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kai3cll's reviews
180 reviews
My Husband by Maud Ventura
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
People From My Neighbourhood by Hiromi Kawakami
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The House Next to the Factory by Sonal Kohli
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The Penguin Book of Korean Short Stories by Bruce Fulton
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I understand the purpose of this book but didn't particularly enjoy it.
The narrator is a woman of color in her 30s in a foreign land. She has strong beliefs about gender and racial economics, which she believes has placed her at the bottom and few people on a pedestal.
She wishes to use this system to climb the ladder of societal success and become one of the "it" people. This means she wants to desperately get together with a 'white' rich guy, who has commitment issues and an emptiness that is strikingly similar to the narrator.
Her narration and self-awareness are the highlight of the story. She is also obsessed with a woman who is named "the woman I am obsessed with," to a stalkerish level. One can sense envy in the narrator's criticism of this woman.
However, I am unsure if the envy comes from the fact that she wishes to have what that woman has or that she has failed to make anything out of everything she had and thus she is critical of someone who had a lot more than her and is doing fine with it.
That being said, the book goes nowhere. When a writer doesn't name her leading characters, their choices, thoughts, and journey becomes their identity. Now, if these characters don't progress or regress then the book becomes fleeting pages of narration which isn't fun.
Lastly, she doesn't sound like a "fan" in her obsession with a different lifestyle and circle but more like a stalker fan (sasaeng). Many people are "fans" of a lifestyle of ease and luxury but only a few would invest their time, resources, and energy to madly pursue it as the narrator.
The narrator is a woman of color in her 30s in a foreign land. She has strong beliefs about gender and racial economics, which she believes has placed her at the bottom and few people on a pedestal.
She wishes to use this system to climb the ladder of societal success and become one of the "it" people. This means she wants to desperately get together with a 'white' rich guy, who has commitment issues and an emptiness that is strikingly similar to the narrator.
Her narration and self-awareness are the highlight of the story. She is also obsessed with a woman who is named "the woman I am obsessed with," to a stalkerish level. One can sense envy in the narrator's criticism of this woman.
However, I am unsure if the envy comes from the fact that she wishes to have what that woman has or that she has failed to make anything out of everything she had and thus she is critical of someone who had a lot more than her and is doing fine with it.
That being said, the book goes nowhere. When a writer doesn't name her leading characters, their choices, thoughts, and journey becomes their identity. Now, if these characters don't progress or regress then the book becomes fleeting pages of narration which isn't fun.
Lastly, she doesn't sound like a "fan" in her obsession with a different lifestyle and circle but more like a stalker fan (sasaeng). Many people are "fans" of a lifestyle of ease and luxury but only a few would invest their time, resources, and energy to madly pursue it as the narrator.
The Coffee House of Surat by Leo Tolstoy
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
"The Coffee House of Surat" was on top of my TBR Tolstoy because it is situated in my hometown. However, to my disappoint the story had little to do with the place and more with religion.
Albeit it did got a detail right that India is one of the most popular places to discuss religions and Surat was a port for Dutch traders during colonization, which means many people of various faiths did gathered in streets of the city.
As for the short story, Tolstoy discusses various faiths and people's innate wish of ownership, let it be of land or God. He also adds his beliefs (leaning towards Agnosticism) by the analogy of The Sun (it is present everywhere and nobody owns it.) He further uses the analogy of a blind man with strong disbelief in Sun's existence to describe Atheism.
It is a hefty topic to add into a few pages but Tolstoy manages to do it, in a form that is easy to grasp for many people. I particularly liked his take on ownership which is applicable to many political, religious, corporate and more trends.
Albeit it did got a detail right that India is one of the most popular places to discuss religions and Surat was a port for Dutch traders during colonization, which means many people of various faiths did gathered in streets of the city.
As for the short story, Tolstoy discusses various faiths and people's innate wish of ownership, let it be of land or God. He also adds his beliefs (leaning towards Agnosticism) by the analogy of The Sun (it is present everywhere and nobody owns it.) He further uses the analogy of a blind man with strong disbelief in Sun's existence to describe Atheism.
It is a hefty topic to add into a few pages but Tolstoy manages to do it, in a form that is easy to grasp for many people. I particularly liked his take on ownership which is applicable to many political, religious, corporate and more trends.