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katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
A snake eats its own tale in this short novel with shades of both Amelie and Cyrano de Bergerac.
What a beautifully told tale. Sparse, like the haikus it contains, and elegant. A lonely postman in Montreal secretly steams open mail to correspondents in his round. Living vicariously through their love letters and missives, his favourites come from a woman sending intriguing poems to a local man. By chance he one day sees this same man killed by a car on his way to post a reply. Can he allow the woman he has fallen for to stop sending the poems he loves? Or can he intervene?
There's the lightest touch of comedy here but really, it's a romance of words, as Bilodo begins his own halting stream of haikus with the enigmatic Segolene. The poetry is beautiful, the story rounded even at a span of just over 100 pages. And the ending is a delightful and satisfying surprise, perfectly suited to the theme of the story.
A nod to the translator who has done an excellent job with the poetry.
A beautiful tale. One that I could see making the KS4 syllabus alongside Metamorphosis or Of Mice and Men as a modern classic of a novella.
Review of a Lovereading advance copy.
What a beautifully told tale. Sparse, like the haikus it contains, and elegant. A lonely postman in Montreal secretly steams open mail to correspondents in his round. Living vicariously through their love letters and missives, his favourites come from a woman sending intriguing poems to a local man. By chance he one day sees this same man killed by a car on his way to post a reply. Can he allow the woman he has fallen for to stop sending the poems he loves? Or can he intervene?
There's the lightest touch of comedy here but really, it's a romance of words, as Bilodo begins his own halting stream of haikus with the enigmatic Segolene. The poetry is beautiful, the story rounded even at a span of just over 100 pages. And the ending is a delightful and satisfying surprise, perfectly suited to the theme of the story.
A nod to the translator who has done an excellent job with the poetry.
A beautiful tale. One that I could see making the KS4 syllabus alongside Metamorphosis or Of Mice and Men as a modern classic of a novella.
Review of a Lovereading advance copy.
helenkath's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
frooml's review against another edition
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
marthahope's review against another edition
3.0
Fairly quick read. I thought it was pretty average until the ending which I totally didn't expect and really liked. I found the info about haiku and Japanese culture really interesting too and it felt like, as the reader, you were embarking on the same journey as the protagonist in the knowledge and understanding of the form.
annie_lu's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Addicting writing brilliantly displaying the mind of the lonely and obsessed.
jodiexcooper's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
pennymackett's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.5
terranovanz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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