Reviews

Hardboiled & Hard Luck by Banana Yoshimoto

darwinter's review

4.0

Hard boiled 3.7/5

Hard luck 5/5

phoenix2's review

2.0

Banana Yoshimoto is a master in writing about loss and pain. Her heroines are always intriguing, interesting, and odd. Hardbouled and Hard Luck were okay for short reads, but not her finests works. Somehow it felt a bit been there read that and the stories were so so, even though her writting was top notch as always.

nmarieellie's review

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

snazzyreader's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

3.5

subaruforester2001's review

hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

aeski's review

reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Banana Yoshimoto’s voice shines through this story with her simple yet profound writing style. A masterpiece as usual.

gregorylewis13's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Fantastic book about grief. 

The first story is about a women who remembers her past lover and is pulled into a thick night where she's visited by ghosts and dreams that culminate in a new dawn breaking where things have changed and yet nothing has changed.

The second story is a love story and one best depictions of grief I've read. The love story is slow and wonderful and the loss of a sister is profound. It hits home the feelings of odd joy during grief when you are with a mutual someone your close to, and the feeling of crying when you don't know why. 

Fantastic stories.

milkdong's review

4.0

and this too shall pass

kaykitty24's review

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

gensrra_'s review

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I simply loved these stories. They're so full of mystery and nostalgia. 
Banana Yoshimoto has a truly unique way of capturing sadness, nostalgia, and mystery, I felt a lot with the stories, especially with Hard Luck.