The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

By: David Mitchell

Narrated by: Jonathan Aris, Paula Wilcox

Length: 18 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

A Booker finalist and Mail on Sunday/John Llewellyn Rhys Prize winner, David Mitchell was called “prodigiously daring and imaginative” by Time and “a genius” by the New York Times Book Review.

The year is 1799, the place Dejima in Nagasaki Harbor, the “high-walled, fan-shaped artificial island” that is the Japanese Empire’s single port and sole window onto the world, designed to keep the West at bay; the farthest outpost of the war-ravaged Dutch East Indies Company; and a de facto prison for the dozen foreigners permitted to live and work there. To this place of devious merchants, deceitful interpreters, costly courtesans, earthquakes, and typhoons comes Jacob de Zoet, a devout and resourceful young clerk who has five years in the East to earn a fortune of sufficient size to win the hand of his wealthy fiancée back in Holland.

But Jacob’s original intentions are eclipsed after a chance encounter with Orito Aibagawa, the disfigured daughter of a samurai doctor and midwife to the city’s powerful magistrate. The borders between propriety, profit, and pleasure blur, until Jacob finds his vision clouded, one rash promise made and then fatefully broken. The consequences will extend beyond Jacob’s worst imaginings. As one cynical colleague asks, “Who ain’t a gambler in the glorious Orient, with his very life?”

©2010 David Mitchell (P)2010 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"It’s as difficult to put this novel down as it is to overestimate Mitchell’s virtually unparalleled mastery of dramatic construction, illuminating characterizations and insight into historical conflict and change. Comparisons to Tolstoy are inevitable, and right on the money." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"Despite the audacious scope, the focus remains intimate; each fascinating character has the opportunity to share his or her story. Everything is patched together seamlessly and interwoven with clever wordplay and enlightening historical details on feudal Japan. First-rate literary fiction and a rousing good yarn, too." ( Booklist)

“An achingly romantic story of forbidden love . . . [David] Mitchell’s incredible prose is on stunning display. . . . A novel of ideas, of longing, of good and evil and those who fall somewhere in between [that] confirms Mitchell as one of the more fascinating and fearless writers alive.” (Dave Eggers, The New York Times Book Review)

Amazing narrator & book, a LITTLE tough to follow

Disclaimer: as I write this, I'm between 2/3 and 5/6 of the way through the book, so I can't speak to the way it's influenced by the ending, as novels inevitably are. So far, though...

...This is truly an amazing novel. When I read that David Mitchell put such research into making sure that everything little bit was historically accurate, so that a single sentence sometimes took him hours to write, it let me listen to this not just as an engaging storyline with romance and corruption and international relations and all the other good things but also as a window into Japan of yore. Jonathan Aris is truly extraordinary in his portrayal of a multinational cast of characters -- even when I had a little trouble understanding which of the names was linked to which country and attendant role in the unfolding political/economic drama, Aris' rotating accents to represent the Irishman, the American, the Prussian, the Japanese, and so on, were both consistent and authentic enough to clear things up considerably.

On a related note, my only criticism of this book is about its viability as an audio-book at all -- specifically, there are a LOT of characters whose different roles are important but whose names are all foreign enough (to me, in this day and age) that it took me several chapters to really understand what it meant when any given person said something. I think part of the problem is that many of them are presented all together, at the beginning, which I think the active and enterprising listener could probably
counter successfully...

...So my bottom line is that this is a great, GREAT audio-book for someone who likes high-level historical fiction, and that it might make for a better listening/understanding experience if one could start out with a printed list of character names or perhaps a hardcopy of the first couple of chapters, just for a visual reference.

Worth the time

Simply stated, this book is an investment in time that may seen daunting at times. The author creates a wonderful world, intricately detailed and populated by vibrant and entertaining characters. While the story may seem to meander at times, in the end it is grippingly exciting and one realizes just how well the author has pulled it all together. The narration is entertaining and well done, in my opinion.

Storytelling at its finest

What did you like best about this story?

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet transported me back several generations to a fictional island off the coast of Japan in 1799. Jacob de Zoet (pronounced Yacob by the pitch-perfect reader) is a clerk for the Dutch East Indies Company, trying to earn enough money to return for his fiancé in Holland. He soon learns that honesty and fortitude have no place in the politically charged and corrupt island. He meets a shy Japanese woman whose scarred face has caused her much ridicule, but her skills as a midwife have earned her the respect she deserves. Jacob is drawn to her in ways he can’t explain, until one day, she is forced to use her skills in the most tragic circumstances and she is taken from him without a goodbye. Set in a backdrop of mountains, Buddhist monastery and secretive shrine, this powerful novel is filled with intrigue, deceit, love, betrayal and cruelty. This is the most exquisitely written novel I’ve read in a long time. It is a master class in novel writing, from the dialogue, to the flawlessly woven research, to the tension in every sentence. David Mitchell, I bow to you.

How a Dutchman in Japan captivated me

If you could sum up The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet in three words, what would they be?

Absorbing. Surprising. Satisfying.

What did you like best about this story?

That I didn't know where it was going. It covers everything from the Dutch East Indies Company's corruption to the crazed monk who's found the Fountain of Youth, to love and desire, religion and power and how those impact us all. It doesn't fit neatly into any category and kept me enthralled until the very end.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Aris and Paula Wilcox ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but they were wonderful. I'll choose another of their performances any time.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The coming of age of a Dutchman in Japan.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book and couldn't wait to return to it. Although it's very long, I wasn't ready for it to end so absorbed was I in the world that the author and narrators created. Really an excellent Audible experience.

A Wonderful Tale of Asia

I found this book to be captivating and poignant, and I was never for a moment impatient to force this story to its conclusion. It does unfold slowly and carefully (but in no way boringly), but it ties the many threads of the story together in an elegant and masterful ending that held a lump in my throat for the last twenty minutes of the novel. I cannot imagine how this book was only a Booker Prize finalist and not a winner. The author's use of language is awe-inspiring. And the narration, especially by Jonathan Aris, is as good as I have heard. I am so happy I followed the reader's reccomendations and purchased this novel. I Loved it!

A great read

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the story and the writing style. The narration was well done as well. Interesting to get such a wonderful insight into Japan at the start of the 19th century.

Perfection

I feel like i have just discovered one of the greatest living novelists and can't wait to read more. Not a word is wasted. A high class read that rewards. Brilliantly read.

Good narrative, uneven ending

Mitchell begins well and tells a spell-binding tale of multiple characters. The twists and turns of the plot are excellent. Then, it seems as if he lets the readers down with an ending that is somewhat meaningless. Still, overall, a good read.

Unusual storyline; Ending is a little flat

I got this book because I loved Cloud Atlas so much. Mitchell is such a sharp guy, with incredible aptitude for historical detail. Not at all your run of the-mill-storyteller, in terms of subject matter, location, or era. That's one of the things I really like about him. I also like magical realism, although it's hard to put his style into a box. Reminds me a bit of "Crouching Tiger," now that I think about it.

Unexpectedly Interesting and Compelling

Admittedly, this book did not grab me immediately. It took a few chapters, at least. With the wide variety of characters, it could also get confusing at times. Essentially, though, the story follows a young Dutch clerk who comes to Japan in 1799 to make his fortune and a young Japanese woman studying medicine with a Dutch doctor. Their lives are intertwined, both with each other and an array of other characters, in unexpected ways over the next number of years. The characters, story, historical time period, and cross-cultural interactions are all fascinating. I highly recommend.