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katiilahti's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Yōko Ogawa’s ‘Revenge’ is a collection of eleven intertwined stories, beautifully translated by Stephen Snyder. In typically lyrical, elegant writing, Ogawa spins a series of eerie tales verging on horror, and touches on heartbreaking themes of loss, grief, and disconnection. From a boy who loves strawberry shortcake to a curator of a museum of t*rture, her stories take us through eleven lives touched by darkness and tragedy. These tales are deeply, uniquely unsettling, portraying human relationships in their most twisted forms. Some, in fact, were too dark for my liking; I gasped audibly while reading ‘Sewing for the Heart’. Nevertheless, this is a brilliant, beautifully written collection and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys an intricate, suspenseful read.
venuslove28's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
koculakowa's review against another edition
5.0
Jak to się smakowicie czyta...! nie mogłam jej odłożyć.
sisterofscreams's review against another edition
4.0
Interlinking short stories that feel unfinished until you keep reading and see how some element is mirrored in the next story. They keep building until the end. It’s an impressive collection and I admired the humor and creep factor throughout. A really smart collection that shows a masterful control several storytelling threads.
magda_sabatowska's review against another edition
5.0
I'd give it 6 stars if I only could.
This is one of the best books I've read in a while - it's dark and macabre at times but also beautifully woven together. 11 stories that made me feel like I was plunging deeper and deeper into Yoko Ogawa's imagination, where strawberry cake returns time and time again, a vesicle is sewing a bag to carry a human heart and hand-shaped carrots grow freely in an old lady's garden.
I've read this in Polish translation by Anna Karpiuk, which made it feel like a delicate casket filled with stories inherently linked with each other while paying homage to the original. The title in Polish ("Deathly silence, pitiful turmoil) is much closer to the Japanese one, while the English translation seems to focus on the macabre side of Ogawa's stories by naming the book "Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales", which personally would put me off along with the book covers designed for the English editions which make it look more like a murder mystery book rather than the precious collection of stories that it is.
In any event, I cannot recommend it highly enough and am so happy to have had come across it in my favourite bookshop.
This is one of the best books I've read in a while - it's dark and macabre at times but also beautifully woven together. 11 stories that made me feel like I was plunging deeper and deeper into Yoko Ogawa's imagination, where strawberry cake returns time and time again, a vesicle is sewing a bag to carry a human heart and hand-shaped carrots grow freely in an old lady's garden.
I've read this in Polish translation by Anna Karpiuk, which made it feel like a delicate casket filled with stories inherently linked with each other while paying homage to the original. The title in Polish ("Deathly silence, pitiful turmoil) is much closer to the Japanese one, while the English translation seems to focus on the macabre side of Ogawa's stories by naming the book "Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales", which personally would put me off along with the book covers designed for the English editions which make it look more like a murder mystery book rather than the precious collection of stories that it is.
In any event, I cannot recommend it highly enough and am so happy to have had come across it in my favourite bookshop.
cynicaldreamerx's review against another edition
3.0
i actually would've given it like 4 stars but this was supposed to be "unsettling" and that didn't happen to me. but i love the prose. it's simple and yet poetic. also i like the way it conveys some very poignantly beautiful imagery.
mxr1e2's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
keneiloe's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25