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filipacmiranda's review against another edition
2.5
After Rintaro Natsuki’s grandfather dies, the only things he’s left with are a second-hand bookstore and his love for books… until he meets a talking ginger tabby and embarks on a journey to save books.
In The Cat Who Saved Books, a story written for people who appreciate books as more than a form of entertainment, Rintaro and his friends visit four labyrinths. The people who live in each of them see books and the act of reading differently from the main character. Through these side characters, the author can make de reader ponder their beliefs regarding the same aspects.
Even if the book’s premise is interesting, I felt like it didn’t completely meet my expectations. While I needed the narrative to be more compelling and involving, I felt the ending of each part/chapter was abrupt.
Overall, I felt the book wasn’t balanced. At some point, I believe I’ll reread it in hopes of finding what I missed this time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
dreamerfreak's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Kidnapping
shlymiller's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
darumachan's review
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Ableism
Moderate: Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, and Sexism
dismissive representation of mental healthlidia7's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Wholesome, very much a children's/ya fantasy book vibe. A bit oversimplified, tropey characters but still a cute story. Also kinda pretentious, the idea that older books are must reads or superior and that books that sell aren't valuable... All in all, a cozy, light read that celebrates mundanity and the power of books and human connection. :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Death
Minor: Kidnapping
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
kendal_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
readsbymoonlight's review
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
Someone turn this into a Ghibli movie or an anime stat
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death
katarina_sarmo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
I was definitely not expecting to give this simple 200 page novel such a high rating but I feel it is well deserved.
This book should be essential-reading for any book-lover.
It embodies autumn - warm sweaters, crackling fire, falling leaves - and brought me so much comfort that I found myself in tears.
I cannot recommend this book enough; I know I’ll be rereading it many times.
This book should be essential-reading for any book-lover.
It embodies autumn - warm sweaters, crackling fire, falling leaves - and brought me so much comfort that I found myself in tears.
I cannot recommend this book enough; I know I’ll be rereading it many times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Kidnapping
shotzee's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s been years since I’ve read a book that’s brilliant in the way that this book is. easily cracked my top five favorite books. don’t hesitate just read it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Grief, and Death of parent