The Goddess Chronicle: DO NOT USE - moved to CANONGATE U.S. Paperback – May 13, 2014

I love everything Natsuo Kirino writes. This was the only book of hers in English I hadn’t read yet and she did not disappoint. I finished it in one weekend. It’s a story of Japanese folklore, of gods and goddesses and the people who live on the islands the gods had created. It has mystery, betrayal, love, and anguish. I highly recommend.

Different from Natsuo Kirino's other books in the sense that it is more historical and not set in the here and now. The same as her other books because I love it! Although this one does have more of a re read value than the other books of hers I've read. Not the best review I know, if you've read her other books I do recommend, but if you start with this one and work to her later books you may be in for a...shock.

Good book. A nice read for anyone who loves story telling.

The Goddess Chronicle is a retelling of the Japanese myth of Izanagi and Izanami, told through the original tale of Namima, a priestess who becomes an assistant to Izanami after her death. Namima and her older sister Kamikuu were born on a small island, known for its Oracle. Kamikuu goes into training to become the next Oracle, but Namima forced into isolation as the priestess of death. She encounters love, betrayal, death, and she becomes obsessed with the misfortune of the hand Fate dealt her.The Goddess Chronicle was all right, but I never cared much about it. On the bright side, it was easy to read and relatively short. It’s three hundred pages long, but the font’s big and the pages are on the small side. Thankfully, this meant that it wasn’t too much of a hassle to finish.I did enjoy finding out about the original myth of Izanagi and Izanami, although there probably would have been more straight forward ways for me to do it. Learning some of the mythology was particularly interesting, since Dragon Sword and Wind Child, which I read earlier this year and liked a lot, is inspired by it.I think The Goddess Chronicle‘s characterization is lacking? It may be a side effect of the mythic approach, with each character feeling more like an arch-typical role or stock type than an actual person. There’s other issues that could lie at the feet of the English translation. The story never felt as emotional as the events suggested, and I felt like there was too much telling instead of showing. Emotions were described by blankly stating them, continuously.Overall, I’m glad this is one I got from the library. I’m not planning on ever revisiting it or recommending it in the future.

I'd read a few books by Natsuo Kirino before and thought I'd give this one a try. It is very much like her crime novels, very realistic and serious with an air of fantasy. It's worth a look at

Fantasy, but definitely touching on very engaging themes as usual in a gripping and creative way. I'm surprised how much I really got into this!

Natsuo Kirino's "The Goddess Chronicle" is a captivating and beautifully written reimagining of the Izanagi and Izanami myth from Japanese folklore. Kirino masterfully weaves the story of Namima, a young girl from a remote island who becomes a priestess of darkness, into the larger mythological narrative.The novel delves deep into themes of love, betrayal, and the struggle between light and darkness, as well as the power dynamics between men and women. Kirino's prose is both lush and evocative, transporting the reader to an ancient world of gods and goddesses. Her exploration of human emotions and relationships is compelling and adds depth to the tale.While the novel may initially seem daunting for those unfamiliar with Japanese mythology, Kirino ensures that her retelling remains accessible and engaging to a wide audience. She provides ample context and explanation, enabling readers to fully appreciate the significance of the myth and its characters."The Goddess Chronicle" is a must-read for fans of mythology, historical fiction, and those who appreciate strong female characters in literature. Kirino's unique take on the Izanagi and Izanami myth is both enchanting and thought-provoking, making it a memorable read that will stay with you long after the final page.

Not her best, but still interesting.

Terrific book if you're in the mood for mythology. The author cuts to the chase in every chapter, and the prose is direct, confrontational. The morals are not preachy, and the characters are very humane. To top it all, there's excellent value for money.

"The Goddess Chronicle" by Natsuo Kirino is a beautifully written and thought-provoking novel that explores the complex relationships between women and power in a matriarchal society on a small island in ancient Japan. The book's lyrical and evocative prose captures the beauty and brutality of life on the island with equal grace. Kirino handles challenging themes of violence, abuse, and oppression with sensitivity and nuance. Overall, "The Goddess Chronicle" is a deeply affecting and rewarding read that offers a unique perspective on mythology and the role of women in society. Highly recommended.

Hard to find a great book to read and this is one of them. Based on Japanese mythology. Excellent story!

I enjoyd the storie, how the view change from this world to the afterworld. The rough life on the small island too, is impressiv in the description. But on the reliigious level it is abstruse to mix the shamanistic animisme of the Ryûkyû-Islands with the shinto-religion of Japan. Outside the backdrop of the historic facts, that Japan capture the Ryûkyû-Kingdom some 150 years ago, and that the political shintoisme was the driving force behind, this ethnographic incorrectness is unforgivable! It start on the first side of the book, when Namima says: 'I'am a 'MIKO'. A miko is (was) a shintoistic priestess, it should be written in the therm of ryûkyû-religion: 'I'am a NORO', and so on... Izanaki & Izanami are the shintoistic creator-couple and the hole storie, how it's written in the 'Goddess Chronicle', is taken from the koiji, the mythological book of shinto, who was even in the time of his record an instrument to constitute the hegemony of some japanese familys. It is unintelligible that Natsuo Kirino, who is known for her critical views, playing that game...

A brief history of creation. The book looks at passionate anger and the emptiness of revenge, but it also deals with the roles of women since the beginning of time. Often heartbreaking, the story is huge, but is written in an objective and impersonal style, best described perhaps as mythic, from a first person perspective. Not an easy balance, but it works more or less.