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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Me planteé muchas veces abandonar esta lectura porque el libro es muy lento ( para mi gusto) y da vueltas sobre las cosas alargando una trama que podría ser un simple relato. Tiene buenas reflexiones y frases. La crítica de fondo me parece interesante y es algo en lo que nunca había reflexionado pero habría preferido un artículo directo de investigación en lugar de esta historia.
So beautifully mournful and sad. It was a special privilege to have recently walked through Ueno Park and then listen to this book. You can definitely tell the author is a playwright.
i liked the idea of this story and the message it put on homeless epidemics, and the main character going working through the constant grief in his life. but it was honestly quite hard to follow at times. i felt lost most of the book trying to follow the plot as it was one giant chapter. Yu Miri knows how to write beautiful and eloquent passages, but I just have a hard time enjoying her writing style.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This novella really wasn’t it for me. Perhaps it was the translation but the narrative felt disjointed, and though we follow the thoughts and journey of the main protagonist, Kazu, I felt he was always at arm’s life. The random bits of dialogue were sometimes interesting but then were these bits of history that felt thrown in at random points. Not my cup of tea.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
even knowing what this was about, it did take some adjustment. there’s something so untethered and detached in the telling of this story—which i think is by virtue of the narrator—but the examination of class, wealth and family within Japanese society was really grounding. i enjoyed this and the exploration of all a place can be.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another piece of translated Japanese fiction while on my trip!! I didn’t totally know what’s going on for the first half and then it kind of all came together into this sad portrait. It’s a contemplative, quiet and still book - qualities I’m really noticing in Japanese fiction. It was a bit uneven and sometimes the numerous characters coming and going make it hard to follow.
But I loved the incorporation of Japanese history into Kazu’s story and the juxtaposition with the Emporer. Having the character be a ghost delivered the message effectively - Kazu is as invisible as the other homeless people at Ueno Park. The story paints a really important picture of Japan’s blue collar and homeless population, which often doesn’t come to mind when you think of Japan.
But I loved the incorporation of Japanese history into Kazu’s story and the juxtaposition with the Emporer. Having the character be a ghost delivered the message effectively - Kazu is as invisible as the other homeless people at Ueno Park. The story paints a really important picture of Japan’s blue collar and homeless population, which often doesn’t come to mind when you think of Japan.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes