欧宝娱乐

Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

???? ?????

Rate this book

In this groundbreaking novel, Fumiko Hayashi tells the powerful story of tormented love and one woman's struggle to navigate the cruel realities of postwar Japan. The novel's characters, particularly its resilient heroine Koda Yukiko, find themselves trapped in their own drifting, unable to break out of the morass of indecisiveness. Set in the years during and after World War II, their lives and damaged psyches reflect the confusion of the times in which they live.

Floating Clouds follows Yukiko as she moves from the physically lush and beautiful surroundings of Japanese-occupied French Indochina to the desolation and chaos of postwar Japan. Hayashi's spare, affecting novel presents a rare portrait of Japanese colonialism and the harshness of Japan's postwar experience from the perspective of a woman. Its rich cast of characters, drawn from the back alleys of urban Japan and the low rungs of society, offers an unforgettable portrait of Japanese society after the war.

The tortured relationship between Yukiko and Tomioka, a minor official with the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, provides the dramatic center of the novel. Yukiko meets Tomioka while working as a typist for the Japanese ministry in Indochina, where they begin their affair. After the war, Tomioka returns to his wife but remains emotionally inscrutable to Yukiko, refusing to break off their relationship. Meanwhile, Yukiko must find her way in a radically changed postwar Japan. When Yukiko and Tomioka's lives once again cross, the two set down a path shaped by their passion and sense of desperation.

First published in 1951, Floating Clouds is a classic of modern Japanese literature and was later made into a film by legendary Japanese director Mikio Naruse.

367 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

42 people are currently reading
1,859 people want to read

About the author

Fumiko Hayashi

151?books55?followers
Fumiko Hayashi (林 芙美子), December 31, 1903 or 1904 (Japanese sources disagree on the birth year) - June 28, 1951) was a Japanese novelist and poet.

When Hayashi was seven, her mother ran away with a manager of her common-law husband's store, and afterwards the three worked in Kyūshū as itinerant merchants. After graduating from high school in 1922, Hayashi moved to Tokyo with a lover and lived with several men until settling into marriage with the painter Rokubin Tezuka (手塚 緑敏?) in 1926.

Many of her works revolve around themes of free spirited women and troubled relationships. One of her best-known works is Hōrōki (translated into English as "Vagabond's Song" or "Vagabond's Diary") (放浪記, 1927), which was adapted into the anime Wandering Days. Another is her late novel Ukigumo (Floating Clouds, 1951), which was made into a movie by Mikio Naruse in 1955.

Hayashi's work is notable as well for its feminist themes. She was later to face criticism for accepting sponsored-trips by the Japanese military government to occupied China, from where she reported positively on Japanese administration.

Until the 1980s, "women's literature" (joryu bungaku) was considered a separate category from other modern Japanese literature. It was critically disparaged as popular but too sentimental. But Ericson's (1997) translations and analysis of the immensely popular Hōrōki and Suisen (Narcissus) suggest that Hayashi's appeal is rooted in the clarity with which she conveys the humanity not just of women, but also others on the underside of Japanese society.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
86 (16%)
4 stars
191 (37%)
3 stars
157 (30%)
2 stars
56 (10%)
1 star
21 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
Profile Image for Kansas.
756 reviews433 followers
April 21, 2024




"Además, tampoco siento por mi mujer el mismo cari?o que antes. La guerra me hizo ver la más horrible de las pesadillas... No hay nada que pueda hacer: soy un ser sin alma. Soy un hombre sin rumbo, sin objetivo. Solo siento una desmesurada ansiedad insondable, trato de evitar, cobardemente, enfrentarme cara a cara con esa realidad."


Estructurada en torno a los encuentros interminentes de una pareja a lo largo de una serie de a?os entre la 2? Guerra Mundial y la posguerra en un Japón en plena descomposición, Fumiko Hayashi construye en Nubes Flotantes una novela que sobre todo captura la sensación de una deriva emocional firmemente anclada en esta desesperanza cáotica que se respiraba en un Japón devastado por las consecuencias de la guerra. Leo por ahí algunas criticas a la novela por la toxicidad que desprende una pareja que nunca llega a vivir un momento de paz y armonía en la que se crea una dependencia que hoy podríamos llamar tóxica, pero no todo es tan fácil y gratuito a la hora de juzgar sobre todo a la protagonista femenina, Yukiko Koda, porque aquí lo más fascinante es, o por lo menos a mí me lo ha parecido, cómo la autora nos acerca a sus personajes, que en ningún momento podrán liberarse de esta desesperanza social que los envuelve.


