Snow Fox A Novel (Audible Audio Edition) Susan Fromberg Schaeffer Carrington MacDuffie Audible Studios Books
Download As PDF : Snow Fox A Novel (Audible Audio Edition) Susan Fromberg Schaeffer Carrington MacDuffie Audible Studios Books
One thousand years ago, chaos loosed itself upon Japan, upending an era in which the arts flourished. At the dawn of 250 years of civil war, in the opulent court of Lord Norimasa, the beautiful but cruel poet Lady Utsu wages war with men's hearts and holds the fearsome lord and his devoted samurai Matsuhito in her thrall. As the two men raze Japan's landscape in futile battles for unity, Utsu falls for Matsuhito even as Lord Norimasa continues to love her.
The epic romance of Utsu and Matsuhito resumes itself decades later, when they meet as vagrants so transformed by time that they no longer recognize each other; they are reunited through their mystical connection to a pair of snow foxes that are their only company in the Japanese wilderness. The heartbreaking story of their renewed love is fraught by the Japanese concept of mono no aware-life's ephemeral nature-that weighs on the lovers.
Snow Fox A Novel (Audible Audio Edition) Susan Fromberg Schaeffer Carrington MacDuffie Audible Studios Books
Susan Fromberg Schaeffer has long been one of my favorite authors, so I was delighted to discover that she has written and published a new novel. She certainly does not disappoint her fans with "The Snow Fox," an elegantly written, multidimensional saga of 12th century Japan. Her characters, as always, are rich, compelling and three-dimensional. However, their various tales of love, both lasting and ephemeral, brutal civil war, loyalty to the ancient samurai code and to their warlord, Machiavellian politics, plague and illness, the camaraderie of noble soldiers and bandits alike, and the jealousies of beautiful court ladies, prove true the old adage that, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." The author weaves here an intricate and complete tapestry - a portrait of three particular characters, set against the backdrop of a beautiful country during the most turbulent of times.One thousand years ago, while art and culture still flourished in Japan, warlords and their samurais vied for power, turning their land into a bloody battlefield where chaos and anarchy reigned supreme. Lord Norimasa, one of the most powerful of the Japanese lords, was ruthless in his ambition to reunite and stabilize the kingdom. Poetry, art and beauty were held in the highest esteem by Norimasa's opulent court. Lady Utsu, renowned for her extraordinary physical beauty, was a remarkably gifted poet. Lord Norimasa had brought her to court when she was just a child, ostensibly to teach Chinese to Lady Tsukie, Norimasa's wife. The little girl had learned the language from a man in her native village. The royal couple treated the girl as one of their own, until Norimasa took her as a lover when she reached her teens. This entanglement caused never-ending problems between Lady Tsukie and the young woman, who had little say in the romantic attachment her mentor formed for her. As she matured, Lady Utsu also become renowned for her cruelty to men. A later lover of Utsu's, once told her wisely that, "Pain that cannot be endured turns to cruelty. In your life, it has." This man was the samurai, Matsuhito, who was destined to love Utsu deeply all his life. He too was brought to court as a youth by Lord Norimasa. There he trained to be a great warrior and followed his lord until Norimasa's death, many years later, released him from his vows of loyalty and further participation in the ongoing war. These three characters are inextricably bound together throughout the novel and all bear love for the other, in different ways, to different degrees.
The most enduring love and relationship, however, is Matsuhito's and Utsu's. They meet and feel the intense emotions of lovers in the prime of youth, but never reveal the extent of their feelings to each other. War and hardship separate them, seemingly forever. The two do reunite, as is their destiny. They meet in middle-age, so transformed by time that they do not recognize each other physically. However, the spiritual bond and attraction that first brought them together still binds them. There is an additional mystical bond between the two, formed through their pet Snow Foxes - their sole companions in the years of lonely wanderings in the cold northern Snow Country.
