The most unnerving book I've read in my life, but really made me think. The depth and breadth of this novel goes way beyond its page count; it exploreThe most unnerving book I've read in my life, but really made me think. The depth and breadth of this novel goes way beyond its page count; it explores youth, innocence, experience, men and women, love, death, ideals and morals... the list goes on. One star off because some of the sentences were a bit clunky or took several tries for me to parse but otherwise this was a really evocative read with dense prose, complex characters, and interesting themes. ...more
The friendship, the drama, the emotions!! Villains who are easy to hate, heroes who make relatable blunder4.75⭐ the ultimate power of friendship story
The friendship, the drama, the emotions!! Villains who are easy to hate, heroes who make relatable blunders (and have moments of actual vulnerability!!), a plot that leaves you guessing what's going to happen next - just the perfect adventure! I found the Tantor Media audiobook translation really natural and readable, too!
The reasons why this wasn't unreservedly 5 stars for me are firstly that I got a bit bored leading up to the climax because I didn't like Milady de Winter all that much, and secondly that the main four have some really bad habits (alcoholism, unquenchable thirst for vengeance, etc.) that I wish they'd at least tried to fix or grow out of lol. Other than that, this was such a good read!! ...more
Why are the ratings so low?? I thought this was brilliant. I've not read anything noir before and now I really feel like I've been missing out! The maWhy are the ratings so low?? I thought this was brilliant. I've not read anything noir before and now I really feel like I've been missing out! The main character is so likeable even though he struggles to retain hope in his life after having faced extreme adversity and the existentialist themes are really compelling. The translator did a really good job at creating a natural-sounding narrative and I really liked Brian Nishii's audiobook narration. Very explicit in terms of violence but I recommend this for anyone looking for an Akutagawa Prize-winning novel to sit and think about!...more
This was just amazing. What a fresh approach to the murder mystery genre! The cat-and-mouse chase was paced perfectly with a really vibey Hollywood-moThis was just amazing. What a fresh approach to the murder mystery genre! The cat-and-mouse chase was paced perfectly with a really vibey Hollywood-movie style translation. I couldn't put it down. The characters were also so charming! Yukawa was so cool and I was really charmed by Kishitani (he gave the same vibe as Matsuda, my favourite character from Death Note hahah). The conversations between Ishigami and Yukawa were also so interesting! The logical and philosophical problems they thought through and the way they explored their current circumstances through these conversations were so interesting to me!
I wasn't too sure how I felt about the ending, though. At first I thought maybe I was just tired or something but it seems a lot of other people don't know how to feel about it. It was probably the most reasonable possible ending but I found it really tragic (view spoiler)[ I mean, that poor homeless guy was killed for absolutely nothing, not that it would have been ok to kill him, anyway!!! And Misato must have had a really tragic life after Yasuko turned herself in :( Everything Ishigami had done had been for nothing but I do think Yasuko would never have found peace knowing she'd gotten away with murder if she'd chosen not to turn herself in. (hide spoiler)] The twist was also super interesting, but (view spoiler)[ I found it really hard to think of murdering that poor homeless guy as an act of love on Ishigami's part (hide spoiler)]...more
What is it with Japanese cat books and terminal brain cancer? Just kidding. 4/5 ⭐
This was such a good book and, as expected for a cat book, won the JazWhat is it with Japanese cat books and terminal brain cancer? Just kidding. 4/5 ⭐
This was such a good book and, as expected for a cat book, won the Jazebelle seal of approval pretty much instantly (though she did go a bit hyper leading up to the chapter that addresses the title hahah). The translation was also excellent!! A really natural and personable narrative. The only reason this isn't 5 stars is that I felt I could have done most of the reading between the lines myself; sometimes I felt like the narrative was over-explaining. An example of this was the part about the long-exposure photograph in the cinema - I understood the metaphor, don't worry!
All in all, though, I really liked this one!! I'd recommend it and will probably read it again! :)
Edit: oh my, I just realised the translator was Eric Selland, the same person who translated The Guest Cat! Now that I think about it, I remember finding that a slightly awkward translation and being apprehensive about this one but totally forgot about that by the time I got around to reading it. Seems like they improved? Pleasantly surprised either way!!...more
A detailed and educational account of the sexism and misogyny that is commonplace not only in S. Korea but in Asian communities around the world. ThisA detailed and educational account of the sexism and misogyny that is commonplace not only in S. Korea but in Asian communities around the world. This hit painfully close to home in some parts!!