"... al comprobar la especial habilidad con la que aquella mujer había superado todas las adversidades. Se sentía secretamente en inferioridad al comprobar su pobre situación actual con la fuerza innata que irradiaba ella. Es absolutamente cierto que la mujer posee una naturaleza de dobles matices, lo que le permite, en ocasiones, elegir, con total libertad, el camino que ningún hombre se esperaría..”


Yukiko y Tomioka se conocen en la Indochina francesa cerca del final de la 2? Guerra Mundial, él, un funcionario forestal casado que regularmene enga?a a su esposa, conoce a Yukiko que escapa de la guerra al aceptar un empleo en un lugar que podría considerarse un paraíso en comparación al Tokyo que había dejado atrás, totalmente devastado por una guerra que está a punto de terminar. Yukiko acepta ese puesto de trabajo en Dhalat como una huida a una vida no solo aterradora por la guerra, sino además aterradora, por lo que suponía para una mujer sola, que se veía acosada en todos los terrenos. "-Creo que la vida en Japón está cada vez más difícil, así que, ahora que está aquí, esto le parecerá un paraíso-. Podría ser un paraíso, pero Yukiko jamás había tenido una vida tan desahogada como esta y se sentía tan superada que le daba miedo. Había algo vacío e inquietante, como si hubiera entrado sin permiso en una lujosa mansión en ausencia de los due?os." La llegada de Yukiko a la exuberante y aislada Indochina, supone una liberación y una estabilidad económica, nada que ver con ese Japón donde era tan difícil conseguir sobrevivir. Ya desde este inicio, la novela de Fumiko Hayashi nos está describiendo el colonianislmo japonés y la dureza de la guerra y la posguerra desde el punto de vista de una mujer, que ademas, está continuamente resurgiendo de los embates de la vida. La historia de amor que viven Tomioka y Yukiko en ese paraiso aislado, se zanja de golpe cuando ambos deben volver a Japón tras el fin de la guerra y aquí Hayashi, no edulcora la aparente historia de amor. Después de la guerra, Tomioka regresa con su esposa, pero permanece emocionalmente inescrutable para Yukiko y se niega a retomar su relación aunque continuamente se buscan para hablar. Mientras tanto, Yukiko debe encontrar su camino en un Japón de posguerra radicalmente cambiado. "Hay que considerar los encuentros como se?ales. Uno no puede renegar de lo que le sobreviene en la vida., me parece a mí. (...) Un encuentro inesperado es cosa del destino." A partir de esta separación, Hayashi asienta la historia sobre todo en los encuentros intermitentes entre Yukiko y Tomioka, ambos llevan vidas separadas, pero se buscan, y aunque son conscientes de que la historia de amor se ha acabado, una cierta dependencia por parte de ella, y una desesperanza por parte de él, se convierten en lo que será la esencia de la historia: dos personajes en continua deriva, ella mucho más resistente y resurgiendo de los embates, él, cada vez más pasivo, ya que se ve incapaz de ajustarse a unos tiempos nuevos. El recuerdo de Indochina es lo que mantiene esos encuentros interminentes todavía vivos, el recuerdo del paraíso perdido... el pasado como única realidad en un mundo en descomposición, Indochina fue la irrealidad, Japón es la realidad y el infierno en la tierra.


"- Se dice que lo que se queda en el olvido, se echa a perder. Ves, el recuerdo de Indochina también empieza a desvanecerse, ya no suelo echar la vista atrás, ni tan siquiera so?ar con ello. ?A ti no te pasa? Creo que es ley de vida."


Y ya digo que la aparente toxicidad en la relación de esta pareja, yo no la veo tan clara, porque ahondando más allá de las apariencias de un hombre impenetrable que huye de una mujer aparentemente dependiente, la perspectiva se agranda y veremos que la amplia gama de matices con la que Hayashi imbuye a sus personajes, los convierte en algo mucho más complejo que lo que la apariencia desde nuestro tiempo pudiera reflejar. La relación de Yukiko y Tomioka en los encuentros intermitentes a lo largo de los a?os, realmente va mucho más allá que la de una simple historia de amor, y se va convirtiendo en una relación de dos seres que se conocen y se comprenden, una amistad a lo largo de los a?os que intentan encontrar consuelo en unos tiempos oscurísimos, y en este aspecto el realismo de los diálogos no parecen de 1951, en el sentido de que pudieran ser diálogos de ahora mismo. Fumiko Hayashi crea en Yukiko Koda una mujer alejada de la etiqueta ideal y moralista que nos había venido de un Japón encorsetado en los roles de género, "Aquello que deseaba se le escapaba de las manos y, en cambio, lo que no quería la atrapaba, la apresaba. Sintió una sequedad extrema en el corazón." y poco a poco se va imponiendo una mujer superviviente nata, que continuamente está ideando modos de que la marea de la posguerra no la engulla. Una mujer que por muy aterrada, destrozada o hundida que estuviera, siempre conseguirá sobrevivir ajustándose a los tiempos. Yukiko es esa mujer a la que en en cada encuentro con Tomioka después de meses sin verla, él reconocerá y se sorprenderá porque está sobreviviendo y construyendose una vida, mientras que él se ve incapaz de avanzar.