The intensity, honesty and extraordinary closeness of the relationship between this middle-aged couple far surpasses the experience and passion of their fleeting time together years before. I think one of the author's primary themes is the transitory nature of all things and experiences. Though some may think the book ends tragically, I do not agree. I rather believe what Matsuhito found to be true as he thinks to himself, "How strange Utsu and Matsuhito both were, each in love with the other, each unaware of how deep their feelings went. Yet in the end, they found each other again. Few people are given such a chance."
The author's prose is as lyrical and poignant as haiku poetry. And indeed, the actual poetry in the book is wonderful. She paints exquisite landscapes with words that evoke images of Sesshu, using a delicate, muted palette and changing to rich, brilliant colors to describe the gorgeous multilayered kimonos and costumes used during the period. Ms. Schaeffer is at her best when developing character and describing emotion in the most subtle of ways, which leave the reader with a sense of loss once the novel is completed. Kudos to SFS on completing another wonderful novel!
JANA
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Snow Fox A Novel (Audible Audio Edition) Susan Fromberg Schaeffer Carrington MacDuffie Audible Studios Books Reviews
In this most romantic of novels, Susan Fromberg Schaeffer recreates eleventh century court life in Japan, revealing the refined aesthetic sensibilities and the bloodthirsty brutality, the sense of honor and the petty jealousies, the samurai code and the human need for love. In language which compliments the spare writing style of ancient poetry, she reveals the everyday the lives of the courtiers, their relationships within the court, and their behavior during times of crisis--war, plague, sudden illness, and changes of fortune--concentrating especially on two characters--Lady Utsu, reputedly the most beautiful (and dangerous) woman in the court, and Lord Matsuhito, who comes to her as her bodyguard and soon falls in love with her.
As in all romances, the course of love never runs smoothly. Lord Matsuhito goes off to war almost immediately after the love story begins, and returns, a samurai, to find her missing. She, accompanied only by her pet fox, is in seclusion, believing that she is destined to kill everyone she has ever loved. As the setting alternates between Lady Utsu and Lord Matsuhito, and between the court and the countryside, the author broadens her scope, incorporating bandits, peddlers, farmers, and wanderers, along with their daily activities, lifestyles, and concerns, bringing the eleventh century vibrantly to life.
Epic in scope, the novel contains many of the magical elements common to both epics and romances. It is a story of "lost children," heroism in warfare, unknown identities, and two lovers who may be fated to be together, at the same time that it is also the story of secret messages, dreams and memories coming to life, hidden treasure, coincidences galore, unexpected rescues, animals with human abilities and understanding, and even nature itself helping the heroes.
Though lovers of well written romance may not care about a few weaknesses, some readers may be distracted by the way the story moves from reality to dream and back, sometimes without warning or explanation. The circumstances surrounding a battle and the significance of the outcome are not always clear, and the main characters sometimes seem to ramble around the countryside without much purpose. The dialogue frequently sounds wooden, and the constant foreshadowing of the future can be distracting "Her comment caused a chill to steal over [him], as if the sun had gone behind a cloud," and "A hawk was circling. Someone would die soon." Still, the novel beautifully evokes a lost time, when nature was pure, heroes had deeply held values and allegiances, and art and poetry were a natural part of everyone's life. They are certainly part of this novel. Mary Whipple
1000 years ago, a samurai and a courtesan meet and fall in love; he goes to battle; she is pregnant; she goes into exile. So many years pass, they cannot recognize each other at first. Rarely does a book capture the essence of mature love; the samurai's first encounter with women's logic is well-done indeed.
Susan Fromberg Schaeffer has authored a well-researched and well-written historical novel, the story of a samurai and a young girl reared in a great lord's palace who meet during a plague, fall in love and become separated during Japan's great civil wars. There are elements of fantasy and myth in the tale which describes in detail the grandeur of palace life, the horror of epic battles, and the everyday life of 1000 years ago. With elements of joy and sadness, this is an engrossing book.
