Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't even finish it.
Review: The beginning of this book was promising, with elegant prose and an interesting premise, but it quickly went downhill. By the time Kitsune began weaving her deception I was no longer interested in the characters, who were all either flat, self-serving, stupid, or some combination thereof. As it progressed from there, it became a chore to read. I usually don't write reviews of books I haven't finished, but I've never given up on a book with such vehemence.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding Historical Fantasy
Review: The Fox Woman is a tale of yearnings, of the heart-rending beauty and sadness of being human, yet not knowing what it may cost, nor what it truly means. All this told from the point of view of a love-struck vixen - the ultimate outsider in Heian Japan (folklore and superstition dictate all foxes are evil). For love, she dons the garment of humanity to woo her love. The tale, though, is told from the diaries of Kitsune - the fox woman of the title - her love Kaya no Yoshifuji and his wife Shikujo. The self-imposed exile Yoshifuji places upon himself and his family is to an old country estate; where he hopes to contemplate the embarassment of not attaining a government position in the capital. A polite enough lie, but in truth he wishes to probe the hole he feels in his life. His wife Shikujo has become a distant clockwork creature who has shielded herself from resentment and loneliness with the ten thousand polite and correct obligations of a wife. She prefers to use this perfection as a weapon rather than the more honest - and embarassing - passions of a lover. Into the illusions and reflections which are imploding Yoshifuji and Shikujo's marriage comes the recently-human fox woman, who in her direct manner wins over the heart of Yoshifuji. The fox-magic she works with her grandfather and the rest of her fox-family makes her a beautiful woman, attended by legions of silent, perfect servants, makes a fox-hole an opulent country manor, complete with content peasants who work the rice fields. The realization Kitsune is as much ensnared by her dreamlike world of eternal autumn as well as Yoshifuji is unexpected. Tragedy looms on the horizon, but I will not reveal much else of the plot. The prose is elegant and beautiful. The method of storytelling - from the diaries of the three protagonists - skillful. I would invite anyone to also become bewitched by the beauty of this fox-tale.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy, Literary, Enchanting: Both Style and Story
Review: The pillowbooks of Kitsune--the vixen, who desires to be a woman because she has fallen in love with the Japanese nobleman--of Shijuko his wife and of Yoshifuji, the object of the Kitsune's passion; form an enchanting fantasy, a fable of human and animal existence, posing the eternal existential questions: what it is to love? to be a woman? to be a man? to be a fox or a dog? This fantasy drew me into its wonderful web for a number of reasons: the language was exquisite, the fine poetry in the oriental manner was delicately woven into the story (a sure way to my reader's heart) and the underlying commentary upon the human condition wrought in contrast to that of the family of foxes who live under the Japanese country house achieved a rare novel with both style and story. Yes, animals, be they foxes, cats or dogs do weave their own commentary on the comings and goings of humans. I am not knowledgeable about medieval Japanese culture or literature, but it suspended my disbelief and drew me into an oriental world. I felt I was there in the Japanese countryside. I saw the robes, the fans, the paper walls. Those who would quibble with the Japan Kij Johnson creates should turn to the history books. This is literary fiction. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book of the Year
Review: The stunning cover of this book made me pick it up, but it was the beautiful prose and the intriguing story that compelled me to read it in one day. I especially enjoyed the three person narration, though it did make it a bit tricky to read. I do wish the historical era had been more clearly defined--a minor quibble. If you like lush writing and a plot that goes somewhere, this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful!
Review: The writer's way with words is beautiful. Phrasing and just the usage of words made the whole story flow like water. It's romantic and heart-rending and strong and frail and piercing....I obviously can't use words the way Ms. Johnson can! But I can say that I found the book almost impossible to put down, and once I was finished I wished there were more to read.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting and exquisite...
Review: The writing of this book has the incredible subtlety of the calligraphy flower-poems that are approved communication between the human characters. The expectations and mannered attitudes of the noble class are stunningly juxtaposed against the simplicty and urgency of the foxes' lives; they don't even need names(Kitsune means simply "fox"). One wife embodies correctness, the other passion, both dealing with the 11th century lot of noblewomen, which involves an awful lot of "waiting and shadows". This book was almost impossible to put down...if this is a first effort I can't wait to see what this lady does for an encore!
Rating:
Summary: Fox Woman
Review: This book was very interesting and well written, I only wish it hadn't ended where it did.
Rating: 
Summary: Kitsune, love, and magic...
Review: This is a wonderfully poetic novel that is told in diary format from three sources; the fox girl, the man she loves, and his wife. All three have their own lives outside of each other, and that shows in the way that they deal with others. But at the same time they are inexplicably tied together, and the way that Kij Johnson handled this is superb. She doesn't rush into the triangle, but glides into it,a nd before long you are at that point without realizing it.The characters undergo drastic changes through the course of the story, though some changes are more noticeable than others. The fox starts out as a just a fox, but gradually she not only physically morphs into a human, but becomes one mentally and emotionally. This transformation threatens to destroy her small family as she pulls them into her fantasy. The man has a fascination with the foxes that is sending him further and further away from his wife. When he meets the fox-girl, he is overwhelmed by her spell and falls for her. His wife has to deal with his increasing interest in the foxes and his waning interest with her, and this eventually sends her away from their country home and back to the city. This is a story of love, magic, and in many ways, of loss. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in some of the lesser known stories of Japan (upon which this is somewhat based), and to all who enjoy a good love story!
Rating:
Summary: The Fox Woman -- art of the novel
Review: This is one of the most moving and beautiful books I have ever had the pleasure to read. And I'm not alone in saying so: The December 20 Publishers Weekly gives The Fox Woman a starred review and says, "it establishes [Kij Johnson] as one of SF's most remarkable stylists." The Fox Woman is about love, poetry, and what it means to be human, even if told in part from a magical fox's point of view... or, perhaps, especially so. It is the story of a young fox who falls in love with a man in Eleventh-Century Japan, and then her triumphs and troubles when she desires to become a woman. It is also about a man, spurned from Imperial Court, who must learn what it means to be a man; and his wife, who probably learns the most during the course of the novel. Johnson's use of language is masterful; her words (though the same ones you and I use) are magic, profoundly moving the reader while evoking a rich and exotic environment. A must-read! You won't be disappointed. Oh, and the presentation is just gorgeous, too (nice cover, good use of calligraphy) -- a great gift.
Rating: 
Summary: Should be a short story
Review: This is one short story turned novel that should have remained a short story. While parts of the book are beautifully written, the story is way too drawn out and tedious. It almost seems as if the author rushed or did not put the same effort into expanding the short story into a novel. After reading the wonderful beginning I was greatly disappointed in the rest of the book.
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