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The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

by David Mitchell
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

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  • Synopses & Reviews
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ISBN13: 9780812976366
ISBN10: 0812976363
Condition: Standard


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Awards

Staff Top 5s 2010 2010 Powell's Staff Top 5s

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

In 2007, Time magazine named him one of the most influential novelists in the world. He has twice been short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. The New York Times Book Review called him simply "a genius." Now David Mitchell lends fresh credence to The Guardian's claim that "each of his books seems entirely different from that which preceded it." The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is a stunning departure for this brilliant, restless, and wildly ambitious author, a giant leap forward by even his own high standards. A bold and epic novel of a rarely visited point in history, it is a work as exquisitely rendered as it is irresistibly readable.

The year is 1799, the place Dejima in Nagasaki Harbor, the "high-walled, fan-shaped artificial island" that is the Japanese Empire's single port and sole window onto the world, designed to keep the West at bay; the farthest outpost of the war-ravaged Dutch East Indies Company; and a de facto prison for the dozen foreigners permitted to live and work there. To this place of devious merchants, deceitful interpreters, costly courtesans, earthquakes, and typhoons comes Jacob de Zoet, a devout and resourceful young clerk who has five years in the East to earn a fortune of sufficient size to win the hand of his wealthy fiancée back in Holland.

But Jacob's original intentions are eclipsed after a chance encounter with Orito Aibagawa, the disfigured daughter of a samurai doctor and midwife to the city's powerful magistrate. The borders between propriety, profit, and pleasure blur until Jacob finds his vision clouded, one rash promise made and then fatefully broken. The consequences will extend beyond Jacob's worst imaginings. As one cynical colleague asks, "Who ain't a gambler in the glorious Orient, with his very life?"

A magnificent mix of luminous writing, prodigious research, and heedless imagination, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is the most impressive achievement of its eminent author.

Review

"Despite the audacious scope, the focus remains intimate....Everything is patched together seamlessly and interwoven with clever wordplay and enlightening historical details on feudal Japan. First-rate literary fiction and a rousing good yarn, too." Booklist (starred review)

Review

"It's as difficult to put this novel down as it is to overestimate Mitchell's virtually unparalleled mastery of dramatic construction, illuminating characterizations and insight into historical conflict and change." Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Review

"It is a rare novel that's so captivating that the reader feels transported through time and fully immersed in an unfamiliar culture and place, and this is such a novel....It is intelligent and utterly readable at the same time. Highly recommended." Library Journal (starred review)

Review

"By any standards, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is a formidable marvel." James Atlas, the New Yorker

Review

"A page-turner...Mitchell's masterpiece; and also, I am convinced, a masterpiece of our time." Richard Eder, The Boston Globe

Review

"An achingly romantic story of forbidden love...[David] Mitchell's incredible prose is on stunning display....A novel of ideas, of longing, of good and evil and those who fall somewhere in between [that] confirms Mitchell as one of the more fascinating and fearless writers alive." Dave Eggers, The New York Times Book Review

Review

"The novelist who's shown us fiction's future has written a classic tale...an epic of sacrificial love, clashing civilizations and enemies who won't rest until whole family lines have been snuffed out." Ron Charles, The Washington Post

Review

"[Mitchell's] most emotionally engaging novel yet." Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

About the Author

David Mitchell is the author of the international bestseller The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, named a best book of the year by Time, The Washington Post, Financial Times, The New Yorker, The Globe and Mail, and The New York Times; Black Swan Green, which was selected as one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by Time; Cloud Atlas, which was a Man Booker Prize finalist; Number9Dream, which was short-listed for the Man Booker as well as the James Tait Black Memorial Prize; and Ghostwritten, awarded the Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for best book by a writer under thirty-five and short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award. Hailed as “the novelist who’s shown us fiction’s future” by The Washington Post, Mitchell was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time in 2007. He lives in Ireland.

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Average customer rating 4.8 (28 comments)

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lukas , October 13, 2015 (view all comments by lukas)
Man, that's a lot of five-star reviews. "History is not, after all, what really happened, but only what we believe happened."-David Mitchell There is no disputing English author David Mitchell's technical ability. His best-know novel, "Cloud Atlas," was a virtuoso performance, yet it failed to cohere as a narrative and its ambition was more often exhausting than inspiring. "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet," from 2010, is more conventionally structured than "Cloud Atlas" and a more satisfying read, yet it suffers from some of the same issues. Set in a Japanese harbor town in the late 1700s, Mitchell's novel evokes, in detail, the clash between societies and cultures, while channeling a wide range of voices, from the Dutch clerk of the title to an Irish criminal to a Japanese midwife. Again, it's impressive, but not particularly insightful or engaging, and I find it hard to view as a masterpiece or as "fiction's future." "I didn't set out to write a historical novel just for the heck of it--you'd have to be mad."-D.M.

