Reviews - The Tatami Galaxy

659 reviews for:

This took me a long time to get into--I really didn't like the narrator--but by the third section it started to grow on me, and the end made me feel like it was worth the slow build. But it just wasn't a 4 star read for me.

siriface's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging funny lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

mattdube's review

3.0

I didn't really love this book, which I think is pitched at an audience of maybe less sophisticated readers than me. I don't mean that in a bad way, but this is really manga-adjacent, kind of a series of juvenile tropes. But this got better as it went-- the conceit is that as a first year student the protagonist chooses between four clubs and that drives his life two years later. Each section traces the experience following a different choice, which is somewhat interesting-- certain scenes and sections of prose even repeat in each section, which is awkward when the prose was kind of flat the first time. But some of the sequences, with the moths and the blackout hot pot are worth returning to.

In the end, I liked the middle parts of this book and thought the first and last sections were kind of flat.

theciz's review

3.0

Parallel universe shenanigans with a good for nothing university student who blames everyone else for his lousy slacker ways. This is a light and mildly amusing little story, but the repetition did get a little much after a while - I found my eyes automatically gliding over the repeated phrases and descriptions. Fun enough, but not great.

sarahallwarden's review

3.0

challenging dark funny reflective sad tense slow-paced

Part 4 was the best but maybe not worth it for parts 1-3

loveat1stwrite's review against another edition

The synopsis sounded right up my alley, but I DNF’d at the 13% mark. I’m not one that needs characters to be likeable, but our unnamed protagonist is insufferable. He talks about wanting an amazing life and then does nothing to change the path he’s set himself on— and whines all along the way.