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boesco's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
bethharley's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
charlottepr's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
zaisgraph's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Wow no detectives here. Quite refreshing. So many things happened here that I started to wonder if Masako could tie everything up in the end. I guess it is mostly a success. Lady Killer (the other translated book of this series) will be read (by me) for sure.
kinklekota's review against another edition
2.0
It's well-written, but also not what I'm looking for in mystery.
whitewell's review against another edition
4.0
Avevo questo libro in TBR da tanto e finalmente ho avuto modo di leggerlo: l’ho amato!
Un giallo giapponese con sfumature che sanno di thriller e di piscologico. Ho amato tantissimo l’ambientazione (la Residenza K mi ha dato quell’idea di guscio, di covo segreto, di luogo di appartenenza ma anche di prigione e di sconforto). Tutti i personaggi principali sono ben caratterizzati e molto interessanti. L’autrice è stata bravissima a raccontare al meglio la psicologia di ognuno e emergono bene i dettagli che caratterizzano la società giapponese.
Il grande lato positivo è il finale: ci troviamo davanti a due plot twist bellissimi, ben fatti e che vi lasceranno a bocca aperta! (uno dei due lo avevo già intuito, ma non avevo intuito tutti i dettagli).
Se magari all’inizio parte un po’ lento e vi inizierete a chiedere “ma dove cavolo vorrà andare a parare l’autrice?” non vi preoccupate, tutto ha un significato che convergerà nel finale, un finale perfetto che simboleggia un po’ la ciliegina sulla torta.
Non vedo l’ora di leggere altri libri di questa brillante autrice!
Un giallo giapponese con sfumature che sanno di thriller e di piscologico. Ho amato tantissimo l’ambientazione (la Residenza K mi ha dato quell’idea di guscio, di covo segreto, di luogo di appartenenza ma anche di prigione e di sconforto). Tutti i personaggi principali sono ben caratterizzati e molto interessanti. L’autrice è stata bravissima a raccontare al meglio la psicologia di ognuno e emergono bene i dettagli che caratterizzano la società giapponese.
Il grande lato positivo è il finale: ci troviamo davanti a due plot twist bellissimi, ben fatti e che vi lasceranno a bocca aperta! (uno dei due lo avevo già intuito, ma non avevo intuito tutti i dettagli).
Se magari all’inizio parte un po’ lento e vi inizierete a chiedere “ma dove cavolo vorrà andare a parare l’autrice?” non vi preoccupate, tutto ha un significato che convergerà nel finale, un finale perfetto che simboleggia un po’ la ciliegina sulla torta.
Non vedo l’ora di leggere altri libri di questa brillante autrice!
lisa_ogz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
cardica's review against another edition
4.0
Taking 11th place on Death of the Reader's 2021 recommendations, this position on the ladder occupies itself in the top of the lowest third of our ranking system, by no means is this a poor novel, though it is a humble one. A novel that at once told a laidback mystery while also layering in as many narration perceptions as I could personally stomach. I am of course talking about Japanese murder mystery classic The Master Key by Masako Togawa.
The Master Key was chosen for the show in order to continue our spotlight of Japanese authors on the show, and in particular to highlight a female mystery writer who used their own personal experience of life in Japan to fuel their storytelling. Set in an apartment building called the ‘K Apartment for Ladies’, which is full of aging single women, from the very beginning of this text it becomes clear that everyone is up to something. Everyone scurries across the floors and gossips with each other when they can, and all are careful to lock their doors to hide their secrets. The story itself opens with a prologue far in the past of the main event. A man being hit by a truck in the open street, a woman waiting endlessly, tirelessly for someone to show up. The filling of a child’s grave with concrete as a mysterious observer looks on. Every character in this story has something to hide, and few see all that transpires. This is the core premise of the Master Key, for one who possesses the master key and a certain degree of professional curiosity may unlock the secrets of any one of the women who live within these walls, for good or ill.
All of this sets the stage for a story that is equal parts mystery and tragedy. In order to truly understand the heart of the novel, one must understand the approach of one Masako Togawa, passed away in 2016 but throughout this story her strong sense of empathy can be felt. She was an artist to her core, singer, song-writer, feminist. These are all qualities that led to her writing of complex and tragic characters that never feel like they stray far enough from their paths to dig their way out of the various holes they’ve dug themselves into. Togawa goes to great lengths to show us the intimate lonely moments as much as the skulduggery that goes into the action of the novel, such as it is. This isn’t exactly an explosion-fueled rollercoaster ride, but instead a deliberate character study focusing on people that Togawa must have known or at least suspected to have known in her real life. There is clearly great care taken to portray the badness inside of each character as coming from a real place, caused by real events that might have happened to anybody. True to her feminist background, Togawa does her best to highlight the ways in which the Ladies of the K Apartments are products of the world around them, including mistreatment, circumstance, and abuse of all different shades colours and tones.
