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The Pillow Book
- Narrated by: Georgina Sutton
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
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Publisher's summary
The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon is a fascinating, detailed account of Japanese court life in the closing years of the 10th century. Written by a lady of the court at the height of Heian culture, this book enthrals with its lively gossip, witty observations and subtle impressions.
Lady Shōnagon was an erstwhile rival of Lady Murasaki, whose novel, The Tale of Genji, fictionalized the elite world Lady Shōnagon so eloquently relates. Featuring reflections on royal and religious ceremonies, nature, conversation, poetry and many other subjects, The Pillow Book is an intimate look at the experiences and outlook of the Heian upper class.
Sei Shōnagon, born around 965, was lady-in-waiting to Empress Sadako and between the early 990s and 1002, she kept these ‘personal notes’, recording what she saw and encountered with wit, accuracy and intelligence. There is immense variety here. There are more than 320 entries, each with its own heading: ‘Birds’, Trees’, ‘When His Excellency The Chancellor Had Departed’, ‘Unreliable Things’.... Some entries are very brief, no more than ‘asides’, and there are even concise lists. Some reflect the sensitive Japanese response to nature or patterned silk, and there are longer narratives of incidents involving prominent political figures. Her singular humour is often to the fore: ‘Masahiro really is a laughing stock. I wonder what it is like for his parents and friends.’
But there are also entries which reflect a considerate nature as shown in ‘One of Her Majesty’s Wet-Nurses’.
While Arthur Waley’s classic translation remains well-known it was abridged, and this Ukemi recording presents the translation by Ivan Morris, the first unabridged English version. It is fluent and lively, and reflects the sparkling character of Sei Shōnagon’s writing which, in the 21st century, belies its ancient origins and its academic standing as one of the great works of Japanese literature. This is perfectly captured by in Georgina Sutton’s reading.
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- Unabridged
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Young Peony is sold into a rich Chinese household as a bondmaid - an awkward role in which she is more a servant, but less a daughter. As she grows into a lovely, provocative young woman, Peony falls in love with the family's only son. However, tradition forbids them to wed. How she resolves her love for him and her devotion to her adoptive family unfolds in this profound tale, based on true events in China over a century ago.
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Jews in China
- By Jean on 04-22-12
By: Pearl S. Buck
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Collected Stories
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Whether it's a 300-year-old ghost who's scared out of his wits, a tenderhearted statue with a mission of mercy, or the suave Lord Savile who cannot commit a crime, the characters in these stories by witty Oscar Wilde make the tales priceless delights. Absurd, ironic, poignant, or scathing, these small gems of the storyteller's art are sure to become favorites. This collection, narrated by Frank Muller, includes "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime," "The Model Millionaire," "The Nightingale and the Rose," and more.
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Very Poor Recording
- By Anne in State College on 09-09-07
By: Oscar Wilde
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Madame Bovary
- By: Gustave Flaubert
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Emma Bovary is not content to be the mere dutiful wife of a French country doctor. She yearns for excitement and a sense of romance that pulls at her so strongly she is powerless to resist, even though pursuing her dreams will exact a terrible price. Learn why Gustave Flaubert's compelling heroine has enchanted and puzzled readers for centuries.
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Now Here's a Story
- By P. Giorgio on 09-06-03
By: Gustave Flaubert
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Merivel
- A Man of His Time
- By: Rose Tremain
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In search of answers, Merivel sets off for the French court. But Versailles leaves him in despair, until a chance encounter with a seductive Swiss botanist allows him to dream of an honorable future. But back home, his loyalty and medical skill are about to be tested to the limit, while the captive bear he has brought back from France begins to cause havoc.
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On Foolishness and Mortality
- By Ilana on 12-27-14
By: Rose Tremain
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The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosencreutz
- A Romance in Eight Days
- By: Johann Valentin Andreae, John Crowley - translator
- Narrated by: John Crowley
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
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Often described as an alchemical allegory, John Crowley instead decided this is "the first science fiction novel". After all, "it's fiction; it's about the possibilities of a science; and it's a novel". No matter what else it might be, it's definitely one of the great outlandish stories in Western literature.
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Trippy
- By David S. Mathew on 07-24-17
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Snow Country
- By: Yasunari Kawabata
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
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The story of the doomed love affair of a wealthy sophisticate, Shimamura, and the geisha Komako, at a mountain hotspring resort in western Japan, one of the snowiest regions on earth.
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A beautifully written book
- By just asking for some common sense on 03-19-19
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The Leopard
- A Novel
- By: Giuseppe di Lampedusa, Archibald Colquhuon - translator
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in the 1860s, The Leopard tells the spellbinding story of a decadent, dying Sicilian aristocracy threatened by the approaching forces of democracy and revolution. The dramatic sweep and richness of observation, the seamless intertwining of public and private worlds, and the grasp of human frailty imbue The Leopard with its particular melancholy beauty and power, and place it among the greatest historical novels of our time.
