Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

12 reviews

joymargot's review against another edition

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2.5

Japanese books with cats on the cover and books about books are almost always my favourites, but this one fell a little flat for me. Perhaps something was lost in the translation, but the dialogue was rather wooden and Rintaro’s “compelling arguments” are more trite than profound. The notion of books not being enjoyed in the “right” way had a whiff of gatekeeping about it too.

It’s a quick read and not entirely without merit, but I’d recommend these alternatives if you’re new to Japanese literature:

  • Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (for fans of magical realism)
  • She and Her Cat by Makoto Shinkai and Naruki Nagakawa (for cat lovers)
  • What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama (for book lovers)

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darumachan's review

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lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This novella has a cute and appealing premise, and the detailed descriptions of the characters and the various book labyrinths they visit make it easy to imagine as an anime adaptation. 

The plot was not as solid-- the adventures were all quite simplistic, and the various "adversaries" were defeated with little more than a few superficial comments from the main character. Tiger the cat had a lot of potential as a character but was relegated to a minor role that was barely likable because of his aloofness. The plot was further weighed down by a heavily moralizing tone -- sweeping statements about how "nobody reads books anymore" or "these days the classics aren't appreciated" -- and each of the adversaries represented one of these ideas. Rintaro's arguments to defeat each of them also presented a very narrow prescription of what an ideal reader- someone who "truly" loves books- should be. 

My biggest issue was with the shallow and pejorative representation of Rintaro as "hikikomori", often translated as a "shut-in," in reference to a serious condition that is viewed as a problematic social issue in Japan. There are a lot of ways that hikikomori manifests but, in general, it describes people who retreat from their public lives and social commitments because they are dealing with severe depression or other serious mental health issues. First of all, Natsukawa's use of the term for main character Rintaro comes across as slightly exaggerated because he is already fairly engaged with multiple people in his life, and he is regularly at work in the family bookshop. But throughout the novella, multiple comments fed into the harmful stereotypes about hikikomori -- for example, that Rintaro is a "moody, gloomy bookworm" and "a hopeless shut-in" -- but most frustratingly, that Rintaro's real problem is that he is just too focused on himself and that he can "get over" being a hikikomori by thinking about other people and to stop being so selfish. 

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whosebooks_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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the_reading_wren's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective fast-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

3.75

This book feels like a children’s book in the way things are over-explained (possibly the translation), and it seems like it was written simply for the author to get a message across. But the points made were interesting, particularly the discussions around the publishing industry and social status attached to reading. I’m glad I stuck with the book because it grew on me as the mystery developed and the background to the magic revealed near the end made me reflect on the story in a more heartfelt way. 

“Reading a book is a lot like climbing a mountain.”

The overall messages I took away from this book were the one stated clearly - the power of books is to help us feel empathy and teach us to turn that into compassion. And not to resign myself to “it’s just how the world works” but to act true to myself.

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astropova's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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junglejelly's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective 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

4.75


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ambb's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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cassimiranda's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious fast-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? Yes

2.0


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folklorehistory's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I liked it, it was heartwarming

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sarah984's review

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

3.0

This book was okay, but it was a bit disappointing to me. It's a whimsical story about a boy rediscovering his love of books with the help of a fast-talking cat and a girl from his school after his grandfather's death. Some of the ideas about books were good and I thought the cat was super fun, but the book could also be weirdly preachy at times and the girl didn't have much of a personality. I also found the translation a bit clunky and boring - the language was bland and some words were left in Japanese for no real reason. Despite the fact that people kept telling the main character that his missions were dangerous, the stakes felt low, and the ending was a bit silly.

I don't regret reading this book but I don't really think it will stick with me.

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