Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Housekeeper and the Professor

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa

13 reviews

gillthequill's review against another edition

hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

If you enjoy math, then this story may resonate more with you than it did for me. Perhaps its because I didn't understand the math, but this was a solid, well written story, but just didn't hit me. It was still engaging enough for me to keep reading and want to read more of Yoko Ogawa's other work. I also enjoyed the examination on love in its forms and relationships through the themes and situation. But it just didn't hit me--like it was supposed to be deeper than it was and I just didn't get it. If math is your jam, along with heartwarming tales of friendship and growth, then perhaps consider it. I read it for free at a library, and that's probably the reason why the score isn't lower.

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sandy_21's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-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

5.0

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longlive's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

One of my favorites from 2022 <3 Yoko Ogawa's has the talent to switch from a darker book like "the memory police" to something hopefull and filled with heartwarming moments like this one. A amazing author of which I will be reading more and more.

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laindarko2's review against another edition

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reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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dniespal's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

The story about the professor whose memory stopped in 1975 and can't go beyond last 80 minutes and the relationships with his housekeeper , her son and his sister-in-law is a touching tale about love, friendship and coping with lack of your own past. It is written in wonderful language that skilfully shows the beuty of mathematics.

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jetpackdracula's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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yuunoel's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

(2022/03/14 - 2022/03/14)

MATH!

I loved this. Adored it! I read this in one sitting. The mathematics that was mentioned in this book was simple enough that my dumbass self can understand. I was genuinely excited to find out the answer to the math equations. (Like how you can find the sum of numbers 1-10 more quickly. When the answer was revealed, I suddenly remembered that I learned that in math class; it just completely skipped over my brain.) It was also nice to find out the actual terms of mathematics. I knew 41 and 43 were prime numbers, however, I didn't know that they were called "twin primes."

I can understand why people wouldn't like this book though. For non-math lovers, this may seem boring. And I agree with that statement. There was virtually no actual plot, and sometimes it seemed more like a math textbook than a novel. Additionally, the mathematics in this book could seem too basic for seasoned math lovers. It didn't go into detail for more complex math subjects, such as topology and of the sort. I think that's why this book was almost perfect for me. I do love math, however, mathematics is not something I would consider to be my passion in life. It's suitable for people in the middle like myself. And finally, near the end, it got a bit redundant and monotonous to read. Don't worry though, by the time it does feel that way, the novel ends soooo 🤷.

Would I re-read this? Maybe. I don't usually re-read books unless it's a murder mystery or graphic novel, but I would make an exception for this book. Would I recommend this? Definitely. It's a short enough book so if you do dislike it, at least it's short. 👍

"The perfect number 28." - The Housekeeper

- noel

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