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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
this book maybe isn't for everyone, but i really liked how calming it was. If you're a fan of slice f life anime, i'd defo recommend because there's not much plot going on; you sort of just follow the characters through their everyday lives and there's something endearing about each character. Dialogue style took a bit of getting used to because its a bit all over the place (in a good way - i feel like it reflects what a normal conversation looks like). Romance wasn't show stopping but that's life
I kind of expected more.... like maybe it could’ve explored more about the items in the shop and their stories or something? I was expecting something magical or more whimsical with this book... but sadly until the end it was just about the shop employees? I’ve decided to give it a neutral rating... neither a good nor bad book. Twas just a way to pass the time. I feel like this book had a lot of potential, and more could have been done. Oh well...
Having read a lot of Murakami and hearing people compare this author to him.... no. It’s just a no for me. Murakami writes really good lines that make you think and ponder about life. I always put in a lot of tabs in his books. This book? Nothing of note.
I guess that’s not really a fair comparison considering that Murakami is a legend... but people shouldn’t even be mentioning him in the first place.
Having read a lot of Murakami and hearing people compare this author to him.... no. It’s just a no for me. Murakami writes really good lines that make you think and ponder about life. I always put in a lot of tabs in his books. This book? Nothing of note.
I guess that’s not really a fair comparison considering that Murakami is a legend... but people shouldn’t even be mentioning him in the first place.
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
wow, this took me a while to read because i honestly found it difficult to get into at times. while i normally love media with slow plots where pretty much nothing happens, i felt this had a little bit *too much* nothing. it is a very character-driven book first and foremost, so a lot of the story is just their daily interactions with one another and the slice-of-life happenings at the thrift shopwhich isn't necessarily bad, BUT. the summary kind of paints this as a romance, which is what i was expecting, so i was pretty disappointed when the romance was more of like, a c-plot, if anything. the book does not have a primary focus on either hitomi or takeo, and seems to share the focus equally with haruo and masayo. the pacing gets thrown off a little when hitomi and takeo make some romantic progress followed up by (i am exaggerating) 50 pages of something random that haruo is fixated on.
however, despite the book being pretty boring, it is boring in a soft and intimate way and i feel it captures the sort of lackadaiscal life someone would have if majority of their life was showing up to their thrift shop job. there were a lot of conversations between characters i found thoughtful and personal and i liked the dynamic they shared with each other. i'm not sure. i think i was just expecting a little more. this is a book to kind of go through when you want to turn your brain off a little bit /pos
however, despite the book being pretty boring, it is boring in a soft and intimate way and i feel it captures the sort of lackadaiscal life someone would have if majority of their life was showing up to their thrift shop job. there were a lot of conversations between characters i found thoughtful and personal and i liked the dynamic they shared with each other. i'm not sure. i think i was just expecting a little more. this is a book to kind of go through when you want to turn your brain off a little bit /pos
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
An understated book about three people who work at a thrift shop (four, if you count the owner's sister) over the course of about one year. The translation seems good (I had thought that "Indian summer" was an odd idiom to use but it turns out that it was ported into Japanese some time ago). There is a weird convention about quotation marks - sometimes used, sometimes not. But overall a good book for when you need something quiet.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I picked up this book because of how much I loved "Strange Weather in Tokyo," also written by Kawakami. "Thrift Shop" didn't strike such a direct chord with me, but I enjoyed its similar whimsy and exploration of the mundane. I loved the characters, especially Hitomi, the protagonist.
The story is mostly made up of quirky side plots that don't pay off in any traditional sense. This might frustrate some readers, but I found it charming and enjoyed the day-in-the-life style of the book, probably because I loved the characters so much. I found the romance between Hitomi and Takeo to be cute but not compelling, but luckily it doesn't dominate the story so cute is just fine.
I just finished this book yesterday, and I can already feel it growing on me more and more. I'm going to miss hanging out in this little world.
The story is mostly made up of quirky side plots that don't pay off in any traditional sense. This might frustrate some readers, but I found it charming and enjoyed the day-in-the-life style of the book, probably because I loved the characters so much. I found the romance between Hitomi and Takeo to be cute but not compelling, but luckily it doesn't dominate the story so cute is just fine.
I just finished this book yesterday, and I can already feel it growing on me more and more. I'm going to miss hanging out in this little world.
medium-paced
Sorry, I just couldn't finish this one. It was dull, the characters weren't interesting, and there wasn't much of a plot.