What I liked: 1) The lead-in. I thought the postpartum psychosis picture was a really interesting way to start the story. That said, it wasn't fully explained by the end, especially since the beginning suggested a supernatural element that was never mentioned or addressed again.
2) The educational element. There were references to published research at the end of each chapter, which I thought was so cool and made the book a genuinely eye-opening read. It was kind of like reading a case study, but much more detailed and personal. I feel like this would be a helpful resource to direct a more open-minded man towards as an accessible and rigorous account of the daily struggles of women as a result of the patriarchy.
3) The writing style/ translation. I initially felt that the writing style was super detached and clinical, and thought of this as a problem because I felt it distanced me from Jiyoung, the main character, and made the entire story much less emotionally impactful. The reason for the clinical writing style became obvious by the end but, even if it hadn't, my opinion about it changed from my initial distaste when I realised that the author and/or translator must have been very aware of how an emotional account of a woman's struggles would be received by a mixed readership, i.e., women's opinions are often swept aside or invalidated because we're considered "too emotional" or thought to overreact about everything, ergo, the only way to make sure people cannot make that argument is to give the most objective, factual narrative possible - which accounts for the writing style. I think it was actually a really clever way to go about it!!
4) The husband. He was a good guy.
What I didn't like so much: 1) At times, the message was so on-the-nose as to feel a little patronising. An example of this is at the end when (view spoiler)[ the psychiatrist acknowledges the struggles of being a woman in the workplace and then, on the same page, concludes that he should hire an unmarried woman to replace his secretary after she quits because she's pregnant. I understand that the intention was to show that people don't change their minds readily/ quickly/ potentially at all on matters like this, but it was a bit in-your-face for my liking. (hide spoiler)]
2) This is not a comment on the merit of the book at all but some of the scenes were so painful I had to stop reading for a day or two to collect myself. I'm already chronically angry about the patriarchy and the constant misogyny we all have to deal with so being reminded of it in such stark, unflinching détail was a bit difficult/ unpleasant for me haha
Overall, 4/5 - one star off because the book was a bit in-your-face but actually I now reflect that maybe people without lived experience of being a woman need that in order to see the points the author is trying to make... ...more
This is the longest book I've ever read, but I was not bored for even a minute of it. Easily one of the most engaging books I've read, and t4.5 stars!
This is the longest book I've ever read, but I was not bored for even a minute of it. Easily one of the most engaging books I've read, and the first time in years I've found the plot of a book so engaging as to enjoy it outside of my interest in the characters!
The story follows Edmond Dantes, a young man who, on the verge of achieving all of his ambitions in life, is betrayed by 3 "friends" and thrown into jail for 14 years. Whilst in jail, he is educated by an Italian priest, who leaves him a fortune buried in a cave on the island of Monte Cristo in the Mediterranean Sea. Dantes claims the fortune and rebrands himself the Count of Monte Cristo (... and Sinbad the Sailor, the Abbe Busoni, Lord Wilmore, etc. etc. as required) and sets out to exact revenge meticulous to the point of being cartoonish on the 3 who backstabbed him and the magistrate who condemned him without trial. What follows is the most entertaining, pantomime-esque series of betrayals, duels, murders, and love triangles I've ever read about.
My favourite character was Franz D'Epinay but he exited stage left in a flood of tears after (view spoiler)[ Noirtier revealed he'd murdered Franz's father (hide spoiler)] and never appeared again so I suppose my second favourite character was Albert de Morcerf, who turned out to be a really honourable and decent guy. Shoutout to Raoul Chateau-Renaud, who was in every scene because he happened to be in the friendship group, but never had any personal beef with anyone.
I think the reason why this is 4.5/5 and not 5/5 for me is that I totally agree with Evey from V for Vendetta; I FEEL SO BAD FOR MERCEDES!! (view spoiler)[ All the "good guys" get happy endings; Maximilian and Valentine get married, Albert gets a job, Monte Cristo sails into the sunset with a Greek princess 20 years younger than him, while Mercedes... has to live as a poor widow alone in Old Dantes' house while her son sails off to Africa to work in the army!! (hide spoiler)] I mean, what kind of justice is that?!! She's totally objectified and once she's no longer the young beautiful virgin she was at the start, Monte Cristo loses all interest in her. I mean, even when (view spoiler)[ she begs him not to kill Albert in that duel, pleading as a mother for her son and telling Edmond she recognises him and loves him, he just goes, "Yeah but did you go through 14 years of jail??" as though her situation isn't also a tragedy!! As if she's not begging for the life of the son she never should have had because she should have been with Dantes in the first place instead!! As if only his suffering matters!! (hide spoiler)] Men.
