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virishin's review against another edition
5.0
⭐5/5
Novel favoritku! Akhirnya aku menemukan novel favoritku!
Review singkat:
Terjemahannya ringan, berhasil menyampaikan pesan, ekspresi, dan makna yang dicoba untuk ditampilkan di dalam cerita.
Tokoh-tokohnya loveable, nggak ada antagonis yang terlalu menonjol. Tipe buku yang terlihat nggak realistis, tapi interaksinya begitu nyata, sering ditemui di real life.
Pakai alur maju yang nggak ngebosenin karena berhasil utk fokus ke proses penyusunan Daitokai.
Bakal bosen di bagian narasi tentang penjelasan 'kata-kata' dari bahasa Jepang yang muncul. Tapi menurutku kalau mau skip bacain setiap ketemu narasi ini juga gapapa, scanning aja cukup.
Dan mungkin alangkah lebih nyaman baca versi cetaknya karena banyak footnote yang dipakai. Tidak rekomendasi baca di RBK karena formatnya amburadul.
Emosi yang aku dapat selama baca: bersemangat, bangga, puas, terharu, khawatir, malu, ketawa, sedih, dan kosong (karena udah tamat).
Review keseluruhan versiku:
ARGH AKU KANGEN BANGET BUKU INI!!!
Pertama kali baca tuh kayaknya tahun 2021 akhir? Lewat gramdig, sebelum akhirnya banyak update terbaru yg gabisa minjem J-Lit walo udah langganan
Novel favoritku! Akhirnya aku menemukan novel favoritku!
Review singkat:
Terjemahannya ringan, berhasil menyampaikan pesan, ekspresi, dan makna yang dicoba untuk ditampilkan di dalam cerita.
Tokoh-tokohnya loveable, nggak ada antagonis yang terlalu menonjol. Tipe buku yang terlihat nggak realistis, tapi interaksinya begitu nyata, sering ditemui di real life.
Pakai alur maju yang nggak ngebosenin karena berhasil utk fokus ke proses penyusunan Daitokai.
Bakal bosen di bagian narasi tentang penjelasan 'kata-kata' dari bahasa Jepang yang muncul. Tapi menurutku kalau mau skip bacain setiap ketemu narasi ini juga gapapa, scanning aja cukup.
Dan mungkin alangkah lebih nyaman baca versi cetaknya karena banyak footnote yang dipakai. Tidak rekomendasi baca di RBK karena formatnya amburadul.
Emosi yang aku dapat selama baca: bersemangat, bangga, puas, terharu, khawatir, malu, ketawa, sedih, dan kosong (karena udah tamat).
Review keseluruhan versiku:
ARGH AKU KANGEN BANGET BUKU INI!!!
Pertama kali baca tuh kayaknya tahun 2021 akhir? Lewat gramdig, sebelum akhirnya banyak update terbaru yg gabisa minjem J-Lit walo udah langganan
picklestar's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
miss_bct's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
8797999's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable yarn, I have to say that although they aren't my usual fare I do have a soft spot for these Japanese fictions. Ones like this and others like Strange Weather In Tokyo and The Nakano Thrift Shop.
Very much enjoyed this, made sweeter as it was free with Kindle Unlimited.
Very much enjoyed this, made sweeter as it was free with Kindle Unlimited.
peachybee53's review against another edition
1.0
It may be that The Great Passage has been translated from its original language, but I found it dry and boring.
There were a handful of things I did like about it; Majime's poetic description of watching people board the escalator, the way his adoration for Kaguya was described, the softer side of Nishioka that we catch a glimpse of, and the following passage:
As someone who hasn't read many Japanese titles I'm assuming that some of the disconnect I felt was cultural; language differences, unknown references, etc. but I also get the feeling that the overall themes were not of particular interest to me and would have needed some truly magical writing to have been "successful."
I feel guilty for leaving a less-than-positive review, but am working on analysing my responses and exploring my personal likes & dislikes. This novel didn't pull me in and felt difficult to complete, but I mean no disrespect to anyone who thinks otherwise.
There were a handful of things I did like about it; Majime's poetic description of watching people board the escalator, the way his adoration for Kaguya was described, the softer side of Nishioka that we catch a glimpse of, and the following passage:
"Awakening to the power of words—the power not to hurt others but to protect them, to tell them things, to form connections with them—had taught her to probe her own mind and inclined her to make allowances for other people’s thoughts and feelings."
As someone who hasn't read many Japanese titles I'm assuming that some of the disconnect I felt was cultural; language differences, unknown references, etc. but I also get the feeling that the overall themes were not of particular interest to me and would have needed some truly magical writing to have been "successful."
I feel guilty for leaving a less-than-positive review, but am working on analysing my responses and exploring my personal likes & dislikes. This novel didn't pull me in and felt difficult to complete, but I mean no disrespect to anyone who thinks otherwise.
knod78's review against another edition
4.0
This completes May (originally April) Northern Asia of the Read Around the World: Book Voyage Reading Challenge. I didn't know what to think of this book when it started. It was slow and choppy and jumped through time, but I was in it. The darn book made me want to work on a dictionary and I didn't think a book could be that powerful. And yet here I am looking up jobs churning out dictionaries.
The characters were all great characters; however, with such a short book, I just wished the author spent more time on them instead of adding more characters to the mix. I liked Kashibe, but she was thrown in at the end at a time 15 years later after getting used to Nishioka.
But the descriptions on how to put the dictionary together and choosing the right words and the right definitions and the revisions were fascinating. I feel like with what is happening in America with words and banned words and the power of words, this book has an even more powerful layer than the author maybe intended to have. I actually wanted more and feel that this book should have been longer, delved more in to every nook and cranny of more words and how some of the other words effected characters. I loved that we got a snipit of Kashibe and her response to male/female terms and love in terms of sexual orientation. She related it to her own feelings and her own experience with a friend. I needed more of that with other characters. I especially loved that we got Majimes full love letter at the end. I'm not sure what I would do if I got a letter like that either.
Again, this book will make you want to eat glorious food in Japan while taking a break from deciding on whether we should tie male and female terms to childbirth and drinking some good sake. Kompai!
The characters were all great characters; however, with such a short book, I just wished the author spent more time on them instead of adding more characters to the mix. I liked Kashibe, but she was thrown in at the end at a time 15 years later after getting used to Nishioka.
But the descriptions on how to put the dictionary together and choosing the right words and the right definitions and the revisions were fascinating. I feel like with what is happening in America with words and banned words and the power of words, this book has an even more powerful layer than the author maybe intended to have. I actually wanted more and feel that this book should have been longer, delved more in to every nook and cranny of more words and how some of the other words effected characters. I loved that we got a snipit of Kashibe and her response to male/female terms and love in terms of sexual orientation. She related it to her own feelings and her own experience with a friend. I needed more of that with other characters. I especially loved that we got Majimes full love letter at the end. I'm not sure what I would do if I got a letter like that either.
Again, this book will make you want to eat glorious food in Japan while taking a break from deciding on whether we should tie male and female terms to childbirth and drinking some good sake. Kompai!
umbrellatrees's review against another edition
4.0
"The Great Passage" is a boring novel that will fail to please tons of readers. A not-insignificant number of pages is dedicated to careful descriptions of the process of making a dictionary and, unless you find yourself yearning for this kind of information, it can end up making for a dull read.
(I have to say I freaking love dictionaries, so there's that.)
If the lexicography jargon and Japanese morphology references are not obstacles for you, then you're in for a warm, heartfelt ride.
Though the protagonist is Majime, a socially awkward newly-transferred employee who is tasked with the completion of the dictionary, we have the pleasure of reading full chapters with minor characters under the spotlight as well. Their POVs add a more relatable perspective to Majime's nerdy, obsessive approach: while our protagonist is offering his blood, sweat, and tears to the publishing gods - accompanied by equally passionate Araki and Matsumoto-sensei - there's also loud Nishioka, who couldn't care less about language and faces relationship problems; and, later on, subtly hilarious Kishibe, who mentally calls out her colleagues for their absurd exchanges and overzealous behaviour - but who also finds a husband that is just like her co-workers.
Nonetheless, these last two characters don't hesitate to roll up their sleeves and get down to business so as to make themselves useful. In the same novel, we have the pleasure of seeing what it is like to work with language for passion or for money; in the end, no one is at fault for having their own reasons and motivation to wake up every day.
More importantly, at any rate, they are all working towards the same goal: to immortalize the words which we give meaning to (and which also give us meaning - because what are we without language?).
(I have to say I freaking love dictionaries, so there's that.)
If the lexicography jargon and Japanese morphology references are not obstacles for you, then you're in for a warm, heartfelt ride.
Though the protagonist is Majime, a socially awkward newly-transferred employee who is tasked with the completion of the dictionary, we have the pleasure of reading full chapters with minor characters under the spotlight as well. Their POVs add a more relatable perspective to Majime's nerdy, obsessive approach: while our protagonist is offering his blood, sweat, and tears to the publishing gods - accompanied by equally passionate Araki and Matsumoto-sensei - there's also loud Nishioka, who couldn't care less about language and faces relationship problems; and, later on, subtly hilarious Kishibe, who mentally calls out her colleagues for their absurd exchanges and overzealous behaviour - but who also finds a husband that is just like her co-workers.
Nonetheless, these last two characters don't hesitate to roll up their sleeves and get down to business so as to make themselves useful. In the same novel, we have the pleasure of seeing what it is like to work with language for passion or for money; in the end, no one is at fault for having their own reasons and motivation to wake up every day.
More importantly, at any rate, they are all working towards the same goal: to immortalize the words which we give meaning to (and which also give us meaning - because what are we without language?).
charleygonzaga's review against another edition
3.0
in my heart, 4 stars for Miura's writing! i enjoyed the storyline but this definitely wasn't the easiest read. there was naturally a great use of uncommon wording which was great fun to explore however i found that pausing to look things up disrupted the flow of the story and my overall reading experience. there is also a lot of reference to Japanese culture, grammar, and history. if you are knowledgeable in those aspects, or would like to be, i definitely recommend this.