Reviews with content warning for Fatphobia - La Bibliothèque des rêves secrets

For fans of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold and its sequels, you’re going to find great joy in reading What You Are Looking for Is in the Library. As opposed to a café, though, Aoyama transports the reader into the lives of five characters at different life stages who are loosely connected to one another. These protagonists all encounter a mysterious librarian who recommends offbeat books that end up being profoundly impactful in their respective lives. Ultimately, these stories are filled with compassion and optimism, especially to encourage these characters to pursue their passions and find inspiration in unexpected places.

I found the novel to be a bit twee and reductive at times, but more than that, I thought it was incredibly repetitive. I was rather bored by the novel by the time it reached the fourth story. I felt that something was missing from this novel to make it more engaging (though I couldn’t tell you what that might be). A bit of a disappointing read, overall, but I didn’t hate it either.

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mdavis26's review against another edition

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3.25

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eb_is_tired's review against another edition

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inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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emmamc02's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I like how interconnected all the characters are, and it's well written although it does feel like reading fables.

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lybrarie's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-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

4.0

It feels almost ironic how this is exactly the book I didn't know I needed to read, that fell into my path at exactly the right time. As someone who is kind of feeling lost in their career, it was so heartwarming to read a book reminding me that there are way more options out there than I perhaps realised. It was like a warm and gentle nudge in the right direction. I'm going to be thinking about this one for a long time.

Aside from how perfect it was for me to read this book right now, I also really loved the actual story. It was really lovely to read about the lives and journies of the five characters we follow throughout the course of this book, and I really enjoyed how certain secondary or even tertiary characters (outside of the characters within the library) weaved their way through different stories, how you got little tidbits of their lives through the lense of each of the other characters we read from.

I did have a slight issue with the fatphobia in this book, but I am also aware that that is potentially the fault of a translation. Since I cannot speak Japanese and I do not know exactly how those aspects were phrased in the original language, I do not want to dock any stars for it as I might normally. Especially because of how much I loved the book outside of that, but I did want to point it out for anybody else who may be reading in English and want to be aware of that.

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bluberrybooks's review against another edition

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I did not know it was going to be a short story collection. Not blaming anyone. I don't consistently read short stories in books for some reason. I do want to find a short story collection that I enjoy. I was connected with the first chapters story and character and now we're into a different character. Maybe I can skip around and go back because I do enjoy the themes surrounding following your dreams and innerchildhood.

Did not like the fatphobia. Maybe it's translated poorly but the English is fatphobic.

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pauliepockette's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

4.0

I really enjoyed each short story and getting to watch each character grow. I also enjoyed how the short stories were arranged and connected to each other. By the end of this book, it had me feeling content with where I'm at in life. However, did the characters really have to be so dramatic about the librarian's physical appearance?

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luise96's review against another edition

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funny inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing 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? Yes

4.5

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