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A review by lovelymisanthrope
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Second Reread (December 2023): 5 Stars*
I stumbled across this book in a Little Free Library and picked it up because the cover caught my attention.
"The Cat Who Saved Books" is a story that follows Rintaro, a teenaged boy who has recently lost his Grandpa. Rintaro's Grandpa owned and operated a modestly successful bookstore named Natsuki Books. With his passing, Rintaro is preparing the bookstore to close so he can move away to live with his aunt. On one of the final days, a tabby cat named Tiger appears in the shop and asks Rintaro for help in saving books.
I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did, but it completely blew me away. This story is heartwarming, insightful, and allows for great reflection for anyone that says they love books. I also really appreciated the representation of true friendship in the story.
My favorite labyrinth, and the one that has stuck with me the most, was the labyrinth with the man who reads hundreds of books a day. This man attempts to take out the important parts of the story to make a faster to digest summary so him and everyone else can read more. Rintaro helps him to see that reading is supposed to be enjoyed, and by cutting out parts of the story to get through it faster, the reader is not getting the full story. I think this is such an invaluable lesson, especially in the age of GoodReads. People want to read more and are constantly trying to push themselves to increase their reading speed so they can compete with people. It is so important to remember to slow down and enjoy books, because by reading at such a rapid speed, it is easy to not appreciate a story fully.
The other labyrinths Rintaro encounter are equally profound and really made me reflect on my own relationship with reading and books. Ultimately, reading, and life in general, is meant to be enjoyed. One of my goals this year was to read less so I could appreciate my books more, and this book was an eloquent reminder of this.
I have not stopped thinking about this story since I read it, and I HIGHLY encourage everyone to pick it up.
I stumbled across this book in a Little Free Library and picked it up because the cover caught my attention.
"The Cat Who Saved Books" is a story that follows Rintaro, a teenaged boy who has recently lost his Grandpa. Rintaro's Grandpa owned and operated a modestly successful bookstore named Natsuki Books. With his passing, Rintaro is preparing the bookstore to close so he can move away to live with his aunt. On one of the final days, a tabby cat named Tiger appears in the shop and asks Rintaro for help in saving books.
I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did, but it completely blew me away. This story is heartwarming, insightful, and allows for great reflection for anyone that says they love books. I also really appreciated the representation of true friendship in the story.
My favorite labyrinth, and the one that has stuck with me the most, was the labyrinth with the man who reads hundreds of books a day. This man attempts to take out the important parts of the story to make a faster to digest summary so him and everyone else can read more. Rintaro helps him to see that reading is supposed to be enjoyed, and by cutting out parts of the story to get through it faster, the reader is not getting the full story. I think this is such an invaluable lesson, especially in the age of GoodReads. People want to read more and are constantly trying to push themselves to increase their reading speed so they can compete with people. It is so important to remember to slow down and enjoy books, because by reading at such a rapid speed, it is easy to not appreciate a story fully.
The other labyrinths Rintaro encounter are equally profound and really made me reflect on my own relationship with reading and books. Ultimately, reading, and life in general, is meant to be enjoyed. One of my goals this year was to read less so I could appreciate my books more, and this book was an eloquent reminder of this.
I have not stopped thinking about this story since I read it, and I HIGHLY encourage everyone to pick it up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death