flowingleaves's reviews
82 reviews

The Mussel Feast by Birgit Vanderbeke

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A very interesting metaphorical story told in a train of thought-esque style. The family were all very interesting to learn about, and they were an effective way of talking about revolution without actually talking about revolutions. The author does use a lot of repetition in their writing, which doesn't particularly bother me but I can see why it could get annoying sometimes. This was a short book that I enjoyed a lot and that has a very interesting style.
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Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I really enjoyed this book! The premise is a bit convoluted at first, but the plot pulls through and makes everything work really well. The characters were so lovely to read about as well. It's basically a bittersweet, magical realism, slice of life book and that's such a fun style of book. I nearly cried at the ending, which is fairly ambiguous, but in a very good way. Some moments felt a bit awkward and some dialogue was a bit stiff but I suppose that's what happens when a book is translated. Overall, a very lovely read! <3
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