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y_nk's review
4.0
No one is surprised, but this book remains after three quarters of a century a damning indictment of the senseless violence and selfishness a nation can demonstrate against its children, which is a sequence that seems to play itself out again and again in history.
« ‘They kill each other,’ Li said, filled with hatred. ‘We hid him, but the Japanese kill each other. The MPs, the constables and the peasants with their bamboo spears; a load of people hunt down those who’ve got away into the mountains and stab them to death. I don’t understand what they do. »
« ‘They kill each other,’ Li said, filled with hatred. ‘We hid him, but the Japanese kill each other. The MPs, the constables and the peasants with their bamboo spears; a load of people hunt down those who’ve got away into the mountains and stab them to death. I don’t understand what they do. »
klaravuka's review
mysterious
sad
fast-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? No
3.0
paleteas's review
4.0
3.75 stars. It was hard to rate this because I can’t really tell if I enjoyed reading it? But I still really love the atmosphere that is created which I found similar to his Prize Stock short story (which was the reason I wanted to read more by Oe) and I do really like his writing style. I definitely preferred Prize Stock, but this was still an interesting and bleak read and I still wanna check out more of his work!
llim's review
4.0
This was quite good~
I don't really understand the concept of the reformatory group (why are they brought to this village to begin with? Who is in charge of them? Why is the brother there if he didn't actually do anything wrong?) but the story was still very compelling despite my questions. Though I did constantly wonder how old these kids are, and I never quite figured it out.
Anyway, a compelling and dark story. Adults are the worst.
I don't really understand the concept of the reformatory group (why are they brought to this village to begin with? Who is in charge of them? Why is the brother there if he didn't actually do anything wrong?) but the story was still very compelling despite my questions. Though I did constantly wonder how old these kids are, and I never quite figured it out.
Anyway, a compelling and dark story. Adults are the worst.
brainemptyjust's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
neoday_cyj99's review against another edition
2.0
I'd have liked to be friends with Mr. Oe then when I finished this book I'd have sent him a DM like: "Bestie what the heck!?!?... Is it everything alright at home??".
vulvesverne's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.25