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juliemowat's review against another edition
2.0
A short novella with a great title. It is a Japanese book translated into English. I think the specialness was lost in translation. It was fine with a good message but felt clunky. Can't really recommend. Wish I could read Japanese.
karlijntje_mandarijntje's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
globalkiana's review against another edition
2.0
The best part of this book was the small section of the talking cat. I’m going to chalk this one up to translation disconnect. I wish there was more about the impact of the disappearances of the (super important) items that were chosen. They kinda just happened and I doubt if (SPOILER) clocks or phones were suddenly gone the world would operate the same. There were some parts I skipped over out of pure boredom. Some parts were way better than others. Overall, I had to force myself not to DNF. It was a cozy book though.
The dialogue was awful at so many points. Things got better in the second half I will say in terms of the plot. At points the “deepness” felt forced. I just had such high expectations of this book, oh well.
The dialogue was awful at so many points. Things got better in the second half I will say in terms of the plot. At points the “deepness” felt forced. I just had such high expectations of this book, oh well.
losercomputrs's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.25
Good quick read!
Nothing too special imo, though, I think it serves as a quick reminder to have compassion and gratitude for the privilege many of us hold!
Nothing too special imo, though, I think it serves as a quick reminder to have compassion and gratitude for the privilege many of us hold!
wowiamsogenius's review against another edition
5.0
"My mother…
I wondered, did she have any time to herself? Did she have any hobbies of her own? Were there things she wanted to do, hopes and dreams she held on to? I always wanted to thank her properly for all she’d done for me, but never found the words. Why couldn’t I at least have done something small for her? Why was this simple action so hard for me? Why did it take me this long to understand?
Mom’s words resurfaced in my mind again: ‘In order to gain something, you have to lose something.’"
I wondered, did she have any time to herself? Did she have any hobbies of her own? Were there things she wanted to do, hopes and dreams she held on to? I always wanted to thank her properly for all she’d done for me, but never found the words. Why couldn’t I at least have done something small for her? Why was this simple action so hard for me? Why did it take me this long to understand?
Mom’s words resurfaced in my mind again: ‘In order to gain something, you have to lose something.’"
bigal_hello's review against another edition
5.0
“And love, this magical thing that’s unique to human beings and can sometimes make us absolutely miserable, is also the thing that buoys the human spirit. Like time, color, temperature, and loneliness, love is one of those things that only humans experience. These things can rule over or control us, but they also allow us to live more fully. They are precisely what make us human.”
Ugh my heart. This was such a sweet, funny, and beautiful story. Maybe the translation is a little clunky but I also don’t care. I loved it.
Ugh my heart. This was such a sweet, funny, and beautiful story. Maybe the translation is a little clunky but I also don’t care. I loved it.
meganquinan's review against another edition
3.0
Easy, quick read that has digestible messages about life. There are a variety of different messages to take away from this book, and it seems like it is all dependent on the reader’s point of view. Live life in the moment and don’t take anything for granted — everyday is a gift.
“It doesn’t take much time to realize that all life’s experiences eventually add up to one big inevitability.”
“Just being alive doesn’t mean all that much on its own. How you live is more important.”
“No one knows how much time they have on this earth. It could be a few days or it could be a few months. It’s the same for everyone…so there’s really no such thing as too late or too soon. Things happen when they’re meant to happen.”
“It doesn’t take much time to realize that all life’s experiences eventually add up to one big inevitability.”
“Just being alive doesn’t mean all that much on its own. How you live is more important.”
“No one knows how much time they have on this earth. It could be a few days or it could be a few months. It’s the same for everyone…so there’s really no such thing as too late or too soon. Things happen when they’re meant to happen.”
logickat's review against another edition
3.0
A man finds out he has only a few days left to live, so he makes an impulsive pact with the devil to remove things from the world in exchange for extra time to live. This isn't actually about cats, or anything else, disappearing from the world. It's really an introspection into the quality of life and what truly matters in one's world. The story is mostly about the man remembering his past and reflecting on the relationships he has had with the people (and a couple of cats) in his life. The devil set-up was random and far-fetched. I found some of the memory parts mundane and boring, and struggled a bit with the middle of the story. I did like the ending.
vicaleggecose's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5