“Después de la guerra todos hemos adoptado esta postura. Hemos perdido la mesura de nuestros propios juicios. Los objetivos no los creas tú, sino que te los imponen los demás. El carácter del país nos está obligando a ser así. Somos plantas sin raíces que flotan en el agua y seguir este camino no nos conduce a ningun sitio.”


Nubes Flotantes es una novela profundamente innovadora en la que Fumiko Hayashi no edulcora y pisa firme sin sentimentalismos, porque cualquier sue?o es aplastado por las realidades de un Japón en plena descomposición. Los personajes hablan continuamente de dinero, de cómo conseguirlo, de cómo robarlo o ganarlo, sobreviven vendiendo posesiones, recurriendo a actividades ilegales, porque casi era una suerte que el techo sobre el que habían vivido antes de la guerra, hubiera permanecido intacto tras los bombardeos, así que toda la novela está imbuida de una atmósfera de desesperanza, de realidad pura y dura en la que el amor tiene poca cabida si hay que sobrevivir en el día a día. Hayashi cambia el punto de vista entre Tomioka y Yukiko y esta falta de sentimentalismo, nos hará entender también al personaje de Tomioka, un hombre desganado y desesperanzado, en continua crisis por lo incierto del futuro. En este aspecto, Nubes Flotantes me ha parecido una novela extraordinaria sobre todo por esa visión global que tenia Fumiko Hayashi de la naturaleza humana y que me ha dejado huella. En 1955 Mikio Naruse la llevó al cine, respetando absolutamente la obra original de Fumiko Hayashi, sin disfrazar absolutamente nada y creando una obra maestra.


"-?No tienes la sensación de que nos hemos convertido en algo así como niebla...?"

??? ???

description
description
description
description
description
description
Ukigumo aka Floating Clouds, 1955, Mikio Naruse
Profile Image for Lama Alkanaany.
29 reviews68 followers
July 25, 2017
?????? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ?????.
????? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? ???????? ??? ??????? ?? ????? ???????? ??????? ??? ??????? ???????? ?????? ????????? ?? ??? ??????? ??????? ???? ?? ???? .
???? ??? ??????? ???? ?????? ??????? ????????? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ??? ??????? ??? ??????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ??????? ???? ??????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ??????? ?? ?????? ???? ??????? ?? ????????? ?? ??????? ????????.

???? ??????? ?? (????) ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???????? (????) ???? ??? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ????? ??????? ????? ????? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ?????? ??????? (??????) ??????? ?? ?? ????? ??? ????? ??????? ??? ????? ??????? ??? ????? ???????? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ??????? ??????? ???????? ??? ?????? ?????? ??????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ??????? ??? ??????? ????? ???? ?????.

?? ?????? ??????? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ??????? ????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??????? ???? ?????? ??????? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ??????.
Profile Image for Sayed Jawad Al Aali.
49 reviews19 followers
February 13, 2017
?????? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ??????? "??????" ????? ??? "????? ???????"? ???? ???? ??? ??????? ??? ??????? ????????? ??? ?? ???? ??? ??? ????????? ??????? ???? ???? ????? ??? ?????.

??? ???? ????? ??? "???????" ????? ?????? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ???????? ??? ???????? ??? ???? ????? ??????? ??? ???? ?????????? ?? ??? ???????? ??????????? ??????? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ???? ??? ????? ????????? ?????????.

?????? ???????? ????? "???? ?????" ????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ??????? ?????????? ?? ??? ?????? ??????? ??? ???? ???????.

