Sayonara: A Novel

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars | 1,308 ratings

Price: 1.99

Last update: 09-02-2024


About this item

From a great master of historical fiction comes a brilliant tale of love amid war. James A. Michener combines powerful storytelling with deep sensitivity in this novel of a U.S. Army man who, against all odds, falls for a fascinating Japanese woman. Stationed in the exotic Far East, Major Lloyd Gruver considers himself lucky. The son of a general, dating the daughter of another powerful military family, he can look forward to a bright future. And he just can’t understand guys like Private Joe Kelly, who throw away their lives in the States by marrying local girls. But then Lloyd meets Hana-ogi. After that, nothing matters anymore . . . nothing but her.

BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from James A. Michener's Hawaii.
 
Praise for James A. Michener
 
“A master storyteller . . . Michener, by any standards, is a phenomenon.”—The Wall Street Journal
 
“Sentence for sentence, writing’s fastest attention grabber.”—The New York Times
 
“Michener has become an institution in America, ranking somewhere between Disneyland and the Library of Congress. You learn a lot from him.”—Chicago Tribune
 
“While he fascinates and engrosses, Michener also educates.”—Los Angeles Times

Top reviews from the United States

B. Marks
5.0 out of 5 stars I've always remembered it as Michener's best book. I finally decided to read it again ...
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2015
I read this years ago when it was first published, well before the movie was made. I read it again a few years later. I've always remembered it as Michener's best book.

I finally decided to read it again and even though it's still excellent it doesn't seem to have the magic it used to have. I kept getting the feeling that Michener was trying too hard to push the idea that those funny talking Japanese were just as good as anyone else, funny talking though they might be. He just kept talking about how funny they sounded. He didn't seem to be able to get past that.

I've his earlier books and a lot of his later books and I never had that feeling from him before but in this book I kept feeling that he was trying too hard to push the oddity of the Japanese.

That didn't really hurt the story much. The story was almost as good as I had remembered it. But it was pretty distracting.

I enjoyed it. A lot, really. But I guess I'll have to take it out my favorites category. It's just another good book.

Barry
Pamela S. Simone
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Different from the Movie
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2016
I read this because I saw the movie and wondered about the book.
The themes of racism and American attitude of imperialism were far more harsh in the book than the film. It also did not have the same ending as the film. It is more realistic in the book.
Colonel Lloyd Gruver starts with similar negative attitudes towards the Japanese as other significant characters in the book. It reflected the general attitude of the majority of Americans towards the Japanese at the time. Some of this was residual resentment for WWII and still viewing the Japanese as a defeated enemy. Some of this was American xenophobia.
The story surrounds the attempts of the US military to prevent intermarriage between Japanese women and servicemen. It centers around Colonel Gruver and Airman Joe Kelly and their prospective love interests and the effects of the racist-fueled policies on their lives.
Gruver initially shares many of his fellow officers attitudes as the story opens and become evident when he is asked to dissuade Kelly from marrying his Japanese sweetheart, Katsumi. Gruver finds the whole idea of the marriage repugnant but comes to respect Kelly's determination and obvious deep love for Katsumi.
Gruver's attitude undergoes more changes when he is reassigned from combat in Korea to a cushy desk job in Kobe by his prospective father-in-law, General Webster. Gruver begins to question his pending engagement and marriage to Webster's daughter, Eileen. Upon their reunion, Gruver begins observing the Webster's marriage and Mrs Webster's manipulation of her husband. When he begins to notice these same tendencies in Eileen and leads to rift between the couple.
With time on his hands, Gruver begins to spend more time becoming more familiar and interested in Japanese culture. As a result, he becomes enamored of a Takarasuka dancer, Hana-ogi. They begin a passionate affair and as a result, Gruver comes to understand what Kelly has found that makes him determined to remain with Katsumi. Gruver also begins to experience the same pressure as Kelly and other servicemen experienced over his relationship with Hana-ogi.
As the story develops, Gruver begins to see the truth of how wrong the racism and superior attitudes of his fellow Americans are. It also finds Gruver re-evaluating his own values, attitudes, and options in life.
Though some aspects of the book are dated, it provides a view of society at that point in time. However, there are themes that are still relevant today regarding racism, rush to judgement, and appreciation of other cultures. Even with all the changes of the 1960s and the supposed cultural diversity of America, racism is still a major problem and xenophobia is still obvious and are even a major issues in the coming election this year.
It was a good read and I enjoy Michener's writing. This is my first Michener book. I plan on reading another of his books soon.
ladyofthecamelias
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2021
I generally do not write book reviews because the majority of people no longer read and therefore, write uninformed, pathetic reviews. However, I must say that this is an excellent book, one which I had before and wanted to replace. The copy is clean and the quality of the paperback is fine. This particular book was actually made into a movie starring Marlon Brando. However, it is always best to read the book, rather than rely on a film which 'interprets' the book, often sabotaging it and does not represent the actual book and often distorts it or changes the plot (which is true of the Marlon Brando film of the same name) and one does not get the real writing style.
shannon
3.0 out of 5 stars Old School
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2024
It was a bittersweet book. It felt like this book matched for a different era than now. There was a moment where I felt conflicted with the part on the forceful romantic in a way. I mean there was plenty of love later on, which seems to be smooth out with the couple. It could be a good flight reading.
Brian Camp
5.0 out of 5 stars Michener's book vs. the 1957 movie version
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2017
I read James Michener's "Sayonara" on my kindle after seeing the 1957 movie version starring Marlon Brando when it ran on TCM. I had a number of criticisms of the movie that were sufficiently addressed by the book. For instance, the book adds way more detail to the development of the relationship between Major Gruver and Hana-ogi, which made it more believable. In the movie, it happens too quickly as is often the case when a top Hollywood male star is cast. In the book, we learn more about the Takarazuka theater company that Hana-ogi is a member of. (It was changed to something different in the movie, due to not getting the rights to use the Takarazuka name.) Also, the book's ending is quite different from the movie's ending and much more appropriate if you ask me. I understand the need to simplify things for the movie version and give it a Hollywood gloss and a happy ending, but it winds up giving us a somewhat distorted view of postwar Japan. Still, the movie version is useful as a glimpse into some of Japan's pop cultural traditions, such as the all-female theater revue, Bunraku puppet shows and Kabuki Theater, not to mention the sights and sounds of a back alley neighborhood in Japan, where the four main characters reside. In color and Cinemascope, the film offered the most wide-ranging visual portrait of Japan in a Hollywood film up to that time. But it helps to read the book afterward.
Customer image
Brian Camp
5.0 out of 5 stars Michener's book vs. the 1957 movie version
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2017
I read James Michener's "Sayonara" on my kindle after seeing the 1957 movie version starring Marlon Brando when it ran on TCM. I had a number of criticisms of the movie that were sufficiently addressed by the book. For instance, the book adds way more detail to the development of the relationship between Major Gruver and Hana-ogi, which made it more believable. In the movie, it happens too quickly as is often the case when a top Hollywood male star is cast. In the book, we learn more about the Takarazuka theater company that Hana-ogi is a member of. (It was changed to something different in the movie, due to not getting the rights to use the Takarazuka name.) Also, the book's ending is quite different from the movie's ending and much more appropriate if you ask me. I understand the need to simplify things for the movie version and give it a Hollywood gloss and a happy ending, but it winds up giving us a somewhat distorted view of postwar Japan. Still, the movie version is useful as a glimpse into some of Japan's pop cultural traditions, such as the all-female theater revue, Bunraku puppet shows and Kabuki Theater, not to mention the sights and sounds of a back alley neighborhood in Japan, where the four main characters reside. In color and Cinemascope, the film offered the most wide-ranging visual portrait of Japan in a Hollywood film up to that time. But it helps to read the book afterward.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars A bit dated, but very well written
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2016
A bit dated, but very well written. I'd recommend it for anyone interested in the history of Japan.

Michener's novel covers the post-WW2 occupation of Japan, focusing on the racism Americans felt for the Japanese (and visa-versa). It's told through the eyes of an American who -- much to his surprise -- falls in love with a Japanese girl. The novel was made into a well-regarded film in 1957 -- [...]

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