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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
The end of hit me with a numbing wave of sadness.
This was an unexpected and blind pick-up for me, as I originally only wanted to read "No Longer Human" out of curiosity. I'm glad I picked it up though, it was a great way to get myself to read more. I couldn't put the book down after a while as I only wanted to read more about the characters thoughts and feelings as their world as they knew it changed so drastically. It's does a good job of providing insight of Japan and it's changes post-war, at least to an outsider like me.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to start reading Japanese literature. It's a nice starting piece.
This was an unexpected and blind pick-up for me, as I originally only wanted to read "No Longer Human" out of curiosity. I'm glad I picked it up though, it was a great way to get myself to read more. I couldn't put the book down after a while as I only wanted to read more about the characters thoughts and feelings as their world as they knew it changed so drastically. It's does a good job of providing insight of Japan and it's changes post-war, at least to an outsider like me.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to start reading Japanese literature. It's a nice starting piece.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Short and depressing. A few good lines. A few interesting thoughts on the state of mind of the Japanese aristocracy after the war. Overall still came across as a little entitled and shallow.
Woohoo - a woman finds ‘revolution’ through having a child from a drunk. Feminism to me!
Woohoo - a woman finds ‘revolution’ through having a child from a drunk. Feminism to me!
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Drug use
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would some this book up as the tale of a delusional woman who suffered greatly and winds up pregnant, a light at the end of the tunnel.
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly, I think reading the English translation took away from the novel. I wish I could read the original writing. It was a complicated book to read. The characters are raw and their thoughts and feelings tug at the readers' heartstrings. This book is both amazing and terrible. If you want to truly understand the plot and characters, you need to understand Osamu Dazai and the time period he grew up in. If you do that, you'll come to appreciate this book.
dark
Nihilistic desperation from start to end, the victims of Japan's transitional period in morality. Even after attempting to contextualise the post-war impoverishment of aristocracy and its synchronic moral crisis, I couldn't root for this woman written by a man, whose moral "revolution" is bringing into the world another sacrificial offering as justification for her existence - selfishness. The pervasive elements of classism also forbade my empathising with the former-aristocrat characters mourning their downfall.
At times, despair edges into something almost beautiful through Dazai’s lyricism, but I suspect the translation doesn't carry symbolisms the way Dazai intended
At times, despair edges into something almost beautiful through Dazai’s lyricism, but I suspect the translation doesn't carry symbolisms the way Dazai intended
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Suicide
I love this book so much! Osamu Dazai is my favorite author of all time. The brutal observations of life I just love. “Man was born for love and revolution.” I wonder what happened to the woman he took the dairy from and which liner exactly in the novel are hers?