??????? ?? ?????? ???? ?????????? ????????? ???? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ??? ??????? ??? ??? ????? ???????? ??? ?????? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ??????? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ?? ????? ????????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ?????????? ?? ?? ???????? ????? ????? ?? ????? ???? ????????.
Profile Image for Alaa Bahabri.
250 reviews79 followers
March 14, 2015
????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ???????
?????? ??????? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ??? ???? ???? ????,,
??? ??????? ?? ??? ?????? ????????? ???????? ????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ? ??? ?????? ?? ??????,,
??????? ??????? ?????? ??????? ????? ?????? ??? ?????? ???????? ?? ??????? ????? ??? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ????? ???????,,
?????? ???????? ??????? ?????? ??????? ???,,
Profile Image for Hulyacln.
981 reviews550 followers
January 27, 2024
Yukiko ve Tomioka g?revleri sebebiyle gittikleri ?inhindi’nde tan???rlar, Tomioka evlidir, Yukiko ise kendini k?ksüz bir a?a? gibi hissetmektedir.
Japonya sava?? kazanacak m? diye beklerken aralar?ndaki ili?ki de günden güne ?etrefilli bir soruya d?nü?mektedir~
.
Savrulan Bulutlar i?in umudum yüksekti (Yasunari Kawabata ile yazar Fumiko Hayashi’nin dostlu?u da bir etkendi) ak?c? bir a?k hikayesi bekliyordum ta ki ilk sayfaya kadar..
Ne yaz?k ki pek ?ok yaz?m hatas?, ?eviriden mi yoksa g?zden ge?irmesi yap?lmam?? olmas?ndan m? anlayamad???m tats?zl?klar sebebiyle sevemedim Savrulan Bulutlar’?. ‘Sorunlu’ de?il de hastal?kl? bir ili?kiyi okumak da keyifli de?ildi tabii. Sadece Japonya’n?n di?er ülkelerdeki i?gal süre?leri ve sava??n d?nü?türücü etkilerinin arka plana sinmi? olmas?n? sevdim. (??sizlik-karaborsa-yabanc? askerlere duyulan ilgi ve kurtulu? plan? olarak g?rme gibi..)
.
Umar?m grubumuzda okuyaca??m?z di?er kitaplar üzmez beni ~
Profile Image for Lucia Nieto Navarro.
1,229 reviews318 followers
September 8, 2021
3.5

Novela corta, en la que se muestra la sociedad de japon tras la Guerra, tanto políticamente como piscologicmanete que creo que es lo que mas hay que resaltar.

Tendremos a nuestra protagonista que tras la guerra y tras aceptar la perdida, saldra de su pais, para trabajar como mecanógrafa, iremos viviendo su pena por su gran amor, el cual esta casado y que solo la necesita para de vez en cuando.

Es verdad que el personaje es una mujer fuerte que pasa muchas penurias y tiene que luchar por sobrevivir, pero algo que no me ha gustado es la relación tan toxica que tiene, ya que depende exclusivamente de su pareja, todo girara en torno a el y se hará siempre lo que el se diga.

Una historia que recomiendo leer, sobretodo para jovenes creo que es muy interesante andentrarte en esta cultura y ver como evolucionan los personajes.
113 reviews58 followers
November 12, 2016
This book was painfully beautiful. I wanted to hate all the main characters and at some points I did, but then I would remember how terrible it must be to live like that, going through the war and then drifting everywhere but nowhere because you don't have a place to belong to, and I'd forgive them for all the awful things they'd say and do. There is just so much emotion in this book - it's almost overwhelming.
Profile Image for Antastesia.
1 review1,724 followers
December 9, 2012
Beautiful and moving. Describes very well the pathetic desire we sometimes have to fight for already dead feelings, because past was great.
Profile Image for Rana Abid.
209 reviews513 followers
May 2, 2014
?? ?? ????? ???? ...???? ?????... ????? ???? ???...
??? ?? ????? ????????... ???? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ???????? ?????...
??? ???? ????? ??? ???? ??????????..???? ?????? ??????
Profile Image for Eman Alshareef.
198 reviews67 followers
March 9, 2017


???? ?? ??? ????? ???? ????? ???????? ?? ???????? ????? ?????? ????? ???????
?
?? ?????? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ???? ????. ??? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ??????? ??????? ???? ?????? ???? ?????? ????? ??? ??? ???? ????? ?? ???????? ????? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ??? ?????? ????? ??????


???? ??? ??????? ?????? ????? ?????? ????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ???? .. ??? ???? ??????? ?????? ???? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ??????? .. ??? ???? ?????? ?????? ????? ??????? .. ???? ??????? ???? .. ????? ???? ????? ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?????? ???? ?????? ?????? .. ???? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ????? ??? ?????????? ????? ?? ??? ?????????? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ???? ??? ?????? ..? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ????? ??????? .. ???????? ???? ???? ???????? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ?????..
??? ???? ?? ????? ??????? ???? ?????????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ?? ???.. ????? ??? ????? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ??????? ..

??????? ????? ???????? ?? ??????? ??? ????? ???? ???? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ????????.. ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ????? ( ??? ??? ???? ?????? ??????) ????? ?????? ???????? ??? ??????? ??????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ??????? ??????? ???????? ??? ????? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ??? ???? ??????? ?????????? ??????????? ??????????? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ?? ???????? ???????? ????? ?????? .. ???? ???? ?? ???? ??? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ????????? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? .. ???? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ??????? ??? ?????? ?????? .. ??? ??????? ??????? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ... ????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?????? .. ????? ?? ???? ?????? .. ?? ???? ????..

