The Makioko Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki

Tanizaki is regarded as one of the most prominent Japanese authors of the 20th C.  He has been elected to the Japanese Acad. of the Arts and honored with Japan's Order of Culture.  The Makioko sisters is a drawn out story of 4 Japanese sisters during the 5 years just prior to the outbreak of WWII.  The two older sisters, are entrusted and consumed with marrying off both their younger sisters; the elder of which must be married prior to the youngest.  Despite the Chinese conflict which is mentioned in passing and the stirrings of war in Europe, the family are consumed with maintaining their status and adhering to protocol to  procure suitable husband for their two younger sisters.  I would be tempted to compare this novel with DOWNTON ABBEY except that the Makioko sisters choose to adhere strongly to their cultural traditions and etiquette and fail to accept their declining status, the encroaching westernization into their culture and the pending War.  Tanizaki writes with lyricism and beauty but the repetitive marital arrangements, called a miai, mire this novel in tedium.  I recommend this book for those who want a glimpse into a period of Japanese culture that has gone with the wind.  Is this a quick enjoyable read? Yes for those who like sitting in a beautiful Zen garden for hours on end.