Good idea, I don’t get through things quickly!

It reads really quickly though. At least the Dutch version did.

I wasn't that interested in reading it myself (B got it from his mom, but he wasn't reading it) but since the libraries were closed it was the only thing I could read at the start of lockdown.

I was glad I read through all of it in end. There's some interesting insights in there.

regmcfly wrote:

I'll read that. As a shout for next month, I'd love to shout The Parade by Dave Eggers which I started reading before pregnancy went mad, and I'd like to focus on. It appears to be about making a road / racism. So yeah.

Booked for October.

Nina wrote:

It reads really quickly though. At least the Dutch version did. I wasn't that interested in reading it myself (B got it from his mom, but he wasn't reading it) but since the libraries were closed it was the only thing I could read at the start of lockdown. I was glad I read through all of it in end. There's some interesting insights in there.

I've started it. It's certainly very relevant to my areas of interest, as expected.

I've contacted him to do an interview about it as well, but I have a feeling he's too famous for the likes of me these days.

I thought it was decent. Nothing special, but it achieved what it wanted to in quite an efficient manner.

The simplicity and disjointedness of the prose could be said to work if the aim was to create a sort of awkward atmosphere overall, which I feel like it was. The whole thing is about regret and not saying what you wanted to when you had the chance, so shame and embarrassment and stifling social convention are central to it. I don't know if that's generally a theme with Japanese literature, but I figure it probably is to an extent at least.

Plotwise, it certainly hit its emotional moments. These are big tragic personal events that you can't necessarily do anything about, but have to learn to accept and even make the best of, and it got that across. It's all very clear and on the surface about what it's trying to say, to the point of spelling it out, but it's always going to be a poignant message.

So yeah, fine, basically.

One disappointment though:

This might actually been my favourite along with The Builders so far (haven't read the first one yet). It reminded me a bit of Midnight Diner on Netflix.

Took a bit to get used to the writing, but I've had that with most books so far, so can't really hold that against it. I enjoyed how they give you just enough information to set the scenes, but leave enough open for you to fill in. Makes you almost feel part of the gang. Everything comes together at the end quite nicely. 

And while I hoped they would do more with the ghost woman, it didn't feel as a disappointment to me.

do we still need the spoilers?

but isn't that what makes it good? nothing changes, only your perception of a situation you're familiar with.

I liked in the first chapter that in a sense fumiko(?) did change the Present because while her boyfriend did abruptly leave he also is likely to be a different person (or is he? Maybe the conversations are merely getting things off your chest). I was less keen on the third where it felt the woman gave up everything for nothing in her heart but purely others hearts and guilt.

I just think they created a lot of tensions which had no repercussions or pay offs. And I thought it would have been nice if this horrific idea of being cursed became the only way a mother could see her child. It might have been cheesy (and obviously the cooling had a real tension in the last scene where they messed up the conversation a fair bit) but I wondered if they would have someone be cursed in this way and it not feel monstrous.

I didn't like it much all in all. Quite dull and the plot did little of interest, for me.

I can imagine it working rather well as a play, but whether it was the original version or the translation itself, I found reading this bit of a chore. It just never quite got into gear. Still, it's always good to read something a little different, even when it doesn't work for you.

Guess who just discovered a nice hardback copy of The Narrow Road to the Deep North in the pile it books they should have sorted through months ago.

FML.

Is this the general book thread too?

Just took delivery of Dune from Folio Society. My first purchase from them. Bloody hell, I can see why they’re expensive. Amazingly high quality paper and artwork and cover and everything!

Not read this before. Will get cracking.

hylian_elf wrote:

Is this the general book thread too?

Just took delivery of Dune from Folio Society. My first purchase from them. Bloody hell, I can see why they’re expensive. Amazingly high quality paper and artwork and cover and everything!

Not read this before. Will get cracking.

I read it at the beginning of the year. Wasn’t keen.

Hard to find was that I couldn’t be arsed. I don’t like using links or searching for them on this website because it logs you out.

Classic Elf