The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

It is an entertaining story, with complicated and smartly designed plots. This is probably all the good words I can say.

On the other hand, the story is highly spiced and has little nutrition. Its characters are formulaic, and in particular, the presentation of the count of Monte Cristo is pale, weak, and ridiculous (if "funny" is not the right English word for it). His "coolness" is solely based on his richness (money can suddenly makes a sailor become a noble man who knows everything.). Furthermore, the work is extremely wordy, and I will probably value it a little more if it is cut to at least half. The writing is of vanity, full of junk dialogues.

I congratulate myself on finishing such a long work, of such a so so quality, with such a fame.

1996 Modern Library Edition. ISBN 0679601996.

Seven Japanese Tales, by Junichiro Tanizaki

I like those exotic Japanese tales, cleanly and elegantly written. In fact, I like them more than Tanizaki's most well-known work "The Makioka Sisters", which reads a little dull to me.

Surely, "A Portrait of Shunkin" is the best in this collection. What surprises me is that the impression I received from the novel is totally different from that from the movie, the latter, starred by Momoe Yamaguchi (山口百惠) and Tomokazu Miura (三 浦友和) leaving me the impression of beauty. However, in the book, Shunkin, although very beautiful, is a self-centered, cruel, and pathetic woman; Sasuke, her love, seems to be abusing and humiliating himself as Shunkin's slave. I did not appreciate such love when I started reading; however, after seeing Shunkin experiencing her calamity and the two "lovers" finally got their "love" interleaved, I somehow understood their unique love. Anyway, it is their love.

"The bridge of Dreams" is also an interesting story. The strange love between the son and his stepmother is, again, a little pathetic, but what lies beneath it is a feeling of warmth.

After reading the book, I think I need to re-interpret the word "pathetic": it is not necessary bad, and, together with "healthy", it is just part of what we are, just like the other unbreakable negative and positive forces, without which, humans are not humans, and the nature is not the nature.

Translated by Howard Hibbett. Published by Alfred A. Knope in 1963. The book contains some Japanese style sketches, and they fit the exotic style of the stories very well.