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beth_books_123's review against another edition
4.0
Ranked Book 8 (out of 15) of my holiday reads - August 2020
A trip to Japan - 4*
I haven't been able to read that much lately as we've been visiting different parts of Corfu on the bus and I can't read on the bus so there's no point bringing my kindle. Today, we were at the beach though so I could hide from the rays whilst escaping with a book.
Throughout 2020, I've found a love for translated fiction. I don't know if it's because of the Pandemic and I feel cut off from the world or I've just had time to explore my reading tastes. Either way, I'm really enjoying Murakami's work after 1Q84 and The Windup Bird Chronicle. I've also got another one on my kindle and another on Audible. Anyway, I'm mentioning this because Murakami wrote the introduction and that's what drew me to the book.
The book is edited by Jay Rubin and he does the majority of the transitions and I enjoyed reading the majority of the short stories but I wanted to mention my favourites, rather than discuss them all.
1. The Story of Tomuda and Matsunaga (1926) - this is the first in the collection and I understand why the editor chose this one as the first. It encaptured me after the first page and the mystery and intrigue behind it led me down strange paths. I thought it was genius.
2. Filling Up with Sugar (2013) - I read this and then contemplated it and laughed about it with my parents. What a truly odd story.
3. Insects (2005) was genius.
4. The 1953/1982 Girl from Ipanema (1982) was very thought-provoking.
5. Factory Town (1973) was very short but very clever.
6. I adored Mr English (1951) - the description of loneliness and being different really resonated with me, especially as it was hidden behind a funny story.
7. The Silver Fifty-Sen Pieces (1946) broke me.
An absolute must-read to all.
What an entry to Japanese fiction.
A trip to Japan - 4*
I haven't been able to read that much lately as we've been visiting different parts of Corfu on the bus and I can't read on the bus so there's no point bringing my kindle. Today, we were at the beach though so I could hide from the rays whilst escaping with a book.
Throughout 2020, I've found a love for translated fiction. I don't know if it's because of the Pandemic and I feel cut off from the world or I've just had time to explore my reading tastes. Either way, I'm really enjoying Murakami's work after 1Q84 and The Windup Bird Chronicle. I've also got another one on my kindle and another on Audible. Anyway, I'm mentioning this because Murakami wrote the introduction and that's what drew me to the book.
The book is edited by Jay Rubin and he does the majority of the transitions and I enjoyed reading the majority of the short stories but I wanted to mention my favourites, rather than discuss them all.
1. The Story of Tomuda and Matsunaga (1926) - this is the first in the collection and I understand why the editor chose this one as the first. It encaptured me after the first page and the mystery and intrigue behind it led me down strange paths. I thought it was genius.
2. Filling Up with Sugar (2013) - I read this and then contemplated it and laughed about it with my parents. What a truly odd story.
3. Insects (2005) was genius.
4. The 1953/1982 Girl from Ipanema (1982) was very thought-provoking.
5. Factory Town (1973) was very short but very clever.
6. I adored Mr English (1951) - the description of loneliness and being different really resonated with me, especially as it was hidden behind a funny story.
7. The Silver Fifty-Sen Pieces (1946) broke me.
An absolute must-read to all.
What an entry to Japanese fiction.
lisamrts's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
indianabrown's review against another edition
4.0
great collection. i think the most memorable for me are:
- the story of tomoda and matsunaga by tanizaki jun'ichiro
- patriotism by mishima yukio
- kudan by uchida hyakken
- hiroshima, city of doom by ota yoko
- insects by seirai yuuichi
- american hijiki by nosaka akiyuki
do not read the atomic bomb stories unless you're mentally prepared for the subject matter. definitely did some crying on sunday night.
i had read bee honey by yoshimoto banana and smile of a mountain witch by ohba minako before, both great
- the story of tomoda and matsunaga by tanizaki jun'ichiro
- patriotism by mishima yukio
- kudan by uchida hyakken
- hiroshima, city of doom by ota yoko
- insects by seirai yuuichi
- american hijiki by nosaka akiyuki
do not read the atomic bomb stories unless you're mentally prepared for the subject matter. definitely did some crying on sunday night.
