Reviews

Catfish Rolling by Clara Kumagai

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kelkelkelhart's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

acaciatree's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.5

I won a copy of this book in exchange for a review on LibraryThing.

I enjoyed the concept. The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter were lovely. The progression of Sora's relationship with her father throughout the story is beautifully done. The themes of grief and loss were well told.

Unfortunately, the premise of time could have been explored more deeply. I'll be honest. I naively expected to see a Godzilla-sized catfish physically crack the earth's surface. I was expecting something a little less contemporary. Outside of faster time zones causing things to age faster. The different time zones did not feel dangerous at all. Because of this, the novel lacked a sense of urgency after Sora's father went missing.

Overall, I liked it.

thalassa_reading's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.5

A lovely book about grief, human connection and nature (trees!) that's saturated with Japanese culture and mythology, told from the pov of a Japanese-Canadian young woman. Beautiful prose that often touched me deeply. The worldbuilding around the zones where time runs differently is amazing. I loved the characters, especially the mom, and the witty dialogue. Highly recommended.
(The LGBT tag seems too much for the tiny amount of lesbian content that imo feels a bit tacked on; this relationship is also the only one that lacked depth. Might be disappointing for readers looking for queer romance.)

Content Warnings