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fringedyke's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This is such a heartfelt read. It covers topics such as family, grief and love, and how all of those things look different over time. I love the way Yoshimoto describes things. Will be reading again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Suicide
clovetra's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
i went into this thinking i'd love this. but sadly i didn't :(
i have such varying thoughts on both of the novellas included inside this book, so i'm going to separate my thoughts;
kitchen was.. alright! i got quite bored and felt there was no underlying story or message. none of the characters appeared interesting to me except eriko. i understood there was supposed to be a message or theme to grasp, but i couldn't. sure grief was there, but it felt almost secondary, and there was just no overarching purpose to the story, and i found it such a slog. i enjoyed some parts, such as when mikage is at work or as she converses with eriko, but other than that, i did not enjoy this story. on its own this story is a strong 1/5 for me.
i loved moonlight shadow. i would've much preferred if this was the longer one out of the two novellas. it felt like everyone was character was well-written, and i thoroughly enjoyed the story and the voice employed. the theme of grief and holding on was very prominent here, and written wonderfully. the ending was sweet, and i enjoyed how grief was portrayed here. i also love the presence of urara, she was a great addition to this story, as well as hiiragi. solid 3/5
honestly, even though i quite enjoyed moonlight shadow, it's only 40 pages out of a 150 page book. kitchen took up way too much of this novel to rate this book highly.
overall i think my issue was how kitchen felt lacklustre, vague, and said nothing about the themes i could see it was trying to portray. moonlight shadow came and brought my overall opinion of the book up, but because it was less than half of the book, i still would say i didn't enjoy myself here, which is a shame because i was looking forward to this read. oh well! lets hope the next banana yoshimoto book i read is one i enjoy </3
i have such varying thoughts on both of the novellas included inside this book, so i'm going to separate my thoughts;
kitchen was.. alright! i got quite bored and felt there was no underlying story or message. none of the characters appeared interesting to me except eriko. i understood there was supposed to be a message or theme to grasp, but i couldn't. sure grief was there, but it felt almost secondary, and there was just no overarching purpose to the story, and i found it such a slog. i enjoyed some parts, such as when mikage is at work or as she converses with eriko, but other than that, i did not enjoy this story. on its own this story is a strong 1/5 for me.
i loved moonlight shadow. i would've much preferred if this was the longer one out of the two novellas. it felt like everyone was character was well-written, and i thoroughly enjoyed the story and the voice employed. the theme of grief and holding on was very prominent here, and written wonderfully. the ending was sweet, and i enjoyed how grief was portrayed here. i also love the presence of urara, she was a great addition to this story, as well as hiiragi. solid 3/5
honestly, even though i quite enjoyed moonlight shadow, it's only 40 pages out of a 150 page book. kitchen took up way too much of this novel to rate this book highly.
overall i think my issue was how kitchen felt lacklustre, vague, and said nothing about the themes i could see it was trying to portray. moonlight shadow came and brought my overall opinion of the book up, but because it was less than half of the book, i still would say i didn't enjoy myself here, which is a shame because i was looking forward to this read. oh well! lets hope the next banana yoshimoto book i read is one i enjoy </3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Grief, Hate crime, Death, and Transphobia
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Blood, Stalking, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
yelloweyedbeta's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
i was yet again reminded of why i don’t usually read those kind of books. they’re just not my cup of tea, doesn’t mean it was a bad book. some terms that were being used from the author/translator didn’t sit right with me but i read the comments and i came prepared. i wish mikage and yuichi nothing but the best, that they get through whatever together.
“as i grow older, much older, i will experience many things, and I will hit rock bottom again and again. again and again i will suffer; again and again i will get back on my feet. i will not be defeated. i won't let my spirit be destroyed.”
“as i grow older, much older, i will experience many things, and I will hit rock bottom again and again. again and again i will suffer; again and again i will get back on my feet. i will not be defeated. i won't let my spirit be destroyed.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism
dmellifera's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Transphobia
Moderate: Mental illness
writingcaia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It’s slow and it captures you lightly, then it hooks you with the depth of character, the tragedy of life, the truth and feeling of the words. A book about grief, life, and the love that changes you and brings you back from the despair of living and knowing tragedy always looms ahead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Transphobia and Violence
thomasina's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Mental illness, Transphobia, and Death
Minor: Murder
elsam03's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
mattnid's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Murder and Violence
vaekay's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Deadnaming, Murder, Stalking, Death of parent, Death, Hate crime, Medical content, and Transphobia
Moderate: Cancer and Alcohol
adawada's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
2.75
The first story in this book has started off very strong for me. I loved the main character’s relationship with kitchens but thought that it wasn’t developed far enough.
The themes of grief in this book have been written very well, especially in the second story. What I couldn’t believe wasMikage’s grief for Eriko being much deeper than for her recently deceased grandmother, despite only knowing Eriko for a very short amount of time.
I thought that the ways of grieving, both alone and collectively were interesting.
What I didn’t like was that most of these characters, in both stories, felt very one dimensional and just blended into each other too much.
Now, what I absolutely hated about this book is the transphobia. There was so much misgendering in the first story which was also at the heart of jokes between the main characters. There was trans shaming in the second story. The idea that both characters just seemed to decide on a whim to either “become women” or “cross-dress” is so appalling. I get that the book was first published in the 80s and that was predominantly the thinking of the time (one could argue that it still is in some cases) but what I don’t get then is that the book still gets so much praise despite the transphobic language.
It wasn’t the worst book. It was my first time reading Yoshimoto’s work and I must say that it didn’t inspire me enough to pick up anything else by her.
The themes of grief in this book have been written very well, especially in the second story. What I couldn’t believe was
I thought that the ways of grieving, both alone and collectively were interesting.
What I didn’t like was that most of these characters, in both stories, felt very one dimensional and just blended into each other too much.
Now, what I absolutely hated about this book is the transphobia. There was so much misgendering in the first story which was also at the heart of jokes between the main characters. There was trans shaming in the second story. The idea that both characters just seemed to decide on a whim to either “become women” or “cross-dress” is so appalling. I get that the book was first published in the 80s and that was predominantly the thinking of the time (one could argue that it still is in some cases) but what I don’t get then is that the book still gets so much praise despite the transphobic language.
It wasn’t the worst book. It was my first time reading Yoshimoto’s work and I must say that it didn’t inspire me enough to pick up anything else by her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Outing, and Transphobia
Minor: Self harm