawa-san is captured by the Russians and has no chance for seppuku because of the careful watch over him. Nicholai begins this mistrust of foreigners after the harsh treatment he finds out about afflicted on Kishikawa-san. Hel's first lover, Mariko, was a student of Go with him when they met. After their teacher died, they had to go and find other places to live. This was about 1943. Hel had no place to go, but Mariko was to live with family in the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Her death led to even greater mistrust of foreigners especially westerners. Trevanian shows how difficult it must be for foreigners to accept westerners because of such acts as the atomic bombings. Hel struggles with this throughout the novel and never really reaches a truce between he and the western world.

Rating:
Summary: Perfection
Review: This written work was as close to Shibumi as an author could hope for. I would reccomend this to anyone. All reading preferences will be satisfied with this trip through our own world history. Nikko is a creation of our world and its societies.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST NOVEL I'VE EVER READ
Review: "Shibumi" is the best novel I have ever read. The concept of Shibumi is powerful and has never left my mind. This novel has the power to change one's perception of the world.