Other than that, excellent read - highly recommended if you want to read a big chunky book but don't want to be bored. The Blackstone Audio version is also excellent, especially if you want all the names pronounced right. The London Libraries Consortium has it on Libby!...more
I don't know if I'm qualified to rate this properly but this was somehow both subtle and bold at the same time, written in such unflinching prose I soI don't know if I'm qualified to rate this properly but this was somehow both subtle and bold at the same time, written in such unflinching prose I sometimes found myself absolutely repulsed yet unable to stop reading.
The first arc was probably the easiest to read and carried a charming yet horrifying Kafka-esque sort of vibe. The middle arc was a bit (read: quite) weird and uncomfortable but it inspired the most reflection on my part of the three arcs; it really got me thinking about what separates humans, animals, and even plants. As a science person, that feels really weird to write because obviously humans, animals and plants are very straightforward to differentiate, but somehow this novel went deeper in a way I'm struggling to describe. The third arc many people seem to have found pointless but I was actually really glad to get some perspective from In-hye, who had been forgotten about or abandoned by pretty much all the other characters in the book except for Ji-woo.
It's a very explicit book so, to be honest, I don't know how readily I'd recommend it to a friend but I did find a lot of meaning even as a layperson!...more
I enjoyed this book a lot. It's a tender, fairytale-like account of the personal life of a thirteen-year-old girl named Kokoro, who is trying to navigI enjoyed this book a lot. It's a tender, fairytale-like account of the personal life of a thirteen-year-old girl named Kokoro, who is trying to navigate difficult relationships with her peers in the context of mysterious magical intervention.
I really liked the care and attention with which Kokoro's intimate feelings were explored; I think it's the first time I've gotten to read a book with such a strong message about the importance of mental health and wellbeing. I think it's an extremely relevant topic to young people today and can definitely understand why this book has won so many awards in Japan!
This is also the first time I've read a book that presented school bullying in a way that would have been really relatable to me as a child. Tsujimura writes the children the way children really are and the adults the way adults really are. So much of the time, in books, you get child characters who are mentally way beyond their age and adult characters who are so incompetent it's practically villainy. Lonely Castle in the Mirror is an excellent example of characters written for their stage of life, with all the emotional fallout of perspectives limited and skewed by age.
Something else I also really appreciated was the fact that the bullying was psychological/emotional more than anything else. In real life, psychological/ emotional abuse & bullying is way more common than any other type because it's significantly easier to get away with, but is really uncommon to see as the primary form of bullying in books/ films/ TV because it's easy to invalidate as it's not so clear-cut. I read this book right after finishing A Tale for the Time Being, which features the most intense and difficult bullying I have ever encountered in a book, the worst of it being physical and sexual. Lonely Castle in the Mirror hit way closer to home and actually inspired much more complex feelings in myself and Kokoro's character because interpersonal conflicts are by nature way more complex than clear-cut physical assaults in books. I loved the fact that Kokoro's feelings were presented as real and important even though the bullying could have been a lot worse/ more direct - because that's the point!! The emotional impact of bullying typically affects a child's life more than any destruction of property or physical injury.
To link with a previous point, the way the bullying was presented also really helped me as the reader to step into Kokoro's world: the world of a child navigating difficult social circles for the first time. Her insistent beliefs that what was happening wasn't bullying, and that Miori Sanada would literally kill her if she went back to school, as well as the emphasis she placed on school and tunnel vision she got when thinking about school really helped build her world for me.
Something else I really liked was the way each character had a distinct personality/ vibe. Initially, I was quite apprehensive about there being 7 children in the castle but, once I got to know the characters, I had no problem differentiating and envisioning them in each scene. My favourites were Masamune and Fuka, but I really liked Rion, too.
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Now, to move on to why I didn't rate this 5 stars.
I think my biggest grievance was the job done by the translator. I'll list out the problems here:
1) Improperly translating the Japanese "unn", a casual expression of agreement. I'm a big believer in not needing to already know a language to read a text translated from that language, so the fact that this was translated as "um" was absolutely unacceptable to me. The equivalent in English is "mm"!!
