Reviews - Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder

10.3k reviews for:

Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder

Asako Yuzuki

3.68 AVERAGE

spongechef's review against another edition

4.5

dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This was a fascinating read that I found very hard to put down. The characters all stood out in their own way but Kajii was on a whole other level. As the main character, Rika, interviewed her I got more and more drawn in. Despite my beliefs opposing hers I still felt drawn in by her.

There were multiple times where I felt fully immersed in Rika's feelings. I could feel her desperation for gathering more information, I anticipated her interviews as she did.

I'm not usually a fan of crime novels but I would highly recommend this one. The accused is an amazing paradox to study and the way the book goes about discussing beauty standards is amazing.

Content Warnings

alys_books's review against another edition

2.0

reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

abenco's review against another edition

4.0

dark inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

d1470's review against another edition

3.75

lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Felt longer than necessary/drawn out both within scenes and generally… I liked some parts which is why I was so confused whether I liked it or not, don’t know how much of that has to do with the translations

islamacrae's review against another edition

3.0

Double the length it needed to be - too much WAFFLE

rach_reads_books's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional informative medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

_mcreader's review against another edition

3.0

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Really mixed feelings about this book. I think it tried to sensitively use an untraditional lens to explore women's desires and scrutiny in the relatively socially conservative context of Japan. The part I liked the best was when the two friends, Nika and Reiko, we're on two separate trajectories, each exploring their own theories about Kaji. It had the right tone of light ominousness and the complex interrelational dynamics between the three women. I liked the vaguely (and sometimes explicit?) sexual tension between the female characters, but

there was too much for none of them to have a gay revelation.

My criticisms: It was a little ridiculous how many things gave her a tickle or tingle or bubble or fizz in the back of her throat. And the constant attempt to make cooking metaphors for life really fell flat for me. The ultimate revelations fell kind of flat to me and the resolution...a little cheesy? I'm not sure. Something felt unrewarding and a little too moralistic to me (like it was too obvious there was a "lesson").

country_boy's review against another edition

2.75

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

byzula's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 52%

I just couldn’t take it anymore. It’s well written and I find the descriptions delightful and descriptive, it’s just too slow for me. It’s not even building up to anything, it’s just a steady and even pace of middle ground. I have other books I want to read, I won’t waste anymore time on a book that doesn’t hold my interest. I’ll go back to my thrillers, horror and fantasy. 😊

gorillaglag's review against another edition

4.0

hopeful reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Butter is a book about food, misogyny, companionship, loneliness, love, family, and life.
It's an incredibly slow read that's never particularly gripping, yet I never found it boring. It's a subtle book that takes its time to build upon itself and its intimate connection with the reader.
Given it's subject matter, a surprisingly cosy read.

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