bookswithlydscl's Reviews (639)

Such a fun follow up to Wonderscape. Highly readable.

A moving and layered middle grade story about grief, memory, loss and acceptance, originally written in Dutch and now translated for the first time into English. 

In this book we meet Cate whose mother died giving birth to her and as a result her dad pulled away into his own world of sorrow and grief. Cate finds that she has to navigate her lonely life by keeping busy with her love of kung fu, her pet rabbit that thinks its a pig and her photography hobby. As she whiles away the hours finding the places and things not seen by people around her she comes across a card from a Mrs Kano who runs a cinema with movies showing nowhere. Intrigued she goes to investigate more and in doing so steps into a world of memory that teaches her valuable lessons about life, family and learning to let go.

I picked up this book because the fantasy/time travel element of the story really intrigued me and as I read on became invested in unravelling the mystery of Mrs Kano and what her motivations are. This and the nature of the memory cinema made the heavier storylines more accessible especially as we worked towards working out the mystery and what her ultimate link to Cate and her dad is.

For adults of course this entire plot point is likely to be very obvious but for its intended audience I can see young readers being very intrigued and easily get caught up in the story and the adventures that Cate goes on whilst helping out at the cinema as a time buddy.

This really is a cleverly crafted book with multiple layers that children will easily want to come to again and again and find new things each time. I loved how the story unfolded and found it to be truly though provoking in many ways.

Grown up themes written carefully and with great empathy and attention for it's intended audience make this a highly recommended read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pushkin Children's Books for a copy of the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I swapped between the ebook and audiobook, and honestly, both were a fabulous way to consume the story. The narrators are wonderful, but the words themselves are beautiful and flowing, making it an absorbing and enjoyable read.
The subject matter at times is tough, and it's so endlessly frustrating in many ways, but that's what makes this such a human and enriching story.
I liked the split POV and feel that it was so strongly written that even when we were covering Selasis's side of the same story encountered in Akorfa's narrative that it didn't feel repetitive.
I wanted to take this book slowly and did that during Part One, but once we got to Selasi and started catching up to their adult lives, I just couldn't stop reading. I wanted to see how the story would close, and Part Three brought everything together perfectly and gave me the ending that I hoped we would get. Much like real life, there is an element of ambiguity and openness to the closing of this novel, but I also felt this chapter of their lives had the conclusion it needed.
I'm so glad I picked this up due to its Women's Prize Longlisting and feel that I could come back to it again in the future. 

DNF at 46% - hated the characters, Adam's perspective was a whiny waste of time, Mina is vapid and Sophia from the opening reads like a little sociopath (reminds me of the kid from The Push) so very difficult to like or care about any of them or the surrounding cast of characters in the book. Skipped to the epilogue and I think if I'd persevered I'd have thrown the book across the room.

I am a fan of translated Japanese crime mysteries and especially enjoy those with a more historical focus so this book was an ideal read for me. Set post WW2, we see amateur crime writer 'Akimitsu Takagi' (love this author self-insert) investigate the strange events in the Chizui mansion where a haunting presence casts a shadow over its residents and in rapid succession bodies start to pile up.  

This murder mystery is truly a classic locked room premise clearly influenced by Agatha Christie and holds up alongside her classic Golden Age stories. It's a suitably gothic and atmospheric tale written in an epistolatory style - made up of letters and a journal, which, despite being written originally in 1950, feels timeless and the style doesn't feel out of place amongst modern works published by Janice Hallett for example. The circumstances of the war do provide some plot elements but isn't a major focus of the narrative in the same way that, for example, The Meiji Guillotine Murders does in relation to post-shogunate era Japan so you don't need to know too much about Japanese history or culture to get to grips with the story. 

I really enjoyed the little history notes about Noh theatre and how the plays played an important part in the story without being alienating to readers that may not be familiar with them. In fact, overall I would say that this is an ideal introductory story for readers wanting to get into Japanese mysteries. 

I read this in two sittings over the course of one day as I just didn't want to put it down. It's well paced and clever enough to keep you guessing whilst also making you think that you've got it all figured out to then deliver an almighty punch at the end to give you a closing that is ultimately satisfying and gratifying. The writing is pretty verbose in places but also fits well with the journal style and for me clicked with the understanding about the ultimate who, how and why.

If you want a cleverly plotted and well paced murder mystery this book could tick the boxes for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for a digital review copy of "The Noh Mask Murder" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

3.25* - solid and entertaining but was too long in the middle and the end and 'twists' fell a bit flat for me. Recommend the audiobook- Joanne Froggatt is great.