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Lauren Davis , January 30, 2013
I heard David Mitchell interviewed on NPR and found what he said, and how he said it to be fascinating. Intrigued, I went to NPR's website and read a selection from The Thousand Autumn's of Jacob de Zoet. It happened to be the first few pages of the opening scene which, quite frankly, horrified me. I concluded I didn't have the constitution to deal with feudal Japan and Mitchell's often intense storytelling style. But then I happened upon the actual book at the library and picked it up to leaf through. After reading one page from the middle, I was hooked. Mitchell's storytelling abilities are just too good. The opening scene turned out to be not as horrific as I thought and the rest of the book, while gritty in a few parts, was lyrical, often funny and always compelling. Compared to Mitchell's earlier works, The Thousand Autumns is in a rather conventional storytelling style, until you realize he's written this historical novel entirely in present tense! No wonder it feels like we're there, exploring this exotic, strange, beautiful and foreboding place along side a handful of very engaging characters. Since reading The Thousand Autumns, I've also read Cloud Atlas, another work of Mitchell's I was worried I wouldn't like and ended up loving. Now I'm entralled with Mitchell's ability to create whole worlds out of his amazing imagination and innovative craft. Prose this good must take a lot of work, but like all real writing, it flows easily and swiftly. I enjoy the ride.

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nicole d , January 30, 2013 (view all comments by nicole d)
A fascinating story written with exquisite historical detail. The story starts simply enough--a Dutchman in the 18th century sets off for a clerkship at a Dutch East India Company trading post in Japan in order to earn his fortune so he can marry the woman he loves. But he doesn't expect to encounter so much corruption that will test his morals, meet a beautiful Japanese midwife, befriend a cantankerous doctor, or parter with a friendly translator to expose an evil monk. This was the sort of novel that kept me surprised and completely engaged from start to finish. The story kept getting better as it went on and I didn't want it to come to an end.

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bevburke , January 02, 2013
This is my best book of 2012. Good story, characters, description, architecture....need I go on? Lovely prose too!!!!

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Ogawa , January 01, 2013
The Thousand Autumns is heartbreakingly sad, and heartbreakingly beautiful. I have nothing in common with Ogawa and everything in common with Ogawa. I love this book and I love Pei Pei.

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wongpeisharon , January 01, 2013
Beautifully written and moving.

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Daniel Cater , January 01, 2013
In one respect, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet is a finely crafted and authentic historical novel of cloistered Shogun Japan and the mortal struggle of European empires to control the fortune-building sea trade. But for the reader, that's just a particularly well painted backdrop. For us, it is a completely engaging tale that follows the lives of an ambitious junior Dutch clerk and the strong and intelligent young Japanese woman with whom he is smitten. As the plot develops, we become increasingly drawn in to Jacob and Orita's lives. We can't help but feel a measure of their hopes and disappointments, as they are buffetted by chance and circumstance and the casually terrifying natures of others more powerful. Mitchell has a genius for dialogue, always seeming to strike the right note. He effortlessly captures the rough accents and humourous ignorance of base waterfront bullies and just as well, creates the tension and stylised formality of the machinations of the Japanese Mandarins. His many characters come to life through this convincing dialogue and by the meticulously described environments in which they live. His gouty English sea captain Penhaligon aboard HMS Phoebus is just as believable as the conflicted young Japanese interpreter Uzaemon Ogawa as he struggles to find meaning in the strange phrases of his Dutch charges. But although we're privy to all this detail, the story never drags or bottlenecks. We're whisked along in one direction, then the next so that it's nearly impossible to put the dammed book down. This was my first David Mitchell and I've already secured my second. The Thousand Nights will appeal to a broad audience and I highly recommended it as the best novel I've read this year.

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Dorothy Benson , January 01, 2013
After reading Cloud Atlas, and now The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, I'm convinced that David Mitchell is an amazing writer, classical in every sense yet totally unique. These two books have been totally absorbing. I want to read more!

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fmdavis , January 01, 2013 (view all comments by fmdavis)
Another fascinating book from Mitchell.

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mdemarie , August 07, 2012 (view all comments by mdemarie)
Outstanding book! It plays with readers' expectations of narrative structure, and develops so many unique voices!

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Magnolia Rando , February 02, 2012 (view all comments by Magnolia Rando)
How do you describe this book? I liken it to a fantastic meal at a restaurant with a well trained chef. The first bite takes your breath away, the second you try to savor letting all of the well blended seasonings sit and melt in your mouth. You struggle not to wolf the meal down as it is so good, yet you have to force yourself to slow down to enjoy the rich bliss of it all. It is a story of a young Dutchman who believes he is to work as a clerk for the Dutch Indies Company at a port in Japan for several years so he can make his fortune and then come home to marry the love of his life. Its just that it did not happen quite like that.

