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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found this to be particularly moving. I think there’s a quiet bitterness and sense of futility that is powerfully communicated in this book. It’s very delicately put together, in a way I thought was really interesting. Credit to both the author and excellent translation for writing and preserving a number of great passages as well. Highly recommend
I think this book is very thoughtfully, lovingly written. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book whose main character is a houseless person. I gave this book four stars because it’s very well done, but I found it very hard to get through because it was very sad (and if you hope for solace at the end, I think you’ll be disappointed). I don’t say this as a critique, I just personally had a hard time reading this since it was so crushingly sad. Proceed with caution! If you are in a bad place or have just lost someone, do not read this right now!
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is really short but it packs a punch, some of which I am sure was beyond my comprehension given that I lack the knowledge of Japanese culture and history to provide context, but I believe I got the gist.
The writing style is not conventional, but it makes sense given that the story is being narrated by a ghost. Conversations will filter into his stream of thoughts that make no sense to him or the reader because he is simply an observer. He will notice things about the atmosphere that he wouldn’t have had the luxury to observe as a living being. In addition to these, the constant references to historical events also served like some sort of palette cleanser in between the real story which is about an unlucky protagonist who worked as hard as he deemed it appropriate to do, but ended up living out his days with little or nothing to show for it and homeless in a public park.
I honestly can’t say I had a great reading experience with the narrative style, but I appreciate the book for what it is.
The writing style is not conventional, but it makes sense given that the story is being narrated by a ghost. Conversations will filter into his stream of thoughts that make no sense to him or the reader because he is simply an observer. He will notice things about the atmosphere that he wouldn’t have had the luxury to observe as a living being. In addition to these, the constant references to historical events also served like some sort of palette cleanser in between the real story which is about an unlucky protagonist who worked as hard as he deemed it appropriate to do, but ended up living out his days with little or nothing to show for it and homeless in a public park.
I honestly can’t say I had a great reading experience with the narrative style, but I appreciate the book for what it is.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated