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jackalop3's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
dylankakoulli's review against another edition
2.0
Mariko/Mariquita is a melancholic and meandering musing on notion of duality and identity. Exploring what (or even if) it means to live both within and outside of one’s comfort zone.
I’ve said it before -and I’ll darn well say it again, this book was far too short for such a huge subject to cover. I also felt that this was the weakest in terms of writing -though perhaps that’s due to a translation issue?
Either/or (see what I did there) it’s a sad 1.5/2 stars from me
I’ve said it before -and I’ll darn well say it again, this book was far too short for such a huge subject to cover. I also felt that this was the weakest in terms of writing -though perhaps that’s due to a translation issue?
Either/or (see what I did there) it’s a sad 1.5/2 stars from me
marielouisemuth's review
4.0
The 4. story in the series ‘Keshiki- new voices from Japan’ (though I am not reading them in any particular order), and I quite liked this one. There are some bits and pieces that feel slightly awkward language wise which could be due to the translation, however, for the most part it was a pleasant read. I especially enjoyed the middle part where Kyojiro and Mariko’s lives become shortly entangled, which is a part I will definitely come back to again.
jonathan_zo's review
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
scifrog's review
lighthearted
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? No
4.5
ayami's review
4.0
I quite enjoyed ‘Mariko/Mariquita’, it was an easy and pleasant read. I can imagine the impact of this short story on a Japanese reader would be greater - the descriptions of Mariko frequently stressed how un-Japanese her behavior was, how foreign her accent sounded to the protagonist. To a Western reader, used to multicultural societies, such a character seems less unusual. I have seen plenty of such Mariquitas during my travels in Brazil and Europe.
The translation by Alfred Birnbaum was pretty decent but there were a couple of fragments that read a bit awkward. I’m curious to read more by Ikezawa either in different translations or in original.
The translation by Alfred Birnbaum was pretty decent but there were a couple of fragments that read a bit awkward. I’m curious to read more by Ikezawa either in different translations or in original.
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