Scan barcode
egretsworld's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
rensucx's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
herzeloyde's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
cowgirlcrybaby's review against another edition
5.0
4.5⭐️ rounded up. slices of life in a parallel universe… magical and whimsical and wanted more
jellegolas's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
3.5
sichloeng's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
leeuhhhh's review against another edition
3.0
2.5/5 i love a good collection of weird short stories, but this one disappointed me. the premise is great, but the chapters/stories were way too short for me to actually gain anything from them
magmun's review against another edition
4.0
This collection of short stories made me feel nostalgic for a place and time that has never existed to me. The young almost naive narrator brings out a fanciful but still somehow grounded image of childhood that sets a consistent tone throughout. Many of the stories feel like half real half imagined memories that really capture the way children will often use make believe to compensate for what they can’t understand. I could see myself and the people I grew up around in these characters despite there not necessarily being direct parallels. I could still relate to the seemingly mundane at times stories that for some reason or another stick in a child’s mind.
notlikeshrek's review against another edition
4.0
This is an enchanting collection of stories! I love the use of such a mundane thing as the context to weave creative and intricate character descriptions. Each narrative felt like a short conversation with Kawakami.
bluemomo's review against another edition
4.0
I lived in the same place for 23 years and I don't even know the name of my neighbors, but I know every single dog, and that says a lot about me.
The book is short, the book is a collection of short stories, you could read all of them in a evening, or in five days, like I did.
I did not expected the stories I was going to read. I thought I was going to read about real people, instead I read about colorful and surreal situations with Equally surreal protagonists, some of them have names, others have not, maybe they are not so important to know.
It took me so long to read because I was not prepared, the first couple of stories filled me with an immense sadness and melancholy. We are transported in this little corner of the world that is itself the world and we look at it from a peephole. We encounter ghosts that roam the streets, shadows that change owners and small black dogs that bite everybody. We see the neighborhood change and revert back to the initial state, we see people die, but those people never do, because they leave behind something, and that something is memories.
The book is short, the book is a collection of short stories, you could read all of them in a evening, or in five days, like I did.
I did not expected the stories I was going to read. I thought I was going to read about real people, instead I read about colorful and surreal situations with Equally surreal protagonists, some of them have names, others have not, maybe they are not so important to know.
It took me so long to read because I was not prepared, the first couple of stories filled me with an immense sadness and melancholy. We are transported in this little corner of the world that is itself the world and we look at it from a peephole. We encounter ghosts that roam the streets, shadows that change owners and small black dogs that bite everybody. We see the neighborhood change and revert back to the initial state, we see people die, but those people never do, because they leave behind something, and that something is memories.