The Last Samurai: Book Review

Today, we will be reviewing The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt, a coming of age novel containing multiple languages. Keep reading what we thought of this novel and if you should read it next!

The Last Samurai Summary

Sibylla is a single mother who lives in a small flat in London with her gifted child Ludo. He is a fast learner and Sibylla does all she can to educate him as he starts reading at two. He reads the classics, learns multiple languages, and can do advanced mathematics. 

As Ludo grows older, he wants to know who his father is. Sibylla tells him that he will be disappointed and gives him a test that he must past. What follows is Ludo approaching accomplished men and telling them that he is their son in the hopes of finding a father figure that doesn’t disappoint him.

Commentary

The Last Samurai was published in 2000 but fell out of publication and was reissued by New Direction in 2016. After that, reviewed hailed the novel as one of the best books ever written and it showed up on many lists as a must read. 

One reason for that might be because of the internet and that the novel fell out of publication when the internet became more accessible. The Last Samurai is an amazing novel and feels like a classic novel. And there isn’t another novel like this because what this novel pulls off is very difficult and gave DeWitt many issues when publishing it. 

I really enjoyed this novel and loved the novel’s fixation on Seven Samurai and how it drives the plot. There is a lot to decipher in this novel and I am glad I was able to experience this brilliant novel and that is was reissued. 

Conclusion

Every once in a while, there is a novel that is unlike anything else and all you want to do tell everyone about it. If The Last Samurai didn’t fall out of publication, I do think it would be in many more lists.

 I enjoyed every second of this novel and recommend it to anyone who enjoys great writing and learning different languages. The novel has a lot to say and I am sure that I missed out on some important stuff. This is a novel I would enjoy revisiting in a year or two. Happy reading!

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