Scan barcode
A review by gayathiri_rajendran
The Forest of Wool and Steel by Natsu Miyashita
5.0
The Forest of Wool and Steel is about Tomura, a school student who is enthralled by the sound of a piano after it is played by a piano tuner. That single moment makes him decide that he wants to be a piano tuner for the rest of his life. It feels like life altering revelation for him. Tomura completes his schooling and enrolls for a piano tuning course. He then becomes an apprentice at a piano tuning firm in Hokkaido.
In the beginning, Tomura observes his more experienced colleagues and goes on client visits with Mr. Yanagi. He is plagued by doubts and wonders whether he'll be as good as his more experienced colleagues. Later, Tomura acquires his own clients and refines his techniques through careful observation and practice.
This is such a beautiful ode to pianos and it's tuners. I do not play any instruments and I have never played or even touched a piano in my life. Yet, this was such an interesting read. It's been a while since I read a book in which nothing major happens. It felt refreshing to read something like this after a long time without always expecting something to happen in every page. This felt like a slice of life kind of story.
We basically follow Tomura around and read about his everyday experiences, see him learn new things everyday by observing his colleagues and practicing it later. At no point did I feel that this book was dragging. Reading this book made me appreciate how knowledgeable the author is since there are a lot of technical terms and explanations regarding pianos. It did not feel like an information dump at any point and I thought that was really commendable. The imagery and sounds in the story are very breathtaking to read about and I really loved the small illustrations at the start of each chapter.
A uplifting novel which puts a smile on your face! Can't wait to see the movie adaptation now!
In the beginning, Tomura observes his more experienced colleagues and goes on client visits with Mr. Yanagi. He is plagued by doubts and wonders whether he'll be as good as his more experienced colleagues. Later, Tomura acquires his own clients and refines his techniques through careful observation and practice.
This is such a beautiful ode to pianos and it's tuners. I do not play any instruments and I have never played or even touched a piano in my life. Yet, this was such an interesting read. It's been a while since I read a book in which nothing major happens. It felt refreshing to read something like this after a long time without always expecting something to happen in every page. This felt like a slice of life kind of story.
We basically follow Tomura around and read about his everyday experiences, see him learn new things everyday by observing his colleagues and practicing it later. At no point did I feel that this book was dragging. Reading this book made me appreciate how knowledgeable the author is since there are a lot of technical terms and explanations regarding pianos. It did not feel like an information dump at any point and I thought that was really commendable. The imagery and sounds in the story are very breathtaking to read about and I really loved the small illustrations at the start of each chapter.
A uplifting novel which puts a smile on your face! Can't wait to see the movie adaptation now!