The narrative itself is framed by a construction project, specifically a highway. The government has decided that the old apartment complex must be torn down, imploded, so that a new industrious highway can be built above its rubble. It is in some ways a sad metaphor for the characters in the story, but I admire the commitment to natural events pushing the story along at all times. This is just one more standard event that most people won’t think twice about. At least, assuming the child’s grave hidden in the old unused bathroom under the complex isn’t found, which it almost certainly will. This is the ticking timebomb that builds tension throughout the story, as we jump from perspective to perspective, and as the titular Master Key finds itself in increasingly unscrupulous hands throughout the novel, the reader is constantly asking, who will be the villain at the end of it all? Is the child George Kraft? The four year old son of a wealthy armyman who was declared kidnapped around the time the grave was constructed? Is the child a metaphor for the past of these women that they have tried so desperately to hide before it inevitably is unleashed on the world? Well, yes. But It could be both! The ticking timebomb and the feeling that the fates of each of the protagonists of the novel was foretold a long long time ago help build an excellent sense of dread as you turn towards the final pages, searching for the final twist even as it rears its ugly head from the rubble of the destroyed apartment for ladies.
I would thoroughly recommend giving this novel a read if you’re looking for something akin to a character study. There are moments of mirth and comedy but it is much more a sad tragedy than anything else. Masako Togawa has written a story about the lived-in experiences of the ladies around her, old women with little time left but a heck of a skeleton in their closets.
The Master Key was chosen for the show in order to continue our spotlight of Japanese authors on the show, and in particular to highlight a female mystery writer who used their own personal experience of life in Japan to fuel their storytelling. Set in an apartment building called the ‘K Apartment for Ladies’, which is full of aging single women, from the very beginning of this text it becomes clear that everyone is up to something. Everyone scurries across the floors and gossips with each other when they can, and all are careful to lock their doors to hide their secrets. The story itself opens with a prologue far in the past of the main event. A man being hit by a truck in the open street, a woman waiting endlessly, tirelessly for someone to show up. The filling of a child’s grave with concrete as a mysterious observer looks on. Every character in this story has something to hide, and few see all that transpires. This is the core premise of the Master Key, for one who possesses the master key and a certain degree of professional curiosity may unlock the secrets of any one of the women who live within these walls, for good or ill.
All of this sets the stage for a story that is equal parts mystery and tragedy. In order to truly understand the heart of the novel, one must understand the approach of one Masako Togawa, passed away in 2016 but throughout this story her strong sense of empathy can be felt. She was an artist to her core, singer, song-writer, feminist. These are all qualities that led to her writing of complex and tragic characters that never feel like they stray far enough from their paths to dig their way out of the various holes they’ve dug themselves into. Togawa goes to great lengths to show us the intimate lonely moments as much as the skulduggery that goes into the action of the novel, such as it is. This isn’t exactly an explosion-fueled rollercoaster ride, but instead a deliberate character study focusing on people that Togawa must have known or at least suspected to have known in her real life. There is clearly great care taken to portray the badness inside of each character as coming from a real place, caused by real events that might have happened to anybody. True to her feminist background, Togawa does her best to highlight the ways in which the Ladies of the K Apartments are products of the world around them, including mistreatment, circumstance, and abuse of all different shades colours and tones.
The narrative itself is framed by a construction project, specifically a highway. The government has decided that the old apartment complex must be torn down, imploded, so that a new industrious highway can be built above its rubble. It is in some ways a sad metaphor for the characters in the story, but I admire the commitment to natural events pushing the story along at all times. This is just one more standard event that most people won’t think twice about. At least, assuming the child’s grave hidden in the old unused bathroom under the complex isn’t found, which it almost certainly will. This is the ticking timebomb that builds tension throughout the story, as we jump from perspective to perspective, and as the titular Master Key finds itself in increasingly unscrupulous hands throughout the novel, the reader is constantly asking, who will be the villain at the end of it all? Is the child George Kraft? The four year old son of a wealthy armyman who was declared kidnapped around the time the grave was constructed? Is the child a metaphor for the past of these women that they have tried so desperately to hide before it inevitably is unleashed on the world? Well, yes. But It could be both! The ticking timebomb and the feeling that the fates of each of the protagonists of the novel was foretold a long long time ago help build an excellent sense of dread as you turn towards the final pages, searching for the final twist even as it rears its ugly head from the rubble of the destroyed apartment for ladies.
I would thoroughly recommend giving this novel a read if you’re looking for something akin to a character study. There are moments of mirth and comedy but it is much more a sad tragedy than anything else. Masako Togawa has written a story about the lived-in experiences of the ladies around her, old women with little time left but a heck of a skeleton in their closets.
ghiblireads's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
3.25
This wasn’t so much a mystery but a character study of the various women that lived in the apartment building. Despite expecting a more generic mystery story, I still enjoyed what the book ended up being. There was an interesting enough mystery plot that I liked theorising about. It was nice to get to know each of the “main” characters and their interactions with each other. I love exploring characters and relationships so I found it fun to watch them each live out their lives. It was fast paced and easy to read especially because it was so short. The mystery reveal was a little shocking but it didn’t blow me away. If you want something that’s different to most mystery novels then this might work for you.
giuliakyj's review against another edition
4.0
Residenza per signore sole è un libro che sicuramente dovrò riprendere in mano in futuro perché ci sono più livelli da comprendere di quello che si capta con la prima lettura. Ci sono dei crimini e un mistero che fungono da motore della storia, ma questo è un libro che vuole parlare di solitudine, rimpianti, noia, vivere una vita insoddisfatti, meschinità. Alcune cose non mi hanno convinta ma la lettura mi ha catturata dalla prima pagina ed è stata decisamente un'esperienza affascinante.