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sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
this was both my first kieko kawakmi book and the first book i've read after a very long slump. to avoid falling back into a slump, i kinda overstimulated myself and i decided to read the english edition (while listening to the audiobook) and also the spanish one. and yeah i feel like this hyperstimulation made me understand the book better although i noticed a couple differences between the editions which me feel like ??? the most jarring one was by the end of the book: while in the spanish edition the narrator has seen his biological mother and, therefore, knows she had a lazy eye too, in the english edition he doesn't. and i thought that's such a small but important detail because it can build or destroy a solid reason to explain his choices.
anyway, have i enjoyed reading this? pretty much! would i reccomend the book? hmmm, it depends; not to everyone, that's for sure. and, of course, check the trigger warnings, because most of them are pretty graphic.
i believe on the main points of the story was to show us a somewhat flat character surrounded by differing opinions on what to do or how to cope with his situation and which one was better to settle for. personally, i like reading stories about characters facing hardships and their choping mechanisms to deal with them and i don't dislike stories that talk about bullying. and i really enjoyed the premise of two hurt people bonding over fear. their friendship was beautiful and, even though it didn't suffer huge changes, it was nice to see how it evolved with time and how they found a safe space in each other's company.it's a shame that by the end of the book they never got to meet again
but definitely my favorite part was the second half of the book.i just felt so many emotions while reading it. the volleyball bullying scene was totally the most devastating one in the book and i felt a knot in my stomach while reading it (i even had to take a little pause before i kept reading). however that same gut-wrenching scene led to many outstanding scenes such as the portrayal of the kids' philosophies. while i did not specially agree with their ways, i understood kojima and momose's opposed ideals. i mean, they both made good points at some part of their monologues.
oh and i think one of my favorite relationships in the book was the one the narrator had with his stepmom. at first she seemed like a distant person but by the end of the book both mother and son could find some kind of comfort in each other. and trust me, i was so so happy when he finally told her about the bullying and she made him change schools and later also supported him in the surgery process.
as for the last scene, it was a perfect bittersweet ending to the story.once again i felt so happy that the main character was healed and saw the beauty of some parts of the city he used to hate so much. but at the same time it was heartbreaking to realize he didn't have anyone to share that beauty with :(
i feel like this could have been a 4 star read if it wasn't for a couple reasons:
anyway, have i enjoyed reading this? pretty much! would i reccomend the book? hmmm, it depends; not to everyone, that's for sure. and, of course, check the trigger warnings, because most of them are pretty graphic.
i believe on the main points of the story was to show us a somewhat flat character surrounded by differing opinions on what to do or how to cope with his situation and which one was better to settle for. personally, i like reading stories about characters facing hardships and their choping mechanisms to deal with them and i don't dislike stories that talk about bullying. and i really enjoyed the premise of two hurt people bonding over fear. their friendship was beautiful and, even though it didn't suffer huge changes, it was nice to see how it evolved with time and how they found a safe space in each other's company.
but definitely my favorite part was the second half of the book.
oh and i think one of my favorite relationships in the book was the one the narrator had with his stepmom. at first she seemed like a distant person but by the end of the book both mother and son could find some kind of comfort in each other. and trust me, i was so so happy when he finally told her about the bullying and she made him change schools and later also supported him in the surgery process.
as for the last scene, it was a perfect bittersweet ending to the story.
i feel like this could have been a 4 star read if it wasn't for a couple reasons:
- the two scenes where we get a fairly detailed description of the narrator, a 14 year old, masturbating.
like yeah i understand how he does it only to calm down when he is feeling super tense and distressed but they could have totally been black out scenes. - i know i said the philosophy of some characters was interesting (and so is the polarity between them) but.. they're 14. i think at that age one might be able to think of some of those points, but it would have felt more truthful if they were, at least, two years older.
but yeah, overall, i think it's a worthy read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Physical abuse, Blood, Ableism, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Eating disorder, Self harm, Sexual harassment, and Suicide
capybea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Cursing, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment
rivergrid's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Torture
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Sexual harassment
jovanas_cloud's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was underwhelming and anticlimactic.
I feel Kojima is the biggest contributor to the things I didn't like in the book. Her philosophy of Heaven, her philosophy on why they're being bullied, her reasons for being dirty, etc. To explain further, I don't understand what she wanted to say with renaming the painting because the actual name felt underwhelming. Her philosophy that they're being bullied because they're allowing it, is true to some extent because they never tried to fight back (which was easier for her to fix). The reason for being dirty, would be a great topic if she got some kind of help. I understand she misses her dad but not performing basic hygiene like showering, washing clothes or just not being dirty in general because she's trying to be closer to her dad who is dirt poor and away working hard, IS A HUGE PROBLEM. It is such a serious problem that she even starts starving herself by the end of the book. I just refuse to believe that her mom didn't intervene in all like she must've smelled her at one point.
Another nonsensical thing I would like to bring up is the nihilistic conversation between the MC and Momose. First of all, not only is so dumb but the big words and theories these 14 year olds are using just seems very unlikely to happen. Like yeah it makes sense that a bully doesn't see why it's wrong to bully others but to have such big philosophy and so many points??
The culmination - I was just waiting for something big and dramatic to happen, it was always so close until it happened and the consequences were anticlimactic.All that happened at the Whale park with Ninomiya bullying them to strip and have sex, and after that Kojima never interacts with the MC again because he wants to get surgery for his eye?? Again she is clinging to the past and to what's comforting to her even if it makes her and other's miserable. She's disappointed because he's doing something to have an easier and more comfortable life when she could do the same more easily and cheaply too.
