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bickleyhouse 's review for:
The Cat Who Saved the Library
by Sōsuke Natsukawa
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
Tiger the Tabby returns in his second adventure, ten years later. This time, he enlists a young girl named Nanami, who has noticed that significant books are disappearing from her library's bookshelves. Of course, that's what books do in libraries, right? They come and go. Only Nanami has noticed that they don't seem to be coming back. The day that she observes the shady character who seems to be the perpetrator is the day that she meets Tiger in the library. Tiger discourages her as much as possible from embarking on this adventure, as it is dangerous. Nanami doesn't care, says she can handle it, so off they go.
There are some ways that this book is very much like The Cat Who Saved Books, but there are other ways that it is nothing like it. I will say that it is every bit as entertaining and every bit as endearing as the first book. I'm not sure if this book is more philosophical than the first one, or if it just hit me differently so it seemed to be so. I finished the first book in late January, and quite a bit has happened in my life since then.
This book is brilliant, though, just as the first one was. I grew to love Nanami as much as I did Rintaro in the first book (and yes, he makes an appearance here, too). Once again, I found that the translation efforts by Louise Heal Kawai is most excellent, at least as far as I can tell. It was very difficult to tell that this book was not written in English.
In the philosophical arena, we encounter book-burning, as well as the concept books are dangerous and lead people astray. This hits a bit close to home in our current age. There were also several notable quotes that I highlighted (not literally, because I read a library book).
"It's all for show. The truly powerful have no need to flaunt weapons. The weaker you are, the more you feel the need to show off."
"Brute force doesn't solve anything. It just masquerades the solution."
"Books become imbued with the power of all the people who have encountered them."
Probably my favorite: "Don't forget. What you see is not everything. The most important things always reside in the heart." I agree with that wholeheartedly.
And here's one that really made me identify with the protagonist. "Nanami had a peculiar habit of reading multiple books at once, yet still feeling the need to reach for new ones. There were always so many books she wanted to read, far more than she could keep up with." Kindred spirits, we are!
And last, but not least, "Humans are so wasteful with their words." Indeed, we are.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves reading. Of course, if you love cats, it's even better. And libraries, which are some of the most sacred spaces on earth.
There are some ways that this book is very much like The Cat Who Saved Books, but there are other ways that it is nothing like it. I will say that it is every bit as entertaining and every bit as endearing as the first book. I'm not sure if this book is more philosophical than the first one, or if it just hit me differently so it seemed to be so. I finished the first book in late January, and quite a bit has happened in my life since then.
This book is brilliant, though, just as the first one was. I grew to love Nanami as much as I did Rintaro in the first book (and yes, he makes an appearance here, too). Once again, I found that the translation efforts by Louise Heal Kawai is most excellent, at least as far as I can tell. It was very difficult to tell that this book was not written in English.
In the philosophical arena, we encounter book-burning, as well as the concept books are dangerous and lead people astray. This hits a bit close to home in our current age. There were also several notable quotes that I highlighted (not literally, because I read a library book).
"It's all for show. The truly powerful have no need to flaunt weapons. The weaker you are, the more you feel the need to show off."
"Brute force doesn't solve anything. It just masquerades the solution."
"Books become imbued with the power of all the people who have encountered them."
Probably my favorite: "Don't forget. What you see is not everything. The most important things always reside in the heart." I agree with that wholeheartedly.
And here's one that really made me identify with the protagonist. "Nanami had a peculiar habit of reading multiple books at once, yet still feeling the need to reach for new ones. There were always so many books she wanted to read, far more than she could keep up with." Kindred spirits, we are!
And last, but not least, "Humans are so wasteful with their words." Indeed, we are.
I recommend this book to anyone who loves reading. Of course, if you love cats, it's even better. And libraries, which are some of the most sacred spaces on earth.