???? ????? ??? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ''???? ?????'' ?????? ?? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ??????? ????????? ????? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ???????? .. ??? ???? ????? ???? ?? ????? ??????? ????? ??? ????? ??? ???? ??????? ???????? ???? ???? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ???? ??????? ??????? ?????? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ???? ?? ???? ???? ??????? ???? ??????? .. ????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ????? ????? ???? ??? ?????? ???? ??? ????? ????? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ?????? ??????? .
Profile Image for ?????.
387 reviews441 followers
December 28, 2012
description

??? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ????? ???????? ??????..???? ????? ?????.. ???? ?? ???? ???...??? ????? ??...??? ???? ?????...?? ???? ???? ??????? ?????????? ????????? ??????????? ?????????

??? ??? ???????...???? ??????? ?? ??? ??????? ?? ????? ???????? ???????

"???? ??????" ???? ???? ????? ??? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ???????...???? ????? ?? ?? "???????"? ?? ????? ??????? ??? ??????? ???????? ????? ???????? ???????? ???? ?????? ??????? ??? ??????? ??? ?????? ??????? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ????????? ??????? ?????..???? ??? ?????? ?? ??????? ????? ???? ??? ???????? ??? ????? ???? ???? ???? ??????? ??????????...??? ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?? ??????? ?? ??? ????...?????? ?????? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ??? ???? ???????...????? ??? ?? ?????? ??????? ??????...?????? ?? ?????????? ??????? ???...????? ??? ?? ????????? ????? ??? ??? ???:


"?? ????? ??? ???? ????? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ??????. ???? ?? ????? ??? ???? ??? ????? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ?????. ??? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ???? ??????. ??? ????? ???? ???????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ???????"


???? ????:


"??????? ?? ?????? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?? ?????????? ???????? ????? ??????? ???? ????? ????? ?????????? ???????"


????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ??? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ???? ?????.
?? ?? ??? "???????" ?? ??? ???? "??????"...??? ?????? ???...?? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ???????? ???? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???? ??????? ?????...???? ??? ?? ???????? ??????? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ?????????!!!


???? ??????? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ???????...????? ?????? ????? ?????? ?????? ???????...???? ????? ????? ?? ?????? ???????...????? ??????? ????? ???? ????? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ?????? ?????? ?????? ????? ????? ???? ????? ?????? ????? ??????? ??? ?????? ???????.

? ?????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ???? ??? ???? "???????" ??????? ????????? ???????? ????...???? ????? ????? ?????? ??????? ????? ???????? ???????? ????? ??? ?????????

?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ???????? ??????.

Profile Image for Katie.
7 reviews
April 10, 2008
I found that the first few chapters of this book were difficult to read - they seemed to jump around from one paragraph to the next and didn't flow smoothly. I'm not sure if this is due in part to it being a translation and perhaps the original writing flowed better. I picked this book up randomly while perusing the shelves at the library so I didn't know what to expect from the story. The dust cover described it as a 'masterpiece' - for me, it didn't reach that level. The lead character, who is female, is very strong, but it was hard to like her, or the other characters in the book. The story deals with a doomed love affair between the lead character and a man she meets during the war. I found the book was preoccupied with death which perhaps reflects the mood that was in Japan after the war and was left feeling sorry for the characters that the only way they could see to be happy was to die.
Profile Image for Stephen Rowland.
1,333 reviews61 followers
November 11, 2017
This is a frustrating novel, but in a very human and honest way. It concerns and young woman and a man carrying on a secret affair at a remote forestry station in Annam (Vietnam) during Japan's occupation of that country. Upon their repatriation to war-devastated Japan, everything falls apart. Both characters are often difficult to love, but under the circumstances I think it should be no other way. Hayashi's prose is beautiful. In 1955, a few years after it was written, Mikio Naruse made a film adaptation that is quite possibly his greatest, starring Hideko Takamine and Masayuki Mori. I recommend the novel and the film highly.
Profile Image for Azizah.
55 reviews21 followers
September 2, 2012


????? ???? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ??? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????? ???? ??? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ???? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ??????? ??? ????? ???????? ??????? ?????? ??? ??????? ?????? ???????
??? ??? ?? ????? ???? ??????? ?? ?? ???????
(???? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ???? ?????)
????? ???????
??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??????? ??????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ?? ?????? ?? ???? ??????
Profile Image for Imarwah.
20 reviews14 followers
October 6, 2012
????? ????? ?
?????? ???? ??? ? ? ????? ???? ?????? ? ??? ???????? ?? ???????? ?????? ? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ????? ???????? ??????? ? ??? ???? ????? ????? ?? ??? ? ??? ? ????? ?????? ?? ????????? ? ? ?????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?????? ?????? ?
???? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ? ???? ?? ???? ?????? ???
??????? ??????? ?? ???? ??? ????



