Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The Woman in the Purple Skirt

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura

18 reviews

mzynda's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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cheye13's review against another edition

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mysterious tense slow-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

1.0

From the synopsis, I expected this to have some kind of twist rather than events playing out in such a realistic manner. I got no real message from this story except "patriarchy, huh?" which I've seen done much better elsewhere. I went in looking for some kind of messed up or twisted relationship between two women and it ended up hinging on a man anyway.

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booksjessreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

3.75

I felt this was a really interesting take on the pressures of women in Japanese society portrayed through a voyeuristic lens. There was a lot of underlying discourse on pressures of women to adhere to certain appearances, to behave and act in certain ways, the insidiousness of gossiping and workplace culture for women, and just generally how women are critiqued in every aspect of their every day life. The voyeuristic lens only amplified the intensity of this culture.

One thing that made me dislike this was the ending.

I understand why The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan ended up 'taking the place of' the Woman in the Purple Skirt because it represented the idea that so many women spend their entire life wanting to be other women or wanting aspects of other women's lives. But I also felt that the way in which the plot just made the Woman in the Purple skirt disappear and I found that plot line to be a little strange.

This just took away from the story for me, but still found the concepts really interesting.

Overall, would really recommend.

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travisppe's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.5

Not much happens but I couldn’t put it down.

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chrisljm's review against another edition

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tense 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 is what I imagine stans to be like if instead of being fans of celebrities they were just really into regular people.

A unique book and narration but not very exciting. Overall mundane with the most stirring element of the story being how delulu the narrator is.

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mondovertigo's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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

3.5

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espookita's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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

4.0

The Woman in the Purple Skirt is an homage to the pathology of stalking, reminiscent to me of the types Rear Window, Miser, and You. All the details of the story—specifics of geography, beyond urban Japan, the narrator’s name, almost any proper nouns, are sparingly absent. We know nothing about the narrator (the woman in the yellow cardigan) but all the intimate details of her victim’s life—the eponymous Woman in the Purple Skirt—to an almost excessive degree. The tunnel vision consuming the woman in the yellow cardigan is ever present throughout the writing of the book, suffocating, never leaving the focus of her target. If you’re interested in voyeurism and feeling like the fly on the wall in someone else’s life, this is the book for you. It is manipulative and dark and also deeply sad. In what is perverse, and also as happens often when done from the perspective of the stalker, I did find myself sympathising with her over the victim. Well-written in that you feel just as suffocated as its characters.

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kavarnistka's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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ivulikkivulik's review

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mysterious fast-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated

4.5

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imcourtneymarie's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

An interesting and engaging little story. Like "You" but if it were set in Japan and between two women. The obsession is unnerving at times, but enthralling all the same.

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