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Comments (21)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 21 of 21 items
Feb 13, 2024uncommonreader rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
An interesting and well-written novel about the clash between culture and religion.
Jan 08, 2021pfsheckarski rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Inferior to The Power and the Glory in some ways and superior to it in others. It would be instructive to read them side by side, but only if the theme of religious persecution interests you.
Sep 23, 2020scribby rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is a profoundly disquieting book about a deep religious question and paradox. There is a curious technique in the telling, a sort of distancing: at first we read correspondences in the first person, then there is a first person…
May 21, 2020
Shusaku Endo is considered one of the greatest japanese authors and his book Silence is regarded as a masterpiece among his written books. It is set in the late 17th century. Two priests from Portugal arrive in japan by ship. This was…
Feb 18, 2019mclarjh rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Good writing, great story.
Dec 28, 2018
Originally published in 1966, then in translation in 1969, this book has gained recent popularity due to the release of the feature film of the same name. This fictional account of the life of a Jesuit priest in 1640’s Japan is a story…
Jul 16, 2018Andrew Kyle Bacon rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Previous to reading this book, I saw the two major films based upon it. The first by Masahiro Shinoda; the second by Martin Scorsese. Each films offers something different to their viewers, each being a different sort of film, but the…
Jul 03, 2018milirick rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I watched the movie adaptation first and it made me borrow the novel from the library. It is a very readable book although lengthy. No doubt it being a translation made it more accessible because it is free from lofty prose and sticks to…
May 26, 2018lukasevansherman rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Martin Scorsese made a film of this a few years ago which has sparked renewed interest in this novel by Japanese writer Shusaku Endo, who was the rare Catholic in a mostly Buddhist country. It's the story of Portuguese missionaries in 17th…
Jan 27, 2018wolflupo rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Endo's 'Silence' is a modern classic and a must-read for theologically-inclined Christian readers. (I suspect non-Christian readers will find the character's central choice much less interesting but will still enjoy a well-written…
Sep 26, 2017
Although based on real historical figures, this is a historical fiction book, with interesting detail about the introduction of Christianity, specifically Roman Catholicism, in 17th century japan. There is also a lot of debating of…
Apr 05, 2017kelldog1 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Intense, thought provoking and worthwhile. It'll be interesting to see how the movie survives a 3rd or (or 4th), translation.
Mar 25, 2017Hopalong_Kid rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Powerful story of the Japanese repression of Christianity through the internal struggle of an evangelizing Catholic Portuguese priest coming to Japan. The book gives lots to ponder about. There are strong historical parallels to the…
Mar 17, 2017GLNovak rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Questions raised by this book are timeless - what is faith? why does God answer/not answer me? is martyrdom required? is mine the only true religion? what is the true religion? do I believe the same as others? are converts really converts?…
Feb 05, 2017Lynsey26 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
An interesting look at Christian missionaries in Japan in the 1700's during a time when Christianity was outlawed and Christians were tortured for their beliefs. Many theological questions are addressed but the primary one is where is God…
Jan 07, 2017bdtnm rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The matter of the "silence" of God is a major theological conundrum, and for the Jesuit missionaries to Japan in the 17th century, the silence of their God when they were faced with persecution must have seemed quite frightening. As a book…
Dec 28, 2016ansoneesf rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Definitely something is lost in translation, having said that, this novel resonates with existential silence, a crisis of faith, and those readers interested in the persecuted, tortured and martyred Japanese Christians at a time when…
Nov 14, 2016xiaojunbpl12 rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Silence of the God, greatness and beauty of evils... Recommend to those who have religious upbringing, as I can imagine Rodrigues's dramatic journey is moving and illuminating. To me, I found the volume of beautiful prose, a thin but…
Oct 25, 2016mysticsusieq rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This story was really, really powerful and meaningful. I highly recommend it and look forward to the new film.
LMcShaneCLE
Feb 16, 2016LMcShaneCLE rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
If you are a fan of Graham Greene's writing exploring spiritual and cultural crisis of faith- think The Power and Glory - this book will sweep you away to seventeenth century Japan (soon to be a major motion picture with Liam Neeson and…
Jul 07, 2010John_M rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I can imagine the confict protrayed in this story to be accurate in the time that the story is set. I enjoyed this book very much.