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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'd previously read 'Strange Weather in Tokyo' and really enjoyed it, so decided to read more from the same author. This collection of short stories (or is it a novel told from multiple perspectives?), all intertwined by their discussion of 'Mr Nishino', has a similarly gentle and reflective pace. Don't let the title put you off, as I'm also not dying to read about the adventures of a (male) womanizer, but the short stories are actually told from the perspectives of his lovers (all women although not all straight) and ultimately we learn a lot more about these women than we do about Mr Nishino. I really enjoyed how the author manages to get into the psyche of these narrators, who are from various ages and at different points of their own life when they meet Nishino. A lot of these women are troubled by the way they feel about this strange man who is generally pictured in a pretty pathetic light. It's refreshing to see how although each story has the same general set up (woman meets Nishino, the relationship then falls apart), this set up can lead to such a range of experiences. The differences are subtle and the stories leave the reader with a lot of unanswered questions - but if you're the kind of reader who likes unexplained phenomena and subtle observations on human interaction as well as brief but quirky snapshots into character's lives, then you'll mostly likely enjoy this set of stories. I read the book quickly (it's really short) but you could definitely put it down and pick it back up at a much later date, although I'd like to re-read it and consider the connections between the short stories more carefully. Overall, it was refreshing to read a book that focused on the briefer connections we experience in life - rather than reading about the main character's major relationship, this book is almost written from the perspective of a "side" character describing a "side relationship" in their life, and it's remarkable how much wonder and melancholy there is to be found in those relationships.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book #7 of 2020 – The ten loves of Mr Nishino – By Harumi Kawakami
3 out of 5 stars.
This book by Kawakami is told from the ten different perspectives of women who fell in love with Mr Nishino. Through these perspectives we learn about different facets of the title characters personality.
This is the third book I have read by Kawakami, but unfortunately this was the one I enjoyed least. There are just too many perspectives and I feel if the book was centered around just a few character you would get to know them better overall. In fact that is exactly what occurred in the previous two Nawakami books (Strange weather in Tokyo, The Nakano Thrift store) which I read and I adored.
I still enjoyed this book abut I feel it had potential to be much more than it is, it feels to me more like a short story collection which all revolve around the titular character and though it was okay, I just never felt much strong connection to the characters because of the constant shifting angles.
3 out of 5 stars.
This book by Kawakami is told from the ten different perspectives of women who fell in love with Mr Nishino. Through these perspectives we learn about different facets of the title characters personality.
This is the third book I have read by Kawakami, but unfortunately this was the one I enjoyed least. There are just too many perspectives and I feel if the book was centered around just a few character you would get to know them better overall. In fact that is exactly what occurred in the previous two Nawakami books (Strange weather in Tokyo, The Nakano Thrift store) which I read and I adored.
I still enjoyed this book abut I feel it had potential to be much more than it is, it feels to me more like a short story collection which all revolve around the titular character and though it was okay, I just never felt much strong connection to the characters because of the constant shifting angles.
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Generally when there’s a story about a prodigious male lover, us readers tend to see things from the his point of view. Hiromi Kawakami does things differently and presents ten tales from ten women who dated the person.
The lover in question is Yukihiko (and his name is revealed in the third story) Nishino. That’s all I’m going to say about him. Each of the women who went out with him drop little details about his life and by the end of the book we get a full picture of this man and why he is so good at seducing women.
There’s a variety; school friends, best friends of his ex girlfriend, random people. Nishino has loved them all. Also each one looks at him fondly, or in some cases pity.
This gives the impression that this book is about the glorification about one man but Kawakami is much cleverer than that. In fact almost all the women say that Nishino is nothing special and yet he has stayed imprinted in their memories.
The final story we learn simply about a man who has a way with women but because of circumstances and complex background, has to move on. Nishino is a heartbreaker but there is a reason. Mind you not all the women in the book sympathise with him but none of them speak badly of him either.
On the whole I liked The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino. It flows and I the way Kawakami dropped little details about Nishino’s backstory gave the novel depth. Usually a story with a premise like this tends to be samey but Kawakami is able to pull it off perfectly and go beyond the stereotypes that come with a character like Mr Nishino. Admirable
The lover in question is Yukihiko (and his name is revealed in the third story) Nishino. That’s all I’m going to say about him. Each of the women who went out with him drop little details about his life and by the end of the book we get a full picture of this man and why he is so good at seducing women.
There’s a variety; school friends, best friends of his ex girlfriend, random people. Nishino has loved them all. Also each one looks at him fondly, or in some cases pity.
This gives the impression that this book is about the glorification about one man but Kawakami is much cleverer than that. In fact almost all the women say that Nishino is nothing special and yet he has stayed imprinted in their memories.
The final story we learn simply about a man who has a way with women but because of circumstances and complex background, has to move on. Nishino is a heartbreaker but there is a reason. Mind you not all the women in the book sympathise with him but none of them speak badly of him either.
On the whole I liked The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino. It flows and I the way Kawakami dropped little details about Nishino’s backstory gave the novel depth. Usually a story with a premise like this tends to be samey but Kawakami is able to pull it off perfectly and go beyond the stereotypes that come with a character like Mr Nishino. Admirable
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
I liked Strange Weather in Tokyo so much that I went straight on to one of Kawakami's previous novels. This one sees ten different women reflecting on their romantic interactions (which last in time from hours to years) with the titular Nishino who, as the novel progresses, seems less and less of a Casanova and more and more of a damaged, fallible human being, while still remaining something of an enigma. Again, Kawakami's writing is as light and effervescent as bubbles in sparkling water, but somehow also conveys some quite profound feelings. I'll be reading more of her.
I'd been looking forward to this, after loving the previous two novels in translation. In principle this is an interesting structure - a man seen through the eyes of a cast of different lovers. In reality I found the portrait being built up from sketches both unsatisfying and unsympathetic.
This is sort of a novel, sort of a collection of closely-linked stories, held together by the mysterious figure of Nishino who appears in each chapter. It tells the stories of ten women who have fallen in love with Nishino, or at least were involved romantically or sexually with him at some point in their lives. We get brief but telling glimpses into their lives and into the life of Nishino, glimpses that slowly build into a complex portrait of one man and the women he knew. It’s the kind of book that reads easily and quickly but then surprises you with its depth of insight and emotion. It’s the perfect book for anyone who wants to ponder relationships, love, sex, and the way stories shape our lives.
https://bookriot.com/2019/06/01/june-indie-press-releases/
https://bookriot.com/2019/06/01/june-indie-press-releases/