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xphilphil's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Terminal illness
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
morebedsidebooks's review against another edition
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Death
Minor: Abandonment, Car accident, Death of parent, and Miscarriage
siyeon_woo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Car accident
anovelbeauty's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Book TW: childhood trauma, parental death, terminal illness, abandonment, emotional/verbal abuse, miscarriage
Oh man, I had a good feeling when I first picked this book up and I was NOT disappointed. This book did multiple things I usually don’t like in a way that I somehow loved??? Sentient animal narrators are historically not a thing I like, however this is done so well and realistically (it felt like an actual cat doing cat things rather than a cat doing human things.... yes, I am looking at you Hank the Cowdog) that I just- connected SO HARD. Also, there’s POV switches between first and third person. Nana the cat is in First and then we sometimes get omniscient third person that talks about the people in Satoru’s life. Theoretically I should hate it. I didn’t. This story is beautifully written and so immersive. There’s friendship and road tripping and just the absolute sweetest moments (and some great laugh out loud sarcasm from Nana). It’s so beautiful that I wish my Japanese was better so I could read it in the original language too.
Okay, let’s talk about the ending now (non-spoilery). It broke me. I sobbed straight through the last four chapters. It went from heartbreaking to bittersweet to heartwarming again. You’ll probably see the ending coming a million miles away. It’s not really a secret. But that didn’t in any way diminish the impact of the ending. It took the book from amazing to incredible. I think it will stick with me for years. Not only that, but you only fully start to see Nana’s character growth towards the end. Before that it’s subtle hints towards growth, but at the end, it will just hit you.
Satoru is a static character in a good way. His purpose in the story is to show how he has effected the people (and cats) around him and he accomplishes that purpose so well. You don’t see traditional “growth” in Satoru because he is on a different sort of journey to the others in the book. He’s so sweet and kind and very, very precious.
The /only/ negative I can possibly say about this book is that sometimes the formatting between dialogue, thought, and action was confusing, particularly in Nana’s perspective. So I occasionally had to reread some sections because I thought it was speech when it was actually thought (or vice versa).
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It’s relatively short and SO sweet. It is something I can absolutely see rereading and next time I’ll prepare tissues. Just, it’s a gorgeous book that has ALL the heart.
Oh man, I had a good feeling when I first picked this book up and I was NOT disappointed. This book did multiple things I usually don’t like in a way that I somehow loved??? Sentient animal narrators are historically not a thing I like, however this is done so well and realistically (it felt like an actual cat doing cat things rather than a cat doing human things.... yes, I am looking at you Hank the Cowdog) that I just- connected SO HARD. Also, there’s POV switches between first and third person. Nana the cat is in First and then we sometimes get omniscient third person that talks about the people in Satoru’s life. Theoretically I should hate it. I didn’t. This story is beautifully written and so immersive. There’s friendship and road tripping and just the absolute sweetest moments (and some great laugh out loud sarcasm from Nana). It’s so beautiful that I wish my Japanese was better so I could read it in the original language too.
Okay, let’s talk about the ending now (non-spoilery). It broke me. I sobbed straight through the last four chapters. It went from heartbreaking to bittersweet to heartwarming again. You’ll probably see the ending coming a million miles away. It’s not really a secret. But that didn’t in any way diminish the impact of the ending. It took the book from amazing to incredible. I think it will stick with me for years. Not only that, but you only fully start to see Nana’s character growth towards the end. Before that it’s subtle hints towards growth, but at the end, it will just hit you.
Satoru is a static character in a good way. His purpose in the story is to show how he has effected the people (and cats) around him and he accomplishes that purpose so well. You don’t see traditional “growth” in Satoru because he is on a different sort of journey to the others in the book. He’s so sweet and kind and very, very precious.
The /only/ negative I can possibly say about this book is that sometimes the formatting between dialogue, thought, and action was confusing, particularly in Nana’s perspective. So I occasionally had to reread some sections because I thought it was speech when it was actually thought (or vice versa).
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It’s relatively short and SO sweet. It is something I can absolutely see rereading and next time I’ll prepare tissues. Just, it’s a gorgeous book that has ALL the heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Medical content, and Emotional abuse
lily_k8y's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
relaxing
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
4.0
A beautiful quick read, most of the story in the perspective of a cat. I got quite emotional during my read and dreamed of having a companion like Nana
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Death
Minor: Death of parent and Car accident
folded_between_pages_of_books's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Car accident, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Medical content
natashasf1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, and Child abuse
terezsch's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
ghiblies's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is for all my potential readers who aren’t necessarily cat or animal lovers. I don’t think you need to be a cat lover to enjoy this book. I don’t have a cat, I don’t even think I’m that much of an animal person (this book was lent to me from a cat-loving friend), but I have experienced some of the things that happens in this book and the way Arikawa wrote them moved me deeply. Needless to say, Nana and Satoru and all the people they encountered on their journey have really taught me a lot.
I think this is the kind of book that you want to take your time with. I certainly spent a lot of time reflecting on the issues that were raised, and savouring memories of beloved friends and family members that resurfaced as I was reading. I like books that bring about reflective thinking so this was right up my alley.
I was probably a little hesitant picking this book up but I wanted to read it because my friend spoke so highly of it. I didn’t anticipate that it would touch my heart so deeply! The emotional journey it took me on won’t be forgotten. Nana and Satoru’s story is beautiful and heartwarming and bittersweet and hopeful – Arikawa and Gabriel truly did an amazing job with this book. A highly deserved 5-star rating.
I think this is the kind of book that you want to take your time with. I certainly spent a lot of time reflecting on the issues that were raised, and savouring memories of beloved friends and family members that resurfaced as I was reading. I like books that bring about reflective thinking so this was right up my alley.
I was probably a little hesitant picking this book up but I wanted to read it because my friend spoke so highly of it. I didn’t anticipate that it would touch my heart so deeply! The emotional journey it took me on won’t be forgotten. Nana and Satoru’s story is beautiful and heartwarming and bittersweet and hopeful – Arikawa and Gabriel truly did an amazing job with this book. A highly deserved 5-star rating.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Car accident, and Death
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