2) I felt really often that things were just "lost in translation", especially when it came to interpretations of dialogue, e.g. the narrative would say the character had spoken bluntly, but it didn't feel blunt at all. It made things feel a bit tell-not-show, which is not a crime in itself but cannot carry a novel.
3) The writing style was stunted and abrupt, especially at the beginning. Scene changes/ flashbacks/ timeskips were jarring until I got used to them and, though I fully recognise that one-sentence paragraphs/ frequent line breaks are common in Japanese writing, not re-formatting for the English translation gave the awkward impression that the author was trying to build a sense of drama when they weren't. One-sentence paragraphs in English are used to deliver "punches" of information or place emphasis. If you're going to have six one-line paragraphs in a row about the supermarket (actual occurrence), you can save yourself some paper and just put it all in one paragraph.
4) The writing style was disappointingly colourless. Probably one of the least immersive books I've read, which is strange because the characters' stories are so compelling! The descriptions felt technical and at times thrown-together, such that they didn't really build any particular atmosphere, mood, or anything that could be described as a "whole". I waited for it to improve, but it didn't, and the awkward word choices frequently pulled me out of the story.
Aside from the translator, I would have preferred it if there was no magical realism element to the story. Explanation below:
1) I picked up on how the characters were related/separated from the very first hint ((view spoiler)[ as soon as Ureshino didn't describe Ms Kitajima as attractive, I knew they were in different time periods (hide spoiler)]) which meant lots of waiting around for the characters to figure it out themselves. I didn't see any reason to do it that way other than to contrive a mystery to be solved later and it made little to no difference to the plot/ characters' relationships with each other. (view spoiler)[ When nobody managed to meet up at school when Masamune asked, nothing about their relationships changed, which I was very surprised about. (hide spoiler)]
2) Since I couldn't understand the origin of it, the whole "Little Red Riding Hood" thing felt super contrived, especially when the children decided to ignore the quest until the deadline. Again, it felt like the sort of thing that was only included so that the mystery would feel satisfying when solved. I personally didn't find it that satisfying or magical. :(
3) Though she grew on me a little, I found the Wolf Queen really annoying. Her haughtiness, ambiguity and general lack of vulnerability made her feel really distant. I also hated when (view spoiler)[ she decided at the halfway point to casually pop in and reveal the information about the children's memories being wiped if a wish was granted, just because she "forgot". I hate this trope. I also don't understand why the memory thing was necessary because the characters already had reservations about using the wish for themselves: the castle would close down, and it might not be fair to use the one wish selfishly. The memory thing pretty much changed nothing. (hide spoiler)].
4) Though the ending was sweet, it was really hard for me to accept the explanation for the castle & quest. (view spoiler)[ I mean, how did Rion's sister create the whole castle and quest and influence real people's lives? I know this is the point of magical realism but it just felt so false to me. Also, she could have pulled together kids Rion could find in real life and make friends with, right? His main problem wasn't a lack of interpersonal skills; it was homesickness and a feeling of parental rejection. I'm not seeing how this emotional journey was meant to help him as much as it helped Kokoro. (hide spoiler)]
5) The build-up to the climax of the story (view spoiler)[ where Kokoro dips into the other children's memories (hide spoiler)] actually felt really unnecessary to me. That stuff should have been explored way earlier in the novel if it was going to be in the novel, and I also found what was happening pretty uncomfortable and invasive. Again, it only really served the purpose of providing hints for the mystery that was soluble from page 166.
I'd have preferred it if the children had all met at a performing arts school or something, so they still had something extracurricular and time-limited to bring them together and something to compete with each other for without the magical realism element. I think that would also have presented the opportunity to more explicitly explore the themes of collaboration vs flying solo/ betraying.
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Final thoughts: Though I doubt I'll read this again, Lonely Castle in the Mirror did fulfil its promise of being heartwarming. The sensitive portrayals of the children's feelings and the way they learnt to trust each other and the adults in their lives was really moving. The themes of trust, collaboration, generation gaps, and mental & emotional wellbeing were well-explored for the younger reader. I would recommend this to fans of middle-grade magical realism/ slice-of-life!...more
OK, let me start by saying that, even though I've rated it 3 stars, I did enjoy this book. Maybe it was just overhyped for me...?
I was really intrigueOK, let me start by saying that, even though I've rated it 3 stars, I did enjoy this book. Maybe it was just overhyped for me...?
I was really intrigued by the premise: a cafe where you are allowed to visit the past for the time it takes for your cup of coffee to get cold. The book is structured in 4 chapters, each of which follows the time-travel journey undertaken by a regular customer/ worker at the cafe.