* ??????? ??????? ?? ??????? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ??????? ? ???? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?? ????? ??????? ?? ?? ?????? ???????

:)
Profile Image for Mary Ann.
47 reviews
July 19, 2010
My daughter recommended this book. I think much must have been lost in the translation, originally in Japanese. I felt it dragged but did find the information on repatriation interesting as was the male character's writing on the foliage of the area.
Profile Image for Sara Abduleelah.
97 reviews16 followers
August 19, 2013
??????? ?????? ???? ?? ?????? ???????? .. ???? ????? ??????? ? ????? ? ????? .. ???? ???? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ???????? ??? ????? .. ????? ????? ?? ???? ? ???? ?????? ?????? ? ??????
Profile Image for Ezgi ?enel.
Author?2 books27 followers
January 22, 2024
Karakterlerin hatalar?ndan ders ald???, ya?am mücadelesi verdi?i, dürüst kalma ?abas?yla debelendi?i, iyi insanlar?n ba??na k?tü i?lerin geldi?i, dünyan?n korkun? oldu?u ama karakterimizin her ?eyi sineye ?ekti?i ve bu listenin tonla versiyonunu unutun. Savrulan Bulutlar okura karanl?klardan seslenen bir kitap. Yazar istese bu karakterlerin hepsini aklayabilece?i, davran??lar?n?n ard?nda asl?nda bu var yahu diyebilece?i bir ge?mi? de sunmu? okura ama mevzu bahis bu de?il. Arzunun ya da eylemin kayna??, fikirsel altyap?s? tart???lm?yor. Sava? sonras? Japonya, kaybedilenin insani de?erler mi yoksa ya?ama dair bir k?v?lc?m m? oldu?u bilinmiyor. Ba?lang??ta hayli yarg?lay?c? olan tutumum okuduk?a derinle?en bu umursamaz ak??a kap?l?yor. Sava? ?artlar?nda neleri yitirebilir insan? ?stilac? konumundayken veyahut kaybetmi?ken bunlar?n hepsi de?i?ken. Ama i? d?nüp dola??p yar?nlar yokmu? misali ya?amaya geliyor. Bu ya?ama bi?iminin ülkenin i?inde bulundu?u k?ska?la birle?mesi sonucu buhrana y?neliyor her ?ey. Savrulan bulutlar misali ilerliyor karakterler. Türlü saplant?lar, kefesi kaybolmu? teraziler, birilerinin diyetini ?deyen ba?kalar?, ars?z g?nlün zincirleri yitirdi?i bir kopu?un ard?ndan gidiyoruz. Ba?lang??taki o rahats?zl?k hissi anlamland?ramad???m bir merakla per?inlendi. Zamanla baz? insanlara dair anlamland?ramad???m o tuhaf cesaretin kayna??na dair bir ???lt?ya d?nü?tü. Akl?na eseni yapabilmekten farkl? bir ba?lamd? yakalad???m. D?nemin ?artlar?n?n getirdi?i tüm o yozlukta her ?eyin mümkün k?l?nd???, iyinin aptall?k k?tünün normal say?ld???, güdülerin düzlemindeki ilerleyi?. ?yle ki insanlar? kand?rman?n kolayla?t???, inan? ve düzen ihtiyac?n?n kalpazanlar do?urdu?u d?nemlerden bahsediyoruz. Okuru tuhaf ikilemlere sürükleyen yazar okurun i?indeki terazilerin ayarlar?yla da pek güzel oynuyordu. ?zerine s?ylenecek ?ok fazla fikir var. 1940lara ve sonras?na temas eden okumalar ve diziler de kafam? kar??t?rmad? desem yalan olur. Belki sonras?nda daha detayl? incelenebilir.
Profile Image for To?o Pi?eiro.
147 reviews13 followers
June 28, 2023
??8 de corazones ??

Una novela de lectura sencilla que narra la decadencia de sus personajes y del Japón en el que viven con un buqué nihilista ligeramente amoniacal.

Los personajes Yukiko y Tomioka regresan a Japón después de tener una aventura/idilio en la (entonces) Indochina y están empecinados a regresar a ese paraíso perdido, (es decir, al pasado; dime cómo acaba esto, lector) por todos los medios y formas que tienen a su alcance, aún cuando los arroje a una espiral de tormentos (auto) infligidos. Todo contra un escenario que es de por sí lúgubre y depresivo: el Japón de la posguerra con todos sus claroscuros.

Así, tenemos un libro que tiene dos protagonistas a veces un pelito insoportables, con los que nunca terminas de empatizar, y a cuya caída solo puedes asistir en silencio. Es como ver a un par de ratas en un laberinto sin salida, siendo éste sus propias pasiones descontroladas y el contexto histórico que les tocó vivir.

Aunque bien escrito y en momentos particularmente poético, la autora cae en una autocomplacencia que la obliga a detener el hilo narrativo porque va a tirar LA FRASE y cuando tira LA FRASE todos nos tenemos que callar la boca y escuchar, incluidos sus personajes. Esta práctica, que está presente en toda la novela, envejece casi al instante. Es más sesuda cuando busca no serlo.

Lo recomiendo si puedes tolerar una historia bella y amarga con toquecitos de melodrama telenovelero de la hora de la comida.

Y ya está.
Profile Image for ?????.
Author?32 books777 followers
November 23, 2014
????? ????? ????. ?????? ?????? ?? ???????? ??? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ???? ????? ????? ????? ????? ???????? ???? ?? ???????? ????????? ?????? ?? ?????? ??????. ??????? ?????? ????? ??????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ????? ??? ?????????? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ???? ????? ?? ????? ??????? ?????? ??? ????? ???????? ???????? ????? ????? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ????????? ?? ??? ?????.
Profile Image for Shahad.
184 reviews46 followers
July 20, 2016
"???? ??????? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???? ?????????? ???? ????? ???? ? ????? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ?? ???? ? ????".

????? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ? ???????????? ?????.
??? ?? ?? ???? ??? ????? ?? ?????????????????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ??????.
????? ????? ??? ?? ???? ???????? ??????????????? ???? ?? ???????? ???? ???.
??????? ????????? ??????..
Profile Image for Luke.
1,564 reviews1,104 followers
June 14, 2023
Hayashi was one of the authors whose short story included within impressed me enough to track them down in an available longer fashion. As to what incentivized this, the most overt piece of evidence I have is my three-years-ago self describing Hayashi's writing with the phrase 'bittersweet hope', which given the nature of my five-months-into-shelter-in-place memories will have to do full duty of representing the author on its own. After reading Hayashi's most well known work on the Anglo side of things (enough to be available at my county library, something I still can hardly believe), the 'bitter' is certainly there in spades, while the 'sweet', if anything, was never the intent. Given that the milieu is post WWII Japan and Hayashi doesn't shy away from talking about Japanese officials being hung for war crimes or portraying at least one main character as highly valuing those who are 'pure race', this clear eyed perspective could have been leveraged to great effect. Unfortunately, the fact that the title lines up with the text's theme, in this case rootless non-commitment, doesn't always increase the reader's willingness to suspend their disbelief, and I found that this work was strongest when it didn't wallow in its present day scope, aka didn't do what it was primarily focused on doing. All in all, this text struck a middle ground between two very different but potentially equally satisfying narratives, and that compromise ended up leaving this particular reader cold.

The US at large could afford to have a much more realistic perspective regarding Japan than is typically afforded by the countries' interactions both past and present. Neither dropping another atomic bomb nor yellow fever infantilization, but an interaction that takes into account thousands of years of history, a recent spate of fascism, and a new youth looking to establish themselves as much through queerdom as through video games. Of course, the US is incapable of interacting with any country with any measure of true dignity or respect, so I'm left to thumb through the Japanese to English translations that come my way and take what I can get. As described earlier, Hayashi first came to me through a short story whose emotional overtones were not quite negative, not quite positive, so beginning section of this novel of hers was ripe with possibilities of a story that didn't whitewash itself into irredeemable cutesiness, but also didn't sink into a morass of repetitive despair. As it stands, the further the work went on, the more it circled around a pair characters who grew more ill defined the more they circled around each other in ever more claustrophobic meanderings, until all the rest of the cast had died off and all the avenues of other lives had been closed off. Given the setting and narrative intent, there's plenty a meaning that can be drawn from the structure, but I would have preferred a malaise that went a tad deeper into the whole 'war crimes' business than was otherwise hinted at a couple of times. All in all, I wish I could feel more strongly about the narrative, given what it was trying to do, but it might be a case of not having the right perspective or context to truly appreciate the effort, and if I started worrying about that now with the works in translation I choose to tackle, I'll never get any reading done ever again.