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Timeless
- By Robert Massarella on 12-05-23
By: Giuseppe di Lampedusa, and others
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Andersen's Fairy Tales, Volume 1
- By: Hans Christian Andersen
- Narrated by: Emma Fenney, Phil Gigante, Erin Yuen
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness. Readily accessible by children, they present lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity that appeal to mature listeners as well. This collection of 18 tales includes "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Princess and the Pea", and "The Snow Queen".
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Pavilion of Women
- By: Pearl S. Buck
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 15 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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On her 40th birthday, Madame Wu carries out a decision she has been planning for a long time: she tells her husband that after 24 years their physical life together is now over and she wishes him to take a second wife. The House of Wu, one of the oldest and most revered in China, is thrown into an uproar by her decision, but Madame Wu will not be dissuaded and arranges for a young country girl to come take her place in bed.
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Horrible narration!
- By C. Boatenreiter on 06-17-15
By: Pearl S. Buck
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The Ruby in Her Navel
- By: Barry Unsworth
- Narrated by: Andrew Sachs
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Thurstan, a young Norman and would-be Knight at the Court of King Roger in Palermo, has been in love since boyhood with Lady Alicia, now returned a widow from the Holy Land. Thurstan soon finds himself caught in a tangle of plots.
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A Well-Earned Five Stars for this Gem
- By Ilana on 12-11-14
By: Barry Unsworth
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What listeners say about The Pillow Book
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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- Emily
- 02-20-24
Delicious
I really enjoyed this memoir- it was special to get such an intimate look into medieval Japanese court society. A must read for anyone passionate about history, politics, human social dynamics, art, or nature. The reader did an excellent job- her performance conveyed the wit, archness and more than a bit of snobbishness that characterizes Sei Shonagon. I liked that this is read by a British woman with a rather posh accent (at least to my American ears) because I wouldn’t be able to know what a posh Japanese accent sounded like but I was able to have an understanding of what kind of a woman Sei Shonagon must have been via the cross-cultural associations provided by an aristocratic sounding British accent. Sei Shonagon was a true aesthete, and a genius in human behavior and emotion. Yes, she can be snobbish (she’s so cruel to poor people- probably a product of her upbringing and classist culture) and sometimes very self-satisfied- but she also knows she’s an intelligent woman and makes no attempt to hide or apologize for that. Her descriptions of nature in particular were painterly and moving. My main familiarity with Japanese art is Japanese woodblock prints of nature or people- and listening to this book was like getting to step into one of those prints.
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- Fishlamb
- 04-24-22
Superb narration
The book is fascinating as it is, but the narration adds extra magic to it. A highly enjoyable listening
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2 people found this helpful
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- Joanna Sakievich
- 04-14-23
When black teeth were pleasing…?
Perhaps because of the translation and narrator, this nearly thousand-year-old book of Japanese court life seems remarkably relevant for current times. That is, until now & again something like whacking with brooms for fun or smooth, black teeth are casually referenced as appealing…I had to pause & look that tradition up (ohaguro it’s called). Then, the reader is instantly transported to a very different era of time and culture. This intermingling of timelessness and historically revealing tidbits, make Shonagon’s The Pillow Book a delectable treasure!
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1 person found this helpful
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- K.G.
- 01-11-23
Good writing, poor quality audio
The writing and story itself was fine. An interesting window into ancient Japanese court life. However the audio was poorly edited. The narrative did an admirable job, but had an English accent. A Japanese narrator would have been more appropriate.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Erick DuPree
- 01-10-23
Exquisite. Truly!
This is a great audio. It’s interesting to read some of the critical reviews - which seem to forget that Ivan Morris’ Pillow Book translation is of a time- and thus the language is dated. His use of British analogy for Japanese court is anachronistic- but it also is a clear way to communicate an imperial concept to western readers. This translation is better than the very abridged Waley translation but is not as refined as the more recent McKinney translation.
This audio lacks a lot of context and notes found in standard translation. However for me, it did not detract. I loved the narrator- who sounded of the time for the translation- a bit nostalgic on voice, with her use of Received Pronunciation.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Jara
- 06-24-22
A very modern ancient classic
An entertaining, witty and evocative glimpse at the lives of the aristocracy in Heian Japan. The author’s personality and charm shines through in a work that shows how the quirks of human nature remain familiar across time and cultures. The performance of the reader is also of exceptional quality and embodies the voice of the writer very well. One of my favorite books has finally got an audio release and it more than does the original justice. Very highly recommended.
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1 person found this helpful
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- JK
- 04-19-24
ENJOY
Totally enjoyed this book, interesting and relaxing.
The narration was excellent.
My thanks to all involved, JK
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- Leah Sharone
- 06-22-22
Very poor production
While Georgina Sutton does a fine job reading the material the audio quality is extremely uneven. The translation is often inconsistent and several of the chapter headings are misspelled. Given the historical significance of the Pillow Book it’s genuinely shocking this production is handled so shoddily.
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3 people found this helpful