What I liked: The first good thing that comes to mind is the setting of the cafe. I won't say the writing was immersive because it wasn't, but the strange young woman in the time-travel seat, the three disagreeing clocks, the lack of windows, intimate low ceiling, and Kazu's ritual of coffee-serving all served to build the impression of a surreal space full of mysterious potential, where the normal rules of the world didn't apply - which was perfect. I was reminded a little of the train station Chihiro from Spirited Away has to use to get to Zeniba's house, or the Wood Between Worlds from The Magician's Nephew.
At first, the setting of the cafe was actually a little uncomfortable for me, since the awkwardness of Fumiko's final encounter with Goro set a bit of an awkward tone right from page 1; the cafe was pretty much empty of customers and everyone regular was still unfamiliar to me as the reader; and the descriptions of the cafe had no real bias about whether it was a pleasant place or not. Eventually, though, the consistency of all the things I've mentioned above (and the fact that the POV character in each chapter always - at times, tediously - pointed out at least one of them in the narrative) made the cafe feel familiar by the end, kind of in the way a recurrent dream feels familiar: my mental image of the cafe remained fairly nebulous throughout the novel but recurring motifs always stood out.
I think my favourite parts of the setting were the woman in the time-travel chair and Kazu. For some reason, they really stood out to me. Maybe I just found them both quite mysterious. I do wish that there had been more information about their lives/ stories, but I think they were the two elements of the setting that really sold the surrealism to me and that effect might have been undermined had they been humanised more.
I found the stories themselves quite moving, even though the narration was detached. Each chapter followed a different character making the decision to travel through time. All of them had compelling reasons and stories that felt very real to me. I was particularly emotionally invested in chapter 3. The time limit of the temperature of the coffee and the rule that the present will not change made the time-travel segment of each chapter particularly interesting. I liked that, because of this, there was no what-if-I-changed-the-past sci-fi element and the characters had to focus instead on what they could do to make the past more bearable emotionally. It's not something I've seen before, which was really cool to find in a novel involving time-travel!
The dialogue mostly read to me as quite natural, which I'm finding is not a feeling I usually get when reading translated literature. There was a lot of dialogue, too, which made it quite easy to envision the scenes playing out and contributed to the "easy reading" feel of the book.
What I didn't like The first thing that jumped out to me was the over-explanation of events and characters' reactions to new or even known information. This was particularly a problem in chapter 1. For example, Fumiko, the POV character of chapter 1, decides that she wants to travel back in time and needs the woman in the special chair to move out of the way. Kazu tells Fumiko that the woman is a ghost and Fumiko must not bother her. Fumiko bothers the ghost and is cursed. This is the ensuing narrative:
"If the ghost... and the curse... really happened, then what they say about going back in time might also really be true! //Experiencing the curse had convinced Fumiko that you can go back. But there was a problem. //It was that rule - in order to go back to the past you have to sit in one particular seat. Sitting in that one particular seat, however, is a ghost."
I mean... I'm reading this book because I know how to read... right?! I felt really patronised by all this over-explanation.
The second thing was the general lack of mood. Maybe this is a plus for some people because it makes the cafe and characters feel a little bit unnerving and mysterious, and it's not that the translator is using bad English or anything - but I found the narrative voice a bit clinical, which I think is what stopped me from actually crying when things got emotional.
Another problem I had was the fact that the characters all seemed to blend into one at the beginning, especially Kohtake and Kei. It didn't help that all but one of the female characters had names beginning with the letter K: Kohtake, Kei, Kazu and Kimi. The only female character who didn't was Hirai, but she was so different from the rest anyway that that didn't really matter. It also didn't help that Kohtake and Kei were given very little by way of individual characterisation. They didn't feel real to me at all and I really struggled to connect with them emotionally.
I also didn't really like most of the the fashion choices. It was so odd having the colour of every article of clothing a character was wearing pointed out when it added nothing. The exceptions were Hirai, the young woman who took the selfie with Kei, and Kohtake's nurse uniform - but I really didn't need to know when someone walked in wearing an aqua blue dress and crimson trainers. Maybe I was supposed to infer from that that that character was colourblind?? lol
The last thing that bothered me was the fact that the rules were not really explained, new rules kept popping up out of nowhere, and nobody tried to get around them. I mean, if I were visiting my dead relative in the past, for example, and I knew I only had until the coffee in front of me got cold... I'd pour it in a thermos or keep it on top of a handwarmer - or at least wrap my scarf around it to insulate it!! I don't know, though, maybe the rules were more forceful in the original text or something, but it remains that the apparent temperature of a cup of coffee is (1) subjective, and (2) easy to influence. May as well have used a stopwatch.
