The Commoner: A Novel
by John Burnham Schwartz
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Book Reviews of The Commoner: A Novel
Book Review: Consistent but not memorable
Summary: 2 Stars
The Commoner is a narrative of a woman--a commoner--whose life was trapped within the confines of royalty. At a young age, well-bred and well-educated Haruko was persuaded to marry into the Chrysanthemum Throne. After producing a male heir, Haruko succumbed to a nervous breakdown, the result of the rigorous traditions she was forced to observe. She came back from this depression as a fierce woman whose opinions didn't die in silence. The story ended with Haruko revealing her true self--the young, feisty woman from Shibuya Ward who followed her own will.
Schwartz' novel was smoothly written. The elegiac sensation was consistent from beginning to end. However, after the last page was turned, it seemed that Schwartz only scratched the surface of his characters. The reader was not too deeply engaged in the characters' thoughts, only their actions. Sadly, this is the element that made the novel forgettable. Like water in a stream, it just flowed without making a dent.
Book Review: A Beautiful Book in Every Way
Summary: 5 Stars
I have never read anything by this author before, and when I picked up this book, I was not sure I would like it. After I finished it, I longed for more of the same. The book in written in the first person, by a man, told through the eyes of a young woman....very well done and very clever indeed.
In The COMMONER, we meet Haruko Endo as a young girl, a "commoner" chosen to marry Japan's crown prince after WWII. After she marries the crown prince, she begins living a life of miserable isolation in which not even her children are truly her own. Later, as the story progresses, her daughter marries a commoner, she reenters the world of the commoners as her name is stricken from the imperial registry. We see her son selecting a partner who is, an independent career woman, something Haruko might have been in different circumstances.
Don't miss this lyrical novel. It was such a treat.
Book Review: Review of "The Commoner"
Summary: 5 Stars
The Commoner is great escape type reading. It shows the strong relationships between family members and the dilemma imposed when a well thought out decision is made to become a member of royalty (emperors, empresses, princes and princesses). You become caught up in the strength of this committment to a new life. Emotional entanglements, respect, friendships, parenting roles, perceptions of freedom--these all are laced through the characters life changing story. I found it to be a relaxing and smooth book to read without numerous characters to try to keep straight and refer back to. It's no fairy tale story nor is it shockingly to the extreme in nature but an enjoyable travel with a near the end switch. I strongly recommend this book. It should be on your nighttime bed table, in your vacation travel bag or your chosen favorite reading spot.
Book Review: If you liked "Remains of the Day" ...
Summary: 5 Stars
... then it's hard to imagine you disliking "The Commoner." Though it must be said that, given the layers of impenetrability surrounding the Chrysanthemum Throne, Schwartz attempts an even more difficult summit here than Ishiguro in his best-known work. And he succeeds. At its fundament, "The Commoner" is a story of two women ceremonially bound to a fate neither quite chosen nor quite resisted - at least on the surface. Beneath is where Schwartz works his alchemy. I particularly enjoyed Haruko's verbal jousts with the royal pest of the Imperial Court ... cherry blossoms laced with acetate. It's a testament to the author's skill and restraint that, in tracing Haruko's steps, we feel all at once the finery of the silk, the suffocation of the sash, and the stony indifference of the centuries underfoot. Daring and skillful. Five stars.Book Review: What is worth the price of freedom?
Summary: 3 Stars
The Commoner is a beautifully written and well researched novel. Mr. Schwartz has given us a glimpse into the world of the Japanese royal family. He has chosen a woman, Haruko, as his narrator and does a remarkable job depicting her thoughts and feelings as she transitions from life as a commoner to that of the Empress of Japan. We are witness to her most private and painful moments. After all she has experienced, some of Haruko's actions are questionable. Although an attempt at redemption is made towards the end of the novel, there can be none.
One cannot help but feel pity for these characters whose every action is choreographed. Is life as a royal worth the price of one's freedom?
This was an enjoyable book and I recommend to those interested in historical fiction or Japanese culture.