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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
I wanted to love this, but about 100 pages in I was already tried of it. Nothing happens in this, and I write that being someone who doesn't care about plot, in a bad way. I wish there where more in this is so many ways and I was disappointed.
3,5
Seriously, what is up with me and these Japanese novels where apathy is the main character? There’s no way I should like this writing style but here we are: me reading the last chapters like I’m being chased by 15 agressive dogs while my shopping bags are on the kitchen table and the cheese is getting sweaty. Nakano is the shop of my wild Wednesday morning dreams.
Seriously, what is up with me and these Japanese novels where apathy is the main character? There’s no way I should like this writing style but here we are: me reading the last chapters like I’m being chased by 15 agressive dogs while my shopping bags are on the kitchen table and the cheese is getting sweaty. Nakano is the shop of my wild Wednesday morning dreams.
A slice of life story. Except for the quirky characters and atmosphere, I was quiet bored for the secod half of the novel. It is a story about people, who are kind of stuck in their lives. And as the people's lifes, the story feels quiet flat and stuck ... This is not a book that will stick with me ...
3.5/5
Masayo and Hitomi maybe are not that close to each other, but I always love it when they spend time together. I think it’s very lovely. The ending is sweet as well. Unfortunately, the story is a bit plain and the author’s writing style is too repetitive for my liking.
Masayo and Hitomi maybe are not that close to each other, but I always love it when they spend time together. I think it’s very lovely. The ending is sweet as well. Unfortunately, the story is a bit plain and the author’s writing style is too repetitive for my liking.
I liked the general idea of this, but I found it very difficult to connect with the main character. Even though it is written from her perspective, I found that her feelings didn't come across very clearly; she would declare that she was in love with another character or say how sad she'd felt in an earlier scene, and every time it was news to me that she'd had even a bit of emotional involvement with anything she was describing. I'm not sure if that's my own fault, the author's or the translator's. The inconsistent use of speech marks was an annoying distraction.
This book was… just fine. Not good, not bad, just fine. Likeable characters and a compelling setting but an annoyingly contrived and difficult romance plot that never really seemed to go anywhere.
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There may be times in your life when you need to slow down and take a breather, And if you feel like experiencing a similar unhurried pace in the fiction you're reading, then The Nakano Thrift Shop might be the book for you.
Written from the POV of a young woman in her late twenties who works at a thrift store, this book is Hitomi's journal chronicling her day-to-day conversations and musings with the people she works with. As someone who is introverted, Hitomi's colleagues make up her whole social circle, and she details her conversations with her boss, Mr Nakano the store owner, and her other colleagues who help out at the shop.
On the whole, while I find the story rather mundane, it is not without its charms. Perhaps the lack of plot makes me crave for something more, but there is an endearing quality to the writing that makes me continue reading until the end. This year, I told myself that I should have more courage to DNF books if I don't feel like they work for me, but this book flows rather well that it didn't reach to the extent for me.
If you like to be absorbed in the atmosphere of 日常生活動作 (daily life activities), then this might be good for you.
Written from the POV of a young woman in her late twenties who works at a thrift store, this book is Hitomi's journal chronicling her day-to-day conversations and musings with the people she works with. As someone who is introverted, Hitomi's colleagues make up her whole social circle, and she details her conversations with her boss, Mr Nakano the store owner, and her other colleagues who help out at the shop.
On the whole, while I find the story rather mundane, it is not without its charms. Perhaps the lack of plot makes me crave for something more, but there is an endearing quality to the writing that makes me continue reading until the end. This year, I told myself that I should have more courage to DNF books if I don't feel like they work for me, but this book flows rather well that it didn't reach to the extent for me.
If you like to be absorbed in the atmosphere of 日常生活動作 (daily life activities), then this might be good for you.
I really struggled to get into this book. I do like a book that is slow paced and explores everyday mundaneness, but I found myself not particularly caring about what happened to anyone here. I’ve loved other books by Hiromi Kawakami so perhaps I had high expectations going into this.
3.5* I did enjoy reading this and liked the chapters separate tales however felt they should have maybe been more or less connected? It felt somewhere in between short stories centred around the objects and customers and a book about her relationship with her colleagues. I also didn't really enjoy the constant sulk betweens her and Takeo. I felt throughout the book like the relationship was never really fully discussed, I wanted more, particularly more depth to Hitomi's thoughts and feelings about working with Takeo, even if they were more of the obsessive crush type than the true love form!
3.75 stars
Subtle language plays and imagery that seemed to fade over the narrative or cycle through the different stories. A fascinating and quiet read but not one that moved me to any great emotion.
Subtle language plays and imagery that seemed to fade over the narrative or cycle through the different stories. A fascinating and quiet read but not one that moved me to any great emotion.