In summary I did like this. I liked the idea of it for sure, and I liked that it got me thinking about the past and the future and all the things I would do if I had the chance to travel through time for 380 yen. I think, though, this might not be something I re-read or recommend in the future....more
I still can't tell if this is a true story or not - I just assumed it was fiction and then read the author's bio in the back of the book and it soundeI still can't tell if this is a true story or not - I just assumed it was fiction and then read the author's bio in the back of the book and it sounded very familiar. This is the trouble when none of the human characters have names haha
I really enjoyed this. The translation was a bit clunky in places, especially at the beginning, but I got used to it/ it improved as the novel went on. That's my main reason for taking away a star.
I especially loved the quiet moments here and there involving the garden of the guest house and Chibi's antics. It was so sweet how the main two characters accepted her into their lives and I loved how the house, landlady and neighbours came to feel so familiar by the end. I also really enjoyed the thoughts of the narrator e.g. the stuff about Machiavelli, and his reactions to the events in the book e.g. (view spoiler)[ trying to triangulate a viewpoint from which to see Chibi's grave in the neighbours' garden using a book on trigonometry for the layman and then scrapping it because that's insane haha. (hide spoiler)] It was even interesting reading about how the change in the housing market at the time impacted his search for a new place to rent after the house he started in got sold. I really felt it when the house was all marked up for demolition and had orange tarps all over it. :'0
(view spoiler)[ I found the ending totally unexpected, I can't lie. I guess the narrator never really got over Chibi's death but I didn't expect the last 2 pages to be a full-on murder mystery. I was left feeling really creeped out about the neighbours, especially reading the quote from the old woman saying that she "never goes that way [the alleged location of Chibi's death] alone"!! I thought they were just protective of Chibi and lied about her death or something but I think it was more than that... :0 I wish I hadn't read that part just before bed... (hide spoiler)]...more
3.75/5 This is the fourth Japanese cat book I've read. I think I liked the other three a bit better but there was still a lot to love in this one.
The s3.75/5 This is the fourth Japanese cat book I've read. I think I liked the other three a bit better but there was still a lot to love in this one.
The story follows Rintaro, a timid, book-loving high-schooler grieving the recent passing of his grandfather. One day, he is approached by Tiger, an orange tabby cat, who enlists his help in rescuing books from various perils in a series of mysterious, otherworldly labyrinths. They are joined by Sayo, Rintaro's responsible and confident class president, who begins delivering his homework to him after he stops going to school. As the story progresses, Rintaro develops confidence and conviction, growing into the image of his grandfather he'd always idealised.
The vibes The vibes were great. Reading this felt a lot like watching an anime in my head. I think it was a combination of things. Many of the characters, especially the villains in the labyrinth, are very outspoken about their controversial views and the lines sometimes read like anime subtitles haha. Sayo has a cute tsundere moment (well, probably multiple cute tsundere moments), and Rintaro fits the quiet-but-actually-can-step-up archetype that pops up a lot in bespectacled teenage boy anime leads. It's also a really visual book; every setting is described in a lot of detail - sometimes too much XD - so I could imagine it very clearly in my head.
I also felt that the writer drew heavy inspiration from St Exupéry's The Little Prince. It's referenced at the start so I don't think this connection is a coincidence. The structure is quite similar, I think, in that Rintaro, like the Little Prince, wanders through a series of otherworldly microcosmic encounters which each carry some commentary on modern life. I thought it was quite whimsical but imitating such a famous and well-loved book as The Little Prince is a dangerous challenge.
I also got really strong Whisper of the Heart/ The Cat Returns vibes. They're both films by Studio Ghibli and, if you haven't seen them: - Whisper of the Heart is a high school romance in which the main character, Shizuku, wants to become an author. She writes a story about a girl who goes on an adventure with an anthropomorphic cat called Baron Humbert von Gikkingen. The story she writes isn't really shown in the film beyond a few shots of the setting and the pinch point, but they're very striking images. - The Cat Returns is a spin-off of Whisper of the Heart, in which a girl actually goes on an adventure with Baron, though it's not the same as Shizuku's story. The main lesson the girl learns is to trust herself. Several parts of the book reminded me of these films: Tiger the cat being the experienced guide, the idea of the labyrinths and the fact that Rintaro has to learn to trust himself to get out of each one, and some of the settings, particularly the tower and maze in the third labyrinth (really reminded me of the Cat King!!).
