Considered one of the earliest novels, this book was written by a lady in waiting of the imperial Japanese court in the 11th century. It features the romantic misadventures of Genji, the son of the emperor. Genji is a bit of a rogue, who takes advantage of his powerful position to get what he wants. He seduces young women, and sometimes carries them off to a remote location away from prying eyes.

As I read it, I kept reminding myself that it is a piece of history, written in medieval times to entertain the women at court. It provides us a glimpse of the culture and class distinctions of the era from a person who lived through it. The prose and poetry are beautiful in places. I found it reasonably entertaining, though the protagonist engages in some pretty reprehensible behavior. A modern reader may get a little impatient with the slow pace and repetition. I think it is wonderful that we have preserved this piece of historic writing.
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Here's what I wrote in 2008 about this read: "Wow, what a read. Considered the world's first novel (written in the Eleventh Century), the tale of Genji, the Shining Prince of Japan, and Japanese courtly life. Long, detailed, and worth each word." Generally recognized as the world's first novel and written by a (certainly extraordinary) woman of the court. Note that publication date is approximate; historians know it was published by 1021. ( )

Probably the longest book I've read to date. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu and translated by Royall Tyler was, in my opinion, a good read. It's one of the oldest novels in human history, written by a women (which in itself is amazing knowing it was written in the Middle Ages), and extremely important to Japanese literature and culture. At time I was a little confused with the plot because most characters don't have proper first names, mainly titles. Thankfully Tyler was a good translator often writing notes on various substitute translations and explained things to a Western audiences. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in studying Japanese culture. ( )

Nothing is more infuriating than elevating this hallmark of shallow coquetry to the rank of classics. This work was considered vulgar and mundane by the upper class back then, and its contents are abysmally unappealing to anybody with a solid grounding in literature. ( )

Genji is an interesting character, a literal "everyman" yet at the same time the handsomest man in the world. Lots of layers to this story. Previously ranked 2.5, with review "There's a lot of beauty in Genji's world, but his character is in the end too shallow to make his story worthwhile." As I age, I see that Genji's character contains dualities that redeem him. He is in a way a literal bodhisattva. ( )