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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I read Ogawa’s “The Memory Police” last year and immediately fell in love with it. It was haunting, atmospheric, and unsettling. So I went into this book with similar expectations, and I’m sad to say that I am disappointed. Aside from the first book, I didn’t find any of the stories in this collection to be interesting. They each tried too hard to be disturbing and unsettling. I’m not a big fan of horror and I scare very easily, so it was surprising to me that I kept yawning and rolling my eyes as I listened to the audiobook. I could listen to this right before bed in an abandoned house in the middle of the haunted woods, and I’d be completely fine!
The second thing that I didn’t like was how Ogawa approached the characters. I liked how each story was written in the first person point of view, but unfortunately, all the characters blended in together. There was nothing distinctive about any of them. They were all flat and uninteresting. To be honest, the only reason why I kept going was because I wanted to see how all the stories connected (it wasn’t worth it).
The good thing about this is Ogawa’s writing style. While it wasn’t unsettling whatsoever, it was precise and descriptive. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really captivated by it.
Normally, when I rate a book 2 ⭐️, I don’t recommend it at all. But this is one of those books where I say, give it a shot. You might like it! It's a quick read.
The second thing that I didn’t like was how Ogawa approached the characters. I liked how each story was written in the first person point of view, but unfortunately, all the characters blended in together. There was nothing distinctive about any of them. They were all flat and uninteresting. To be honest, the only reason why I kept going was because I wanted to see how all the stories connected (it wasn’t worth it).
The good thing about this is Ogawa’s writing style. While it wasn’t unsettling whatsoever, it was precise and descriptive. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really captivated by it.
Normally, when I rate a book 2 ⭐️, I don’t recommend it at all. But this is one of those books where I say, give it a shot. You might like it! It's a quick read.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I read Revenge as this quarter's pick for my book club, and I went into it knowing pretty much nothing. I think this was a good approach, as I had no expectations or preconceived ideas before starting to read.
This is a series of eleven interconnected stories - some sad, some vengeful, all with a vein of darkness running through them.
The writing/translation was beautiful, even when dealing with the themes of loss and grief. I enjoyed seeing how the stories related to each other, whether ever so subtly or more obviously.
This is a series of eleven interconnected stories - some sad, some vengeful, all with a vein of darkness running through them.
The writing/translation was beautiful, even when dealing with the themes of loss and grief. I enjoyed seeing how the stories related to each other, whether ever so subtly or more obviously.
A random library shelf pick that was odd, quirky, rather good, and finally, really weird.
Very reminiscent of the Shirley Jackson short stories I’ve read, in the somewhat sparse prose and unsettling tone.
I went back and forth between the audiobook and the physical book for this one. The first story started out a little slow and I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the others but I really enjoyed them!
I loved how they were all kind of connected and I liked trying to guess which briefly mentioned character we'd follow from one story to the next.
My favorites were right in the middle - "Lab Coats", "Sewing for the Heart", and "Welcome to the Museum of Torture". So dark. So good. Though I will say that "Sewing for the Heart" had me SO ON EDGE while driving home that I had to take steadying breaths. All the descriptions of the heart really got to me lol
A great fall collection!
I loved how they were all kind of connected and I liked trying to guess which briefly mentioned character we'd follow from one story to the next.
My favorites were right in the middle - "Lab Coats", "Sewing for the Heart", and "Welcome to the Museum of Torture". So dark. So good. Though I will say that "Sewing for the Heart" had me SO ON EDGE while driving home that I had to take steadying breaths. All the descriptions of the heart really got to me lol
A great fall collection!