Rating: 
Summary: "That great joke on the public"
Review: ...is how, according to Nathan's biography, Mishima referred to this book on several occasions. It does seem very uncharacteristic, being a straightforward love story, showing great interest in its humble setting and without Mishima's trademark disdain for 'ordinary people,' but I think it may have been as true to his aesthetic inclinations as his darker works. It highlights the other side of the tradition which fascinated him - the life-affirming courage and old-fashioned masculine code of the samurai, as opposed to the more morbid dictate that the samurai 'must die each day in his mind.' Near the end, a character makes a remark along the lines of: 'Shinji's got guts. That's really all that matters,' and that seems to sum this book up pretty well. I think this book may have meant more to Mishima than he admitted. It's certainly accesible to those who wouldn't like his more intense stuff, and provides a spot of definite interest for fans.
Rating:
Summary: A Love Story & An Exploration of Human Nature
Review: A 16-year-old recommended this book to me because "it has a lot of SAT words" and I, being the SAT prep instructor that I am, had to investigate. My young pupil was indeed correct in saying that the English translation of this book contains many words commonly seen on the SAT, but she failed to mention how incredibly well-written the book was, too!I had a very hard time putting down this book simply because it flows so beautifully. Words are not wasted; everything is said for a purpose, from the desriptions of the scenery of this small Japanese island to the descriptions of the sunburnt faces of the main characters. Mishima tells the story of a forbidden love that doesn't become too sappy sweet. It is refreshing to read a novel that focuses so much on human character traits (& flaws) while also leaving room for serendipity & fate. An easy read with a nice plot and excellent character developments, this book is highly recommended to readers of all ages. And if you happen to know of a high school student who wants to improve his/her vocabulary and critical reading abilities (or you happen to be one), then this is the perfect book for you! You won't regret it!
Rating: 
Summary: Amazed that Mishima wrote this book
Review: A subtle and masterfully told tale about two youths discovering love on a rural Japanese island. This book is very different from the other 5 or 6 Mishima novels I've read, but it is still beautifully constructed and skillfully rendered. The book explores themes of innocence, loyalty, fidelity to tradition and the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Despite the lack of "action" in the book, the story is still riveting because of the chasm between rumor and truth that the protagonists must cross. Mishima definately adds a unique twist at the end that is sure to irritate some and I was a bit perplexed about it myself for a while. Then I remembered this is a Mishima novel and we certainly wouldn't expect anything less from a man capable of such grave seriousness, outlandish specatcles and biting humor.
Rating:
Summary: The first "romance" book I've read that wasn't horrible
Review: As the title of the review says. The book doesn't innovate in the genre, is a tad cliche, etc... yet somehow still manages to be captivating and interesting. Character development is part of it. I mean, the protagonist (Shinji) isn't some sort of uber-stud perfect guy (for once), Hatsue isn't very cliche either, though I can't pin down any reasons why. The main thing that I liked about it was that the characters seemed like _real_ people, not a cheesy-pickup-line-spouting product of a bad imagination. The story was a tad cliche, but was nonetheless very good. My main reason for liking the story is that it wasn't a few paragraphs of romance thrown into another story here and there just for kicks, the purpose of the book was to be a romance novel and nothing else. I say this in comparison to other stories, like the LotR movies, which threw in 5-10 minutes of Aragorn and Arwen being mushy (which wasnt even in the book) just to attract a wider audience and make more money... But anyway, I'm rambling... the point is that this book is GOOD. And that's coming from person who HATES romance novels, so that's gotta be some indicator as to the quality of the work.
Rating:
Summary: Mishima revealed his bright side!
Review: Excellent book! One can literately feel the sea breeze and the sunshine coming out of this book. One strenght of this book is that unlike Yukio Mishima's other deeply philosophical works, this book is very accessible to everyone. Read it first for the fairy tale like love story, that can easily be done in 2 days. Then read it a second time to appreceiate it's literary value -- the simple but lively characterazation, the beautiful yet realistic protray of the island landscape/seascape. In a more subtle philosophical note, this book express Mishima's believe in the traditional Japanese values. Live simple, work hard, harmonize with nature, trust others, be self-reliance, be courageous; these are the strenght that gule the island people together and made them prosper.
Rating:
Summary: Swept away by the "Sound of Waves"
Review: Few books accurately capture the feeling of first love the way Yukio Mishima's "The Sound of Waves" does. Set in a small Japanese fishing village in the mid-20th century, this is a beautiful story that will charm the romantic at heart with its simplicity and intensity. Shinji is a poor young fisherman, living with his widowed mother and relatively carefree. That changes when he sees a lovely young pearl-diver named Hatsue looking out to sea. Shinji soon finds that he can't get Hatsue out of his mind; he's fallen in love, for the very first time. She soon falls in love with him as well -- it's first love for them both, and for a few days everything seems fine. But things start to go wrong when an unhappy young girl sees the two of them leaving a secluded spot. Soon rumors are spread about Hatsue and Shinji's relationship, and the arrogant Yasuo even physically chases Hatsue when she is getting water. When Hatsue's overprotective father forbids her to see Shinji again, and seems about to betroth her to Yasuo, Shinji has only one chance to be reunited with his love. Generally the word "romance" conjures images of busty half-naked women being held in impossible positions by chiseled he-men with torn shirts. But "Sound of Waves" is genuine romance, about the sort of love that any person could experience if they are open to it, in any part of the world. He is also one of the few authors who can convey the joy and pain of being in love. Not to mention the exalted way one can feel, without losing sight of their humanity: Shinji and Hatsue definitely have hormones, but keep them in check. There's a kind of mature innocence to how these two interact. Yukio Mishima's writing is both brief and detailed. Simple and descriptive, evoking the wind, sea, trees, and shorelines. The story is a simple one (boy meets girl, girl and boy fall in love, boy and girl are separated, etc), but its simplicity is part of its appeal. There are even some things about pearl-diving and fishing included, to give a glimpse of the lives that Hatsue, Shinji and their families live. The best thing abou this brief novel is the lead characters. Shinji is a shy, inexperienced, capable teenage boy, not a confident stud. Hatsue captures his attention not through mere physical beauty (though she sounds quite pretty), but through her sweetness. The wannabe-playboy, and the "ugly" girl who wistfully falls for Shinji, are like real people. This is romance as it should be written, beautiful and tender with lovable characters and haunting prose. What it lacks in complexity it makes up for in sweetness. A memorable and beautiful story.
Rating: 
Summary: Obstacle love
Review: If you want to read a romantic and straight forward book, Then The Sound of Waves, by Yukio Mishima, is right for you. This book have very easy ideas and easy to understand. It is like many other romantic stories and you can pretty much predict. For me I didn't really like the book because it is too concrete. I like to solve problem and figure out what is going to come next, but this book did not give me the chance to do so. However, the cover and introduction of the book really caught my attention and basically that is why I chose the book. The book is about two teenagers fell in love the first time they met. Unfortunately, both of them had an arrangement of marriage with someone else, so the two lovers need to go through some obstacle to get together. Both of them need to find ways to deal with their parent and people in the village. So if you want to read a book that is simple and easy to understand, then I recommend you to read this book. Because it is so easy to understand, it does increase your reading rate and build up your vocabulary. Overall, this book is not too bad, and not the best.
Rating: 
Summary: Really bad
Review: The book The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima first caught my attention when I read one of its short reviews saying that it is the story of first love set on a small Japanese island. I decided to read it and was not disappointed. The book starts when a young and poor fisherman, Shinji, coming back from his work catches a sight of a beautiful girl, Hatsue, a daughter of the wealthiest man in the village. The two young people meet and fall in love with each other - for the first time in their lives. As they set out on adventure of experiencing all joys of their feelings they also have to overcome all the difficulties their life presents them with such as gossips and ill-natured stories aroused by the villagers. Although this book's major theme is first love it is not the only one that compels the reader to take this book and to keep reading until the end. Yes, The Sound of Waves shows all the beauty of being in love for the first time, it describes all the feelings of wonder, joy and uneasiness that love brings. Also this book captures the beauty of nature of a small island, untouched by civilization. Between describing the adventures of the characters, Yukio Mishima takes time to describe the scenery around them - graceful pine-trees, powerful ocean and rocks on the beach. All of these have their own beauty and wisdom in them that teaches and helps any person from the island that needs it. People and nature in this book are intermingled with each other in some natural and powerful way. The island is very remote and has its distinct traditions and ways of living and thinking; and the book is excellent in portraying all of these. It describes the ways of fishermen and divers. The book shows the souls of its characters, their hopes and dreams, their reaching out into unknown and growing as a person while still being closely connected with nature and being devoted to each other and their island. The Sound of Waves is a fairly simple book, yet this fact does not make it less forceful. It does not complicate things but rather shows everything in naive and simple perspective full of events and feelings. If you are looking for some romantic and charming story, The Sound of Waves is your pick.
Rating:
Summary: A sweet love story
Review: The story Mishima tells of the love between a young fisherman and a pretty girl newly-arrived into his tiny world is sweet and touching in itself. However, peeling back the layers of the love story reveals Mishima's sense of Japan and its place in history.
The Japanese nationalism lurking underneath the simple story is evident only upon further understanding of Mishima's life and writings. There are far away lands where wonders exist that could not be seen on Shinji's small island, but these things lose their meaning once they are out of sight. Shinji himself is young and strong, a metaphor for the Japan that Mishima imagined.
A very good book for the beginning reader of Mishima. A second read is warranted to understand the nationalist underpinnings of his writing, though.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books.
Review: When I picked up this book, the book jacket said something like "And so, Mr. Mishima uses a simple setting of a fishing village to create an unforgettable love scene of amazing tenderness and purity." I remember being skeptical about this, thinking "Tenderness? In this century? Pshaw! This Mr. Mishima must be full of it." And I've never been happier to be wrong. The Sound of Waves is not a multi-faceted epochal genre-shattering masterpiece. And it's all the better for it. It's an extremely simple love story set in a remote Japanese island where the people work all their lives fishing and/or diving for pearls. And it's beautiful. The book jacket was right on. Hatsue is portrayed with such amazing tenderness and sympathy on the author's part that she becomes a human being, but she's not the only one. The "ugly girl" who falls in love with Shinji is also an amazingly real person. As is Shinji's mother, as is almost everybody else. It's incredibly refreshing to finally read an author who eschews all that arty "deep complex psyche" crud for the sake of such simple, yet unmistakably _human_ characterization. Sometimes the language seems a little clunky - this is entirely the fault of the translation. I imagine it must sound even more beautiful in the original Japanese. (And the translation is no great impediment - come on, this book _is_ extremely short.) In short, this is why humanity invented writing - so authors like Mishima could write books like The Sound of Waves. Now, I've only read three of his works, so it's theoretically possible that he has surpassed The Sound of Waves somewhere else, but I doubt it. Remarkable.
| 
