47 Ronin Paperback – September 10, 2012

For those unfamiliar with the story, the 47 Ronin are one of the central stories from the time of the Samurai in Japanese culture. In the same way that stories of the Court of King Arthur might resonate with Anglos, this resonates with Japanese. It illustrates some of the central tenets of honour, persistence and courage that were admired in and from that period.Essentially, a Samurai warlord was betrayed at court and killed. That left his samurai retainers in a difficult position as they became ronin - samurai with no master. This was a difficult, shameful, thing in those days but they chose to embrace it as they sought to follow the higher dictates of honour and seek revenge. The ending is not a Western ending but is powerful and appropriate.This is a good reconstruction of the times, well written and appears to be faithful to known history. It is of course fictionalised history but it is fiction done well. This is a good yarn, which will entertain you as you comfort yourself that you're actually studying history. Lots of good action scenes, lots of fun and a satisfying ending.

Before I launch into the review proper, I need to mention that this book is the first time that I have read the story of the 47 ronin. As a result, I’ll be evaluating this book as a standalone story rather than an adaption. In order to consider it an adaption, I need a baseline to compare it to, a baseline that I do not have. If you think about this book as a historical narrative, then it is horrible and not worth the time. However, its description never made it seem like a historical narrative at any time. Instead, it was designed and marketed as a book of historical fiction that was meant to entertain, a task that it accomplishes fairly well. John Arryn has obviously done his research and is able to describe Japanese culture of the time period very well. He also does it in a way that someone unfamiliar with the culture can understand. Unfortunately, the story moves somewhat slowly, but that is not a fault with the author himself. Most of the story itself is about the ronin waiting for the right time to attack the person they wish to kill. While the action may not be the focus, I found it enjoyable to watch the inner dynamics of the group, which is what the story focused on. One other downside that I found annoying was the portrayal of the ronin as unmistakable heroes and as the antagonists as clearly vile villains. I prefer when both sides of a story are portrayed. While not every other is capable of doing it, the book has a clearly drawn line of the two sides with not a lot of wiggle room. The good guys are clearly the good guys, and the bad guys are clearly the bad guys. All in all, it’s a good book for light reading.

I managed to pick up John Allyn's "47 Ronin Story" for a discount price, and recently finished my reading of it. It went pretty fast, and it was somewhat entertaining, but all in all, I was a bit disappointed.Firstly, the presentation itself is lacking in character. While this may be (and probably is) a deliberate attempt to muster some of the feel of Japanese works, he seems to miss the basic essence of some of those simplified presentations, and the result is a very stacatto feel to events and descriptions of the story. Are we supposed to understand/sympathize with Oishi, the leader of the band, who sacrifices everything for the sake of his lord? It is difficult with the material present. Years seem to pass by in days, and one never really gets a feel for how long these men waited to exact revenge for the death of their lord.Moreover, there is a distinctive Western feel to the story, particularly the romance between Oishi and his geisha (whose name escapes me). For example, at one point, she passionately throwing the covers off her naked body, she pins him down in the bed pleading with him to give up his thoughts of revenge. It seems very contrived, particularly considering the behavior to which she is accustomed (I apologize if one finds this to be a major plot spoiler, although IMHO, if a book can be spoiled by giving one or two plot lines, it isn't worth it's salt). While Allyn tells us that his story is indeed a fictional interpretation of events whose details are obscured, at best, some scenes simply feel out of place in his own rendition (no other woman in the book acts in this way, e.g.).However, as I mentioned, the book goes fast (it took me about 3 hours to read it), and it certainly serves as a good diversion (e.g. on a plane flight), but I like my books to have a bit more meat.

I first went to Sengakuji Temple (the burial site of the 47 Ronin) about 20 years ago, just as a tourist thing and not knowing the background of the temple or the story of the 47 Ronin. I was inexplicably moved by the visit, and found a copy of John Allyn's book at an English-language bookstore in Tokyo. I instantly loved the story and Allyn's telling of it.The climatic event took place over 300 years ago and much of the details have been lost to history, but Allyn clearly has a solid grasp of traditional Japanese culture and history and fills in the holes believably and elegantly. Allyn's style is descriptive yet clear and very enjoyable. You get a immersive feeling of the period, but it never gets bogged down.I was delighted to discover this book had finally come to Kindle. I have read several English-language books on the 47 Ronin over the past 20 years, but I consider this one to be the definitive telling of the tale. The story of the 47 Ronin is one of the most beloved in Japanese history, and for anyone with even a passing interest in it, this is a must-read.

Excellent reading about another culture in another time. Interest was piqued following the movie version with Keanu Reeves, and decided I needed to experience the book since apparently it had been out for quite a long time and I had never heard of it. Some books are just difficult to get into from the beginning but this one is not. Is just good sometimes to step out of your 'box' and try new things and in this particular instance I am glad that I did. If you haven't seen the movie, you should.

Well written book, delivered on time.

great

Una historia real novelada. Cultura japonesa.

Great read

Although the book is written in a simplistic style the classic story has great value in helping Westerners understand the Japanese culture, values and ancient codes of conduct. The detailed descriptions created an interesting story and likable characters.