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A review by theresa_mysteries_and_mayhem
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
4.0
I enjoyed Before the Coffee Gets Cold as an audiobook, courtesy of my public library. I've seen mixed reviews of this book, so I wasn't sure what I should expect going into it. I think I tend to be more lenient on reviews than the average reader. It's not that I want to give the authors a break. It's because it takes more to draw criticism from me. This book is no different.
Here's what I loved: It took me a minute to get accustomed to the style of storytelling. I'm sure this is a difference between Japanese storytelling and what I'm accustomed to. But once I acclimated myself to it, I loved it. No matter what was happening, the story was very evenly paced. It's hard to describe. There were some highly emotional points in the book, but it wasn't stressful. The focus wasn't on the negative emotions, rather on the positive that resulted from what the characters were going through.
I also loved the characters. They were charming, even the most seemingly surly of the bunch ended up having soft spots that I fell in love with. Even though the book was separated into four different vignettes, they characters all overlapped throughout.
I've mentioned in past reviews that I have a hard time with books about time travel. I get wrapped up in how it's working, or not working, and get frustrated when rules as I know them are broken. The amazing thing about this book are all the rules the little cafe has about time travel! It's perfect for people like me! The most important rule being, no matter what you do in the past, it won't change the present. This rule challenged the characters, causing them to decide if it's really worth it for them to travel to the past at all. The charm of it all is that while they weren't able to change events, they are able to change their reactions to the events. And isn't this really what life is all about?
What I didn't care for so much: I don't have much negative to say. There was some repetition, but it actually became a familiar pattern to the stories. Once I got used to it, I actually found it soothing. Like drinking a hot coffee with an old friend when you know the patterns of the conversation you're about to have. The only thing that really caused me stress was knowing that the coffee couldn't get cold. It goes cold so fast. And I wanted to know more about the woman in the dress. If and when you read it, you know who I'm talking about. I would have loved to hear her story. Maybe that's something for a sequel or prequel down the road.
In conclusion, I am happy to give this charming little book four out of five stars.
Here's what I loved: It took me a minute to get accustomed to the style of storytelling. I'm sure this is a difference between Japanese storytelling and what I'm accustomed to. But once I acclimated myself to it, I loved it. No matter what was happening, the story was very evenly paced. It's hard to describe. There were some highly emotional points in the book, but it wasn't stressful. The focus wasn't on the negative emotions, rather on the positive that resulted from what the characters were going through.
I also loved the characters. They were charming, even the most seemingly surly of the bunch ended up having soft spots that I fell in love with. Even though the book was separated into four different vignettes, they characters all overlapped throughout.
I've mentioned in past reviews that I have a hard time with books about time travel. I get wrapped up in how it's working, or not working, and get frustrated when rules as I know them are broken. The amazing thing about this book are all the rules the little cafe has about time travel! It's perfect for people like me! The most important rule being, no matter what you do in the past, it won't change the present. This rule challenged the characters, causing them to decide if it's really worth it for them to travel to the past at all. The charm of it all is that while they weren't able to change events, they are able to change their reactions to the events. And isn't this really what life is all about?
What I didn't care for so much: I don't have much negative to say. There was some repetition, but it actually became a familiar pattern to the stories. Once I got used to it, I actually found it soothing. Like drinking a hot coffee with an old friend when you know the patterns of the conversation you're about to have. The only thing that really caused me stress was knowing that the coffee couldn't get cold. It goes cold so fast. And I wanted to know more about the woman in the dress. If and when you read it, you know who I'm talking about. I would have loved to hear her story. Maybe that's something for a sequel or prequel down the road.
In conclusion, I am happy to give this charming little book four out of five stars.