i had read bee honey by yoshimoto banana and smile of a mountain witch by ohba minako before, both great
miikka's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
frizzbee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
chlopee's review against another edition
5.0
unlike any other plot i’ve read but the best of his work
neemzilla's review against another edition
5.0
This is a very generous book of short stories collected (and many of them translated) by Jay Rubin. I tend to read as much Japanese fiction translated into English as I can get my hands on, and this collection featured some of my favorite modern authors and introduced me to just as many new ones. The most disappointing thing about this collection: many of the most exciting short stories re written by authors whose other works have not been translated into English yet! But I won’t ask any more of Jay Rubin, who seems to have his work cut out for him, gracing us with such an amazing collection.
b00kw0rm113's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lots of fucked up shit but some of the stories were really good
laelia's review against another edition
3.75
- The Story of Tomoda and Matsunaga - Tanizaki Jun’chirō — ☆☆☆.5
- Behind the Prison - Nagai Kafū ☆☆☆.75
- Sanshirō - Natsume Sōseki ☆☆
- The Last Testament of Okitsu Yagoemon - Mori Ōgai ☆☆☆
- Patriotism - Mishima Yukio ☆.5
- Flames - Tsushima Yūko ☆☆☆
- In the Box - Kōno Taeko ☆☆☆
- Remaining Flowers - Nakagami Kenji ☆☆
- Bee Honey - Yoshimoto Banana ☆☆☆☆
- The Smile of a Mountain Witch - Ohba Minako ☆☆☆☆
- A Bond for Two Lifetimes - Enchi Fumiko ☆☆
- Peaches - Abe Akira ☆☆☆
- The Tale of the House of Physics - Ogawa Yōko ☆☆☆☆
- Unforgettable People - Kunikida Doppo ☆☆☆☆
- The 1963/1982 Girl from Ipanema - Murakami Haruki ☆☆
- Cambridge Circus - Shibata Motoyuki ☆☆☆
- Closet LLB - Uno Kōji ☆☆☆
- Mr English - Genji Keita ☆☆☆
- Factory Town - Betsuyaku Minoru ☆☆☆☆
- Dreams of Love, Etc. - Kawakami Mieko ☆☆☆☆
- Shoulder-Top Secretary - Hoshi Shin’ichi ☆☆☆☆
- Hell Screen - Akutagawa Ryūnosuke
- Filling up with Sugar - Sawanishi Yūten
- Kudan - Uchida Hyakken
- The Great Earthquake and General Kim - Akutagawa Ryūnosuke
- Hiroshima, City of Doom - Ōta Yōko
- Insects - Serai Yūichi
- The Silver Fifty-Sen Pieces - Kawabata Yasunari
- American Hijiki - Nosaka Akiyuki
- Pink - Hoshino Tomoyuki
- UFO in Kushiro - Murakami Haruki
- Weather-Watching Hill - Saeki Kazumi
- Planting - Matsuda Aoko
- Same as Always - Satō Yūya
kindledspiritsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
While I was lucky enough to be travelling through Japan, I decided that it was the perfect time to expand my knowledge of Japanese literature. This is the perfect book with which to do that. Jay Rubin has collected a series of stories that span genres and centuries to create a captivating and varied collection that gives the reader a glimpse into the spirit of the country. Unusually rather than being ordered alphabetically or chronologically, the stories are arranged by themes such as 'Nature and Memory', 'Modern Life and Other Nonsense' and 'Dread'. My personal highlights were The Story of Tomoda and Matsunaga by Jun'ichiro Tanazaki, which provides a surreal but engrossing gateway into the collection, Patriotism by Yukio Mishima, which is a stunningly beautiful story about two heartbreakingly futile deaths, The Tale of the House of Physics by Yoko Ogawa, a tale of memory, longing and nostalgia and Hell Screen by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, a slow-burning horror story of artistic obsession. A special mention has to also go to Hiroshima, City of Doom by Yoko Ota, which I read on the bullet train to Hiroshima itself and provided a timely reminder of the enormous human cost of the the Hiroshima bombing and the terror of those who experienced it firsthand. If you're not lucky enough to be visiting Japan soon, I recommend this collection as a way of transporting yourself there much more quickly and cheaply!