The Queen of Spade by Pushkin

　　Very interesting. Excellent description of the situations and Harman’s and Ivanovna’s psychology. A lot of humor and good metaphors. The ending is unexpectedly too simple.
　　Harman breaks his fast not to gamble, but he wants money. So he uses Ivanovna to get the key three cards numbers from old countess, but while he was ordering her to tell the key numbers, she dies. However, in his dream the late countess tells the three numbers. He goes to gamble and wins twice, but at the third game, he makes a mistake and loses all his money.
 

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

　　The ending is moving after all the incidents that have happened to Axl and Beatrice. Axl “wades on” resolutely and sadly. He determines that he can’t live together with Beatrice on the island where their son sleeps. He departs his wife eternally. However, why does Axl wade on ignoring the boatman? Doesn’t he come to terms with him and wait for the boat to fetch him to join with his wife? Just a few moments ago, he so desperately wanted to go to the island with his wife. An unsatisfying ending.

Izhiguro dealt with the advantage and disadvantage of memory. The “mist” the she-dragon gives is good for some people like Axl, but for others like Beatrice bad. Human beings are well made. We forget bad, intolerable, and sad memories when time passes. This is good.

 

Disappointing points:

1. The she-dragon was so feeble and skinny. It was easy for Wistan to kill it.

2. Their son was not alive, but was dead and they intend to visit his grave. Nothing is mentioned about his grave till the end of the story. This is so tricky.

3. I thought the couple would finally meet their son or find him already dead.

4. The development of the story is so slow and too many incidents related to Wistan, Edwin, and Gawain take place. This is not a story where the old couple take painful troubles to meet their son, which every reader expects when they read the first pages. A kind of betrayal.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro presented the reader a huge problem: are human clones inferior to normal human beings? Can we use their organs as substitutes for sick organs, but this is absurd. Who would think they are inferior? His basic premise for the story is wrong.

Several questions and important points:

1. Why are Ruth and Tommy donors and not Kath?

2. Who becomes a carer and who becomes a donor?

3. After finishing the role of a donor, she or he will be a donor?

4. I don’t understand why the Hailsham students were not shocked when they heard from Miss Lucy that they are destined to provide their organs. It is unnatural that they accept without any big surprise or emotional feedbacks. After they heard the truth, Ishiguro describes that some students have sex. This is quite incomprehensive behaviors.

5. Why don’t the Hailsham students run away from the school once they have informed of their role in society. They have a lot of chance to do so. Why do they follow the regulations foolishly and faithfully?

7. I was moved to read the conversation between Madam and Tommy and Kath. I sympathized with the students, who are destined to give organs, yet Madam tried to give good education to them as much as possible. Something is wrong with her. Why does she do that? Why let them live their own ways?

8. The students have sex. Tommy and Kath have sex, but don’t they have babies?

9. Ishiguro is great to have shed light on the problem of clones.

10. Do 16-year-old boys and girls believe that the things they created in art class will tell who and who are in love? They are not infants. They should know better.

 

Black Jack V.1-V.3 By Osamu Tezuka

　　I read 45 Black Jack stories. Each plot is well developed. Black Jack is not a perfect doctor, but sometimes fails in operations. Black Jack stories are based on humanity. Some of them drew tears from my eyes.
　　 His drawing techniques, especially the characters’ facial expressions, are excellent. Their eyes reveal their emotion. Pinoko, the wife, she insists, is humorous and funny. I enjoyed her infant-like talking.
   Since he was a doctor himself, he knew a lot about diseases and operations and he utilized his knowledge in the field well in Black Jack series.

「本所深川ふしぎ草子 送り提灯」 宮部みゆき

中途半端な話。
１．お嬢さんの願掛けの相手が押し込み強盗と言うのはどうしてわかるのか。相手は大野屋の間取りを知っているのか。お嬢さんが相手を家の中に入れたことがあるのか。説明がない。

２．清助は毎晩毎晩おりんを待っていて、親しく声をかけている。清助はおりんのことを好いていないのか。清助がお嬢さんを心底思う気持ちが、描かれていない。

３．送り火は一体なんだったのか。狸か狐か、清助かが明かされていない。

４．大体回向院に本人が行かなくて、代理が行くと言うのは聞いたことがないし、屁理屈が書かれているが読者は納得しないだろう。

５．握り飯と草履を投げずになぜ送り火は消えたのかが書いてない。

「本所深川ふしぎ草子－片葉の葦」 宮部みゆき

疑問点
１．茂七は元六が藤兵衛殺しの犯人と分かったのかが描かれていない。お園と話している時に隣の壁に耳を当てて聞いていたということだけで、犯人と断定できるものか。もっと、確固たる証拠が欲しい。

２．藤兵衛の性格・信条がちぐはぐ。 「恵む」と「助ける」の違いが分かっているなら、寿司で余った酢米を貧しい人に、恵んでいるのではなくて、人助けをしているということで、与えればいい。彦次を源助のところに世話したり、下駄屋に金を貸したりしているなら、その性格上貧しい人に残った米をあたえる方が、性格的に合致しているのではないか。

ノルウェイの森 村上春樹

　精神を病んでいる直子と快活な緑の二人の女性を好きになり、悶々としているワタナベは、直子の自殺（恐らく直子が身を引いた）により、女は緑一人に決まっていく。
　 直子が自殺すると言う結末は読者に衝撃をあたえる。直子とワタナベの関係が淡々と退屈するぐらいなテンポで繰り広げられているからその分、最後に急展開するだけに衝撃は強い。読者はワタナベに感情移入しているから、直子の死は心を打つ。
　ワタナベの人間がいまいち分かりにくい。毒がない男だ。
　日記風の描写が延々と続くため途中で飽きてくる。しかしこの作品はエンタメでもなくドラマティックでもないので、辛抱して読むしかない。読者を釣っていく仕掛けがない。
　それにしても、セックスシーン（それも、どぎつい）が次から次々と出てくるが、村上は男女の話を書くときにはセックスシーン抜きでは書けないのだろうか。結局、直子との思い出も、緑との思い出も、せんじ詰めれば（レイコも含めて）セックスの思い出しかないではないか。
　レイコが第三者的な立場で登場するが、レイコは読者とワタナベの緩衝剤になっている。
　全体に真面目な話だ。 「海辺のカフカ」と大違いだ。