The plot I thought the labyrinth structure was very whimsical and I liked how the labyrinth grew out of Natsuki Books every time. I also liked the structure of the novel; it was like Rintaro was a fairytale character going on a series of quests. I do wish there had been a little more tension, though, or higher stakes. The villains were pretty easy to defeat and Rintaro suffers no material losses throughout the plot so I was never actually worried about whether he'd succeed or not. It was nice that he did succeed, though. Finally a hero who can get it together not to make dumb mistakes lol.
The characters I really liked the main three. Rintaro is shy but he's also quick and passionate when he needs to be. Sayo is the perfect character to bring out the bravery in him, not because she needs saving but because she is strong enough to pull him up to her level of courage, and their pairing is really cute to me. Tiger is adorable and his description produced a very clear image in my mind.
The writing style I think this was the main thing I struggled with. (1) I think some nuance was lost in translation; there were times when the dialogue was awkward when it was supposed to be natural, and when it read really naturally in English but the characters felt it was overly direct/ rude. Japanese and English are really different languages, though, particularly when it comes to pronouns and formality levels. (2) The descriptions felt at times a little excessive and didn't really set the scene all that meaningfully. Some of them I skimmed because I didn't really need to know everything the main three saw from the corridor on the way to XYZ's office.
The themes I do agree with the comments saying the themes were in some places a little overly didactic, and I definitely think the "morals of the story" could have been expressed more subtly than having the characters say them directly, but I thought this was really cute and it reminded me a lot of The Little Prince. Something I really liked that nobody seems to be mentioning is the commentary on capitalism, consumerism, and the commodification of art. I think Tiger is a bit harsh on the person whose interior decorating is a little more maximalist, but the rest I totally agree with. It's a really interesting exploration of how different people balance their ideals against practicality.
All in all, a really good read - just a little lighthearted and probably better in Japanese. ...more
How do I even review this? Just the most wonderful story about the simple lives of a professor, his housekeeper, and her son, with some maths and baseHow do I even review this? Just the most wonderful story about the simple lives of a professor, his housekeeper, and her son, with some maths and baseball in as well. This was so heartwarming I had to pause a few times just to feel the feels and it really reminded me of the beauty of mathematics!! The translator did SUCH a good job, too! The prose was so natural and personable! I would recommend this to everyone!! ...more
Amazing!! Especially good for getting out of a reading slump!
Battle Royale is a Japanese novel by Takami Koushun which follows the story of a class Amazing!! Especially good for getting out of a reading slump!
Battle Royale is a Japanese novel by Takami Koushun which follows the story of a class of around 40 9th graders (15-year-olds) who are forced to participate in a government-mandated "game" in which they all have to kill each other until there is one remaining survivor.
I know it sounds a lot like The Hunger Games and, indeed, I thought it would be a lot like The Hunger Games when I first read the premise. Battle Royale was, however, published way before The Hunger Games and, for the following reasons, I think it's quite a bit better :
1. Narration style. The narration is 3rd person limited rather than 1st person so you get multiple perspectives. This allows you to really get to know a lot of the characters, which makes it so much more impactful when plot points happen to them. It also gives you a bit of a break when there's a character you hate lol. The style was also very matter-of-fact, detailed and easy to read, which really helped me immerse myself in every scene.
2. Premise In The Hunger Games, 24 kids are chosen from all over the country to participate in the same game but most of them don't know each other. In Battle Royale, the situation is so much worse (and so much more interesting as a result) because the kids in each game are classmates who have known each other for years, sometimes since childhood. Some of them are couples and some are best friends - and some even have beef with each other, spoken or unspoken. This adds a whole extra dimension to the decisions that the characters have to make because they have to take into account their entire history with the person in front of them whom they could choose to kill, be killed by, team up with or betray.
3. Setting I found the setting of Battle Royale so much more believable than most other novels I've read where the setting was a dystopian society. The everyday lives of the characters are quite comparable to everyday life in many parts of the world, only slightly different in a sort of 1984-esque way. The government in the novel is very much a totalitarian nightmare but the characters' daily lives aren't hell as a result. They are easy to relate to as their memories are of things that we all probably went through/ saw other people go through in school, so the importance of each life event they relate is easy to grasp. There are even references to modern pop culture (though perhaps a bit outdated), e.g. Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, etc.. This makes it much more impactful when upsetting plot points happen because it's so much easier to imagine yourself in such a situation.