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evalowen , January 19, 2012 (view all comments by evalowen)
Fascinating and extremely well researched bit of history.There was a time when a country could insulate itself from outside influences. Not anymore with our present day technology.

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Casadora , January 19, 2012
Elegant, charming, unusual, compelling, and ultimately, a work of rare beauty. Very few contemporary novels are as affecting.

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John Wecker , January 03, 2012
A fascinating story around one of the strangest interactions between two highly advanced societies.

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Dexter , January 03, 2012 (view all comments by Dexter)
My favorite read of the year. (Amitav Gosh's "River of Smoke" is a very close second and I have not gotten around to "1Q84" by Murakami yet)

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J Bond , January 02, 2012
An amazing tale, beautifully written, and absolutely compelling from start to finish. Definitely the best book I read this year!

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Rachael Woolen , January 02, 2012
David Mitchell has never disappointed me and this book is no exception. The writing is wonderful, his prose are lyrical and complex . The story itself is an adventure tale of a young Dutch man, Jacob, stationed at a trading post in Japan at a time when Japan was still closed to outsiders. It has everything from history and travel, to romance and mystery.

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Andrea Buck , January 02, 2012
This book fulfilled all my criteria for a great book. The historical background was accurate and interesting. The characters were believable and well rounded. The fictionalized story line was entertaining and compelling. The story prompted me to further investigate the time period and the events that shaped that part of the world. Well done, David Mitchell!

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Clover88 , January 01, 2012 (view all comments by Clover88)
I am a big David Mitchell fan; I think his ability to write, in such engaging and living details, about so many different worlds, is amazing. In this novel, he brings alive late 18th c. Japan (and its British and Dutch trading partners). Foreigners are restricted from Japan, but he uses Japanese characters to take us into the interior of the country and expand the perspectives of the story. There was a slightly "magical realist" section in the center of the book that was not to my taste, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel.

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bindeman1 , January 01, 2012
great read--exotic setting, effective character development,.captivating adventure.

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Crounse , January 01, 2012 (view all comments by Crounse)
Absolutely a wonderful book.

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fozie , January 01, 2012
Entrancing...David Mitchell is a poet-novelist. Go read this, right now! You won't be disappointed.

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mkolo , January 01, 2012
I am very happy to have discovered David Mitchell, an erudite and complex writer who sets forth the beautiful and the distasteful with equanimity, and leaves the reader with a positive overall sense of life. After The Thousand Autmns, I have enjoyed his Cloud Atlas, and now intend to read all his writings. A real writer!

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csp1320 , January 01, 2012
David Mitchell at his finest!

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Clover88 , September 03, 2011 (view all comments by Clover88)
This novel immersed me in the lives and culture of the shogunate-era Japan it depicts. The story and the characters are always foremost, while at the same time, I learned about the Dutch East India trade with Japan and European competition to trade with Asia. It's told from more than one point of view, which allowed me to get into the minds of varied characters. To be honest, I was slightly put off in the middle with what seemed to be a more "supernatural" turn of events, but I loved the book as a whole.

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jumptojapan , September 01, 2011
Mitchell imaginatively recreates the little-known world of Dejima, the man-made island in Nagasaki harbor where Dutch traders lived in the Edo period. He spices up history with romance and intrigue, and weaves a tale with well developed characters in a very unique and real setting.

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Michael C Dawson , August 01, 2011 (view all comments by Michael C Dawson)
You know what this book is? It's grumous. Look that up, not only because it well describes Mitchell's style, but because Mitchell is also one of the half dozen humans who have ever used it in an actual sentence -- right here in this very tome! If you enjoy novelists who write to flatter themselves and their readers for being self-appointed-smart and knowing the big words -- if you think "In the rice paddy beyond the garden, a cacophony of frogs detonates" is good writing -- then Mitchell's your boy. Personally, my word is "ptooey." I'd rather read the dictionary than suffer this kind of supposedly great, but actually lazy and pretentious gamesmanship.

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Lissa , March 13, 2011 (view all comments by Lissa)
David Mitchell does it again - writes a book about seemingly obscure locations and lives and comes up with a winner. I'm not sure how he does it, but this book that I would think I would have no interest in reading, captured and kept my attention with his finely crafted writing. After reading 2 of his books (also Cloud Atlas), I will be eagerly awaiting the next.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780812976366
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
03/08/2011
Publisher:
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE
Pages:
492
Height:
1.15IN
Width:
5.63IN
Thickness:
1.25
Number of Units:
12
Illustration:
Yes
Copyright Year:
2011
Author:
David Mitchell
Media Run Time:
B
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Literature-A to Z

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