‘We cannot help looking, at every opportunity, for signs of a miracle in our daily lives.’

This was such a fascinating and unusual read. A young Dominican monk goes on a scholarly quest, only to get caught up in a strange, hermitical alchemists work, culminating in a bizarre sequence of events, both natural, and perhaps, supernatural.
This story was definitely not what I expected it to be. It wasn’t an easy read, as the novel is dense with philosophical theory, questions and monologues about the meaning of life and religion’s place in society. Despite this, the story still flowed well, and I found myself always wanting to know what would happen next. This novel was both intriguing and enjoyable to read.

This book seemed right up my street from the description... Japanese historical fiction..Yes please! I was really disappointed therefore - this was a tedious read and I only persevered because of its short length. Some errors in translation stuck out for me. For example, "what sounded the tocsin for me".. The word tocsin comes from late 16th century whereas this novel is set in the 15th century.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The way the narrator reflects over certain ideas and beliefs is something that I enjoyed reading over. The story itself was interesting and I loved how it developed.