4. Technology I thought it was really nice that the level of technology in the book was roughly what people had access to in the 1990s so you as the reader can play along without worrying that some piece of futuristic technology is going to appear and conveniently save the day. Sometimes a character does happen to have a useful item but it's always consistent with their characterisation and is never too convenient. There's no magic cream that heals all wounds and there aren't any overpowered mutant creatures to make the game harder.
5. Characters I really liked the main characters in Battle Royale, namely Shuya, Noriko, Kawada and Shinji. Each of them had a distinct personality and were all reasonable people I could really root for. As for the characters I hated (namely Kiriyama Kazuo and Sakamochi Kinpachi ughhh) I really enjoyed hating them, but they also made me really think about what makes a character a true villain/ antagonist, which was really interesting!
6. Themes I think a lot of books in this genre are about the strength of the individual and how one person can make a change. I think this message is quite relevant in cultures where the voice of the individual can genuinely carry a lot of weight, but does not always read as believable to me personally as many modern cultures, including one I have grown up with, place the harmony of the group above the satisfaction of the individual. Battle Royale, in my interpretation, is really good commentary on the challenges of making change in a society that does not tolerate diversity of opinion as an individual living in your own "black box" through which you cannot see the true thoughts and feelings of those around you. I thought it was a much more interesting and complex theme than I'd read before!
In summary, please go and read this book! It's 100% worth it!! The characters and plot are well-thought-out, the pacing is perfect for getting out of a reading slump, and the narration is vivid and doesn't shy away from gore. ...more
The Travelling Cat Chronicles（旅猫リポート, lit. "Travelling Cat Report"）is a Japanese book following the story of Miyawaki Satoru A new favourite. 1000/10
The Travelling Cat Chronicles（旅猫リポート, lit. "Travelling Cat Report"）is a Japanese book following the story of Miyawaki Satoru, a bachelor living in Tokyo, through the eyes of a cat he takes in from the street and names Nana (七）. One day, after years of living happily together, Satoru decides to take Nana on a road trip across Japan, meeting up with old friends from his childhood and adolescent years and asking each of them if they can adopt Nana from him as Satoru, for unavoidable and unforeseen reasons, can no longer keep Nana with him. Each friend has a different set of memories to recollect with Satoru, which each carries a nostalgic yet refreshing weight.
I read this book to my cat and, don't ask me how, but I am certain that she liked it as much as I did. Nana is a great narrator with lots of personality and the memories Satoru recollects with his friends are written with great sensitivity and attention to detail. I don't usually cry when reading but, by the end, I was crying enough happy and sad tears at the same time that I had to pause because I couldn't see. I didn't feel bad afterwards, though! I'm not sure how to describe the feeling I had after reading this other than a deep-seated contentment and a new perspective on the little things in life.
Definitely recommend! Absolute must-read if you like cats! ^.w.^
Added after 2nd read I forgot to add this sooner but I highly recommend the Random House audiobook read by George Blagden. I thought his voice acting was perfect for Nana!!...more
I really enjoyed this one. I think it's really difficult to get an outside perspective on modern society when we're all obviously living in it but thiI really enjoyed this one. I think it's really difficult to get an outside perspective on modern society when we're all obviously living in it but this book was a really refreshing opportunity to reflect. I also found the writing style really immersive - it was easy to feel comfortable inside the main character's head without losing the impact of the more surprising turns in the plot. I think the matter-of-fact writing style really helped deliver some of the more shocking points, too. Recommend! :)...more
I feel like a lot of the reviews of this book are quite polarised, but I came away from it not really knowing how to feel about it. It was definitely I feel like a lot of the reviews of this book are quite polarised, but I came away from it not really knowing how to feel about it. It was definitely one of the more surreal things I've read, which made it great for escaping into another world; I really liked the different settings in the book and the stories of each of the characters. I also liked Toru as a protagonist - he just seemed like a nice guy - and I really enjoyed his conversations with May Kasahara, who I thought was interesting and introspective. I think I was left feeling a little empty because there didn't seem to be any particular message I was meant to get from reading the book, which I thought was a bit weird considering how long the book is. It could just be that I wasn't reading carefully enough to pick up something more subtle, though. I think I'll have to read it again before I can truly understand it XD...more
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