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amelianotthepilot's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Dementia, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Trafficking
sasisaskia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, and Trafficking
m4rtt4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Bullying, Violence, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
chalkletters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
When I actually started reading, A Tale for the Time Being didn’t captivate me immediately. Nao’s schoolgirl philosophical ramblings weren’t particularly charming and it was hard to get a grip on where the story was going. It wasn’t until Ruth decided to try reading Nao’s diary ‘in real time’ (one of Nao’s entries for each of Ruth’s days) that I started to get interested, though the plot was still murky.
The structure, going back and forth between Nao’s story and Ruth researching Nao’s story, worked surprisingly well, and I liked the conceit of Ruth’s footnotes explaining Nao’s specifically Japanese references. I did find the Appendices a bit troublesome, because I think I missed the instruction to go read some of them, but they also weren’t that engaging to read, even though the information was relevant.
Like The Gallows Pole, A Tale for the Time Being ended up being much darker than I anticipated, though I found Ruth Ozeki’s descriptions more visceral and thus more disturbing. It wasn’t an easy read, and the uncertain line between reality and fiction added its own sense of confusion, which made the magical elements less delightful than they might have been.
This is the second book I’ve reviewed to heavily feature meditation techniques; the sections of A Tale for the Time Being that Nao spent in her grandmother’s temple were what I most enjoyed reading. (And I did appreciate that Ruth also tried sitting zazen but kept falling asleep.)
A Tale for the Time Being was an interesting book, and I think I’ll keep hold of it for at least a little while, but I don’t know if it’s a book I’d want to return to often.
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Suicide attempt, War, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Death and Death of parent
saintmaud's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, War, Bullying, Death of parent, and Animal death
Moderate: Dementia and Physical abuse
Minor: Cancer and Torture
e_z's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Bullying, and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Torture, and Sexual content
waybeyondblue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Body shaming, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Racism, Animal death, Violence, War, Grief, and Child death
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Blood
miladimelow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Vomit, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, and Alcohol
Minor: Mass/school shootings, Kidnapping, and Stalking
aceyum's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Physical abuse
clemencepct's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
Graphic: Sexual assault, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts