The Last Samurai

Reread to solidify its placement in my top 4 (placement absolutely solidified).

A truly remarkable book that remains unlike anything I've ever read. So funny and heartfelt and awe-inspiring. A genuine masterpiece.

我覺得字這麼多，除了成功塑造出 Ludo 很會聰明跟 Sib 真的很多問題之外，好像也就沒有什麼其他深度了.. 就還好。

I am always in awe of stories that I recognize I could never write. This is one of them. Characters have never made me feel so foolish. Here I am, a no sabo kid and this child, Ludo, is simply sucking up new languages at a record pace. I think Tolkien would have enjoyed this book due to the sheer amount of language talk.

7 Samurai is my favorite film, so having that weave throughout the book was a pleasant treat. Anything that continually glazes Kurosawa, I am all for.

There were a few chapters that could have been eliminated, those being the backstory on characters that did not matter. Felt a bit like the 60 page side story in the Count of Monte Cristo that served no point.

Fun fact this is my second favorite book by a female author. Frankenstein still reigns.

r/iamverysmart wrote a novel with a oujia board.

I am sure that a lot of this book went over my head, but it was wonderful and fun to read.

The basic idea is that Sybilla, a highly educated American woman, is living in London in the 90's, doing a menial typing job to support herself and her small son, Ludo. At the beginning, Ludo is 4 and has already learned Greek, Latin, and Hebrew and is reading through a list of classics in order to convince his mother to teach him Japanese. We learn who Ludo's father is and why he isn't involved in his child's life, but Ludo doesn't know these things, although he wants to. The second half of the book is narrated by Ludo, aged 11, as he goes in search of his father, or a father. The Kurosawa film The Seven Samurai is a touchstone for the characters in the book, and I think the second half of the book is a kind of retelling of the film's story.

I skipped over the details of Biblical Hebrew and Japanese grammar, and still enjoyed this hilarious, touching and very, very smart novel.

Wow. How in the world did she tie this whole strange story up so perfectly? So many intricate layers and small inner stories that sort of obfuscated the real story: it's about a small boy trying to save his mother. But while these side stories could have detracted from the main one, somehow it actually added breadth and depth to the story.
The different narrative styles were great, and I just liked how the words looked on the page. It was exactly how the story of these people should have been told. Good job, Dewitt.
This review is jumbled but that's how the book is so get used to it.