At some point, I'm going to have to take a break from the maximum efficient reading route I've been taking for the past year and start reading for (gasp) interest's sake. Until then though, I'm going to take as much advantage as I can of my local library's contributions, especially when it comes to works by women in color in translation, especially those with barely any ratings. That isn't going to guarantee I'm going to like everything, or even most, of what I read, but the more I embed myself in the reading mainstream out of capitalistic necessity, the more I feel the need to recenter myself around the sources that swam at me sidestream and crested me from my daily banality and into a new world of interconnection and grace. Hayashi ended up not being one of those able to do this for me, but her willingness to take on some really gnarly topics during an extremely fraught time in history is always going to be important in the general scheme of literature. As such, I'm glad my checking this book out means it won't be weeded for however many years as is determined by its library system, as this book deserves to be discovered by someone that might not otherwise ever run into a woman publishing in translation during the first half of the 20th century. With the quantity of Japanese, including Japanese women, that I've read, I can afford to be a tad pickier. But I can easily imagine this book being a gamechanger for the right reader, and the fact that it's housed in the collection of a library whose branches span nearly 160 miles at their furthest separation is as good a guarantee of it being read as any.
Profile Image for Amna.
118 reviews4 followers
June 2, 2012
?????? ???? ????????
Profile Image for Fay AlFalah.
304 reviews3 followers
December 31, 2019
??? ????? ?????? ??????? ?? 370 ????

???? ??????? ?? ??????? ??? ????? ??????? ???? ?????? ? ????? ????? ??? ???????????? ????????? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ??????? ??????? ??????? ?? ??????? ???????? ?? ??????.

???? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ??????? ???????? ??? ????? ???? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? ?? ????? ??????? ??? ?????? ??? ???????? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? ???? ??????? ??????? ?????????? ???????? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ???? ???? ???????!

???? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ???? ????? ???! ??? ??? ???? ????? ???????? ??? ?????? ???????!

?????? ?????? ?? ??? ??????? ?????? ????? ??? ????? ??? ????? ???? ??? ??????? ????????? ????? ???????? ??????? ??? ?????.
????? ????? ? ?????.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Noel Cisneros.
Author?2 books25 followers
November 11, 2021
Novela sobre una mecanógrafa que tras la guerra vuelve a Tokio de un trabajo que realizó en lo que entonces se conocía como Indochina. A su regreso espera que el amante que tuvo allá la reconozca como su esposa, pero él ya no la ama y el mundo en el que se reencuentran es el de un país convulso tras la derrota, en el que la supervivencia es una lucha constante. Narrado con belleza y sensibilidad Hayashi transmite las condiciones de la mujer en el Japón posterior a la Segunda Guerra Mundial, en el que los ideales bélicos han desaparecido y cada quien trata de sobrevivir de la mejor manera que le es posible.
Profile Image for natalia.
45 reviews2 followers
July 7, 2024
ter medo de que algo acabe por acontecer a ponto de distorcer a realidade pra poder evitá-lo acabará transformando a realidade em algo t?o distante que ela vai se quebrar de uma forma muito pior do que aquilo que você tanto temia. o livro todo é a protagonista sentindo um amor "incondicional" que, no fim, n?o passa de ressentimento e desconforto. é sempre um perd?o pra o que sequer ela mesma sabe identificar, e um escrutínio moral ardente pra si mesma
Profile Image for Jill.
21 reviews
February 24, 2021
Fumiko Hayashi's prose is beautiful and the story of Floating clouds is interesting, but it's impossible not to dislike pretty much every character.
Profile Image for Daniel Fletcher.
241 reviews1 follower
November 1, 2023
4 stars-

This was a really great read! Definitely very thematically heavy, so given current events it may be better to save this for a better time.

Yukiko and Tomioka have a doomed love affair that begins during the Japanese occupation of Indochina during WWII, and the story moves on from there as the face a changed Japan and world after the war. How much of the past do we try to resurrect? What role does fate play? The tragedy present here would make Shakespeare proud.

It’s a masterful work, the one star reduction really comes from the fact that it’s not exactly enjoyable to read. It’s absolutely relentless and bleak. Given hindsight, we know that things got better, but many people probably thought they wouldn’t. I think anyone interested in the postwar would find this interesting.
Profile Image for Teresa Granados.
187 reviews
June 20, 2020
Una mujer viaja a Indochina para trabajar como mecanógrafa en una oficina gubernamental de un Japón que va a perder la guerra en la segunda conflagración mundial que incendió no solo las ciudades y la economía, sino la moral de la gente. Yukiko, la protagonista va a luchar por retener a su amante, escapar de su violador e intentar mantenerse en una sociedad desbaratada. Al leer este libro, se comprende por qué Fumiko Hayashi, autora del libro, se considera la más importante de la posguerra en Japón.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.