A gripping and powerful story that makes you continue reading the whole thousand-odd pages. Clavell paints a perfect picture of the Japanese tranquility; especially the descriptions on the first few chapters about the surroundings, homes, people of this ‘strange’ land are quite fascinating. The humor in the cultural clash is wholesome!
I read this book during my very first days in Japan. I don’t know how accurate the historical facts are. In fact many small details in the book about the social and cultural setting of the time (around the 17th century A.D.) can be suspected to be wrong. But the important fact is Clavell is successful in giving the overall accurate picture on the background, while writing a hell of a story!