EXC. I love these types of mystical interpretation novels mixed with an awesome story.
this is a novel to savor for the way it it told more than for the story itself.
as has been said elsewhere
the story-line is somewhat overlong
and there are many lose ends --
but to me it does not matter.
it is a lovely, languid piece of writing,
even if it dos not necessarily go anywhere much.
in that way it is like breathing in and breathing out
of value in itself.
it is one of the books i think i will read again in the future.
Susan Fromberg Schaeffer has long been one of my favorite authors, so I was delighted to discover that she has written and published a new novel. She certainly does not disappoint her fans with "The Snow Fox," an elegantly written, multidimensional saga of 12th century Japan. Her characters, as always, are rich, compelling and three-dimensional. However, their various tales of love, both lasting and ephemeral, brutal civil war, loyalty to the ancient samurai code and to their warlord, Machiavellian politics, plague and illness, the camaraderie of noble soldiers and bandits alike, and the jealousies of beautiful court ladies, prove true the old adage that, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." The author weaves here an intricate and complete tapestry - a portrait of three particular characters, set against the backdrop of a beautiful country during the most turbulent of times.
One thousand years ago, while art and culture still flourished in Japan, warlords and their samurais vied for power, turning their land into a bloody battlefield where chaos and anarchy reigned supreme. Lord Norimasa, one of the most powerful of the Japanese lords, was ruthless in his ambition to reunite and stabilize the kingdom. Poetry, art and beauty were held in the highest esteem by Norimasa's opulent court. Lady Utsu, renowned for her extraordinary physical beauty, was a remarkably gifted poet. Lord Norimasa had brought her to court when she was just a child, ostensibly to teach Chinese to Lady Tsukie, Norimasa's wife. The little girl had learned the language from a man in her native village. The royal couple treated the girl as one of their own, until Norimasa took her as a lover when she reached her teens. This entanglement caused never-ending problems between Lady Tsukie and the young woman, who had little say in the romantic attachment her mentor formed for her. As she matured, Lady Utsu also become renowned for her cruelty to men. A later lover of Utsu's, once told her wisely that, "Pain that cannot be endured turns to cruelty. In your life, it has." This man was the samurai, Matsuhito, who was destined to love Utsu deeply all his life. He too was brought to court as a youth by Lord Norimasa. There he trained to be a great warrior and followed his lord until Norimasa's death, many years later, released him from his vows of loyalty and further participation in the ongoing war. These three characters are inextricably bound together throughout the novel and all bear love for the other, in different ways, to different degrees.
The most enduring love and relationship, however, is Matsuhito's and Utsu's. They meet and feel the intense emotions of lovers in the prime of youth, but never reveal the extent of their feelings to each other. War and hardship separate them, seemingly forever. The two do reunite, as is their destiny. They meet in middle-age, so transformed by time that they do not recognize each other physically. However, the spiritual bond and attraction that first brought them together still binds them. There is an additional mystical bond between the two, formed through their pet Snow Foxes - their sole companions in the years of lonely wanderings in the cold northern Snow Country.
The intensity, honesty and extraordinary closeness of the relationship between this middle-aged couple far surpasses the experience and passion of their fleeting time together years before. I think one of the author's primary themes is the transitory nature of all things and experiences. Though some may think the book ends tragically, I do not agree. I rather believe what Matsuhito found to be true as he thinks to himself, "How strange Utsu and Matsuhito both were, each in love with the other, each unaware of how deep their feelings went. Yet in the end, they found each other again. Few people are given such a chance."
The author's prose is as lyrical and poignant as haiku poetry. And indeed, the actual poetry in the book is wonderful. She paints exquisite landscapes with words that evoke images of Sesshu, using a delicate, muted palette and changing to rich, brilliant colors to describe the gorgeous multilayered kimonos and costumes used during the period. Ms. Schaeffer is at her best when developing character and describing emotion in the most subtle of ways, which leave the reader with a sense of loss once the novel is completed. Kudos to SFS on completing another wonderful novel!
JANA
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