The last chapter was really underwhelming. I was hoping to get some more results with what happened at school, with Kojima, Ninomiya, and Momose, but got nothing of that sort. Just MC moving forward with his new sight.
I love bullying and trauma bonding works Kawakami somehow managed to get nothing done. The friendship felt rather shallow most of the time, except the gym scenewhere they were wiping MC's blood after he got kicked so hard in the head multiple times because he was a ball. If only Kawakami went deeper and harder, this would've been much better.
I feel Kojima is the biggest contributor to the things I didn't like in the book. Her philosophy of Heaven, her philosophy on why they're being bullied, her reasons for being dirty, etc. To explain further, I don't understand what she wanted to say with renaming the painting because the actual name felt underwhelming. Her philosophy that they're being bullied because they're allowing it, is true to some extent because they never tried to fight back (which was easier for her to fix). The reason for being dirty, would be a great topic if she got some kind of help.
Another nonsensical thing I would like to bring up is the nihilistic conversation between the MC and Momose. First of all, not only is so dumb but the big words and theories these 14 year olds are using just seems very unlikely to happen. Like yeah it makes sense that a bully doesn't see why it's wrong to bully others but to have such big philosophy and so many points??
The culmination - I was just waiting for something big and dramatic to happen, it was always so close until it happened and the consequences were anticlimactic.
The last chapter was really underwhelming. I was hoping to get some more results with what happened at school, with Kojima, Ninomiya, and Momose, but got nothing of that sort. Just MC moving forward with his new sight.
I love bullying and trauma bonding works Kawakami somehow managed to get nothing done. The friendship felt rather shallow most of the time, except the gym scene
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Hate crime, Blood, Bullying, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Sexual harassment, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Eating disorder
Minor: Death
For moderate, ED is not because of issues with body images but a way of coping for the character. Suicidal thoughts are mentioned several times.serinas's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I saw great praise and reviews about Mieko Kawakami's other books, and wanted to read a book of her because of that. I settled on Heaven because of the plot, and it seemed like a short read I could read in one sitting.
Heaven definitely tackles heavy themes that are important to write about, and it was part of the reason why I chose Heaven. I'd recommend to check the TW if you are sensitive to some topics regarding bullying, violence and suicide.
The review
I rated it 3 stars. This was honestly a hard book to rate, as I didn't enjoy it. I don't know if the meaning got lost in the translation, or if I just missed the memo.
I couldn't connect with the characters at all, and I didn't really connect with the way the story was told. I didn't find Heaven that meaningful and deep? Many of the observations and things the MC did was surface level, even when he confronted the bullies. There are definitely allegories, metaphors, and a poetic touch to the writing style, but I still found it very basic. That might just be me, as I had high expectations - and that might be why this was a miss for me.
I always expected the tide to turn, but it never did. Nothing changed throughout the book, not until the end. I'm just left disappointed, which is a shame, as I was super excited about reading Heaven.
The tension that was in the beginning supsided pretty quickly, but I still held on to hope that it might get good again. It didn't, in my opinion. At some point it got weird, theconversation with Momose is a great example. The MC is 14, and the whole conversation seems very unrealistic - the content of the conversation, the way they speak, and the philosophy they share.
The trauma bond was something I thought would be explored in more depth as well, as there was much potential there. This bond had an abrupt ending, and it made sense story-wise, but much of the plot and character development was lost whenthe MC had the conversation about the eye surgery with Kojima (in my opinion).
The ending was fitting, as I interpreted it asa new beginning for the MC where he finally can see the beauty in the world . Still, I wasn't really a huge fan of Heaven unfortunatly.
Heaven definitely tackles heavy themes that are important to write about, and it was part of the reason why I chose Heaven. I'd recommend to check the TW if you are sensitive to some topics regarding bullying, violence and suicide.
The review
I rated it 3 stars. This was honestly a hard book to rate, as I didn't enjoy it. I don't know if the meaning got lost in the translation, or if I just missed the memo.
I couldn't connect with the characters at all, and I didn't really connect with the way the story was told. I didn't find Heaven that meaningful and deep? Many of the observations and things the MC did was surface level, even when he confronted the bullies. There are definitely allegories, metaphors, and a poetic touch to the writing style, but I still found it very basic. That might just be me, as I had high expectations - and that might be why this was a miss for me.
I always expected the tide to turn, but it never did. Nothing changed throughout the book, not until the end. I'm just left disappointed, which is a shame, as I was super excited about reading Heaven.
The tension that was in the beginning supsided pretty quickly, but I still held on to hope that it might get good again. It didn't, in my opinion. At some point it got weird, the
The trauma bond was something I thought would be explored in more depth as well, as there was much potential there. This bond had an abrupt ending, and it made sense story-wise, but much of the plot and character development was lost when
The ending was fitting, as I interpreted it as
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Suicidal thoughts
moongelli's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
"middle schoolers at their worst"
near-dnf but completed since it was a short read, i saw it to the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Bullying, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, Ableism, Violence, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Classism
Minor: Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Fatphobia, and Vomit
pipe_dream's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Violence, Physical abuse, Bullying, Blood, Body shaming, and Suicidal thoughts
madbrad22's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment
luciebonk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Classism
highfivegirl's review against another edition
A rough read for me. The escalating bullying was tough and then getting through one of the bully's philosophy on why they bully was infuriating. Heartbreaking discussions on self-concept, self-worth, and friendship within the context of its victims.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Bullying, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts