Reviews

Hit Parade of Tears by Izumi Suzuki

annamickreads's review against another edition

4.0

I picked up "Hit Parade of Tears" on a whim at the bookstore and I was pleasantly surprised to find the funny, lively, innovative tales of Izumi Suzuki. I'm so sad I wasn't aware of Suzuki's work far earlier, given her cult following and trailblazing path as a leading Japanese feminist sci-fi writer.

Despite following wildly different scenarios, Suzuki's signature flair throughout this collection is full of dark humor, thought-provoking plots and zany protagonists. The stories themselves are very stylized, often set with the backdrop of 1960s-70s Japan, but their female protagonists are frankly unforgettable, many of whom are teenage girls.

My favorite stories are "Trial Witch" and "The Covenant." I'll definitely pick up her earlier and even more critically acclaimed short story collection, "Terminal Boredom," very soon.

angela_iseli's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

3.5

unhingedreader's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

44lexi44's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

emiliahubbard's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

nunnabunny's review against another edition

4.0

I’m not going to argue these were well-written, but they were definitely an ExperienceTM

quartzreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

3.5

giipsophila's review against another edition

dark emotional sad

4.0

breadandmushrooms's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.25

kara_readsbooks's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.5