I just [f]inished The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, by David Mitchell

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Mis-shapes is a female in Delaware

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This book is pretty breath-taking in its ambition and its breadth. Each story arc is captivating, and I found myself completely wrapped up in each character's (de Zoet, Ogawa, Aibagawa, Penhaligon, etc.) conflicts.

Possible spoilers

I'm a little curious if anyone could explain the significance of the very last line of the book: "A well-waxed paper door slides open."

Is de Zoet simply pretending, at the very end of his life, that he is once again in Nagasaki? Or is there something else to it?

Overall, I really liked this book. I read Cloud Atlas before this one, and as a result, Mitchell's quickly becoming one of my favorite current novelists. The prose doesn't flow quite as well as it did in Cloud Atlas, but when this book takes off, it really takes off.

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Mis-shapes

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Delaware

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a female

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Posted: 13 years ago
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