nadia's Reviews (587)

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I think it's because I'd only read the blurb once, didn't remember it, and didn't read much else about the book — so I didn't have any high expectations.

This book is dark. I think I may have gasped or went "ooooh" at the end of each of the 5 chapters. 

The main reason this couldn't be a five star read for me is because I needed a little bit more with regards to character and plot development to fully believe everything the characters end up doing.

Still, I love the way each section builds up on the last until you're left with a complete-ish picture by the end. It's a story that explores the themes of motherhood, belonging, and nature vs nurture, and left me mulling over these things long after I read the final page.

What a lovely, sweet, emotional read about a man taking a last-minute road trip with his cat.

I was surprised by the cheeky, sassy tone of the main narrator of the book, Nana, the cat, but it was so much fun. Animal narrators often give us a chance to reflect and laugh at some of the funny things we do day-to-day as humans, including how we interact with animals!

A few people warned me to get tissues ready before I read this book, but I'm yet to cry while reading. While this book has sad moments, overall it's a  heartwarming, relaxing, light read that explores friendship.

A sad read about a man looking back on his difficult life, from trying to make ends meet as a labourer in Tokyo in the 1960s to a homeless resident of Tokyo's Ueno Park in the present day, who has recently died..

It was amazing to read this one while in Tokyo, having visited a lot of the places referred to in the book.

Yu Miri's writing — combined with Morgan Giles' translation — is excellent. It's clear and succinct, and yet filled with just enough descriptions and metaphors that were so simple, but also effective and emotive.

Tokyo Ueno Station makes you reflect on just how many people out there have fallen on bad times due to unfortunate luck, and how they have no choice but to struggle to navigate a society that doesn't empathise with them, but hastily judges and rejects them instead.

This is a heartwarming, but also heartbreaking, read, about people who can travel back in time to see someone from their past from this one cafe in Japan, but they must return back before the coffee placed in front of them has turned cold. Oh, and there's a bunch of other rules too... 

I love the slightly quirky storytelling style and I wonder if this is something I'll find more of as I read more Japanese literature. I had a fondness for the cast of characters, but I also felt like I wasn't given enough to fall in love with them. There was a certain distance that I felt, though that may have been down to the writing or translation style.

As with most novels that contain a theme of time travel I had questions about the mechanics described and I felt that some details could have been offered to fill in potential plot/concept holes. However, I pretty quickly decided to just go with the flow and accept what was written down at face value.

This book really makes you think about, and lament over, all the things that are left unsaid in this world. Things that might make someone smile, improve someone's day, heal strained relationships...

I hope that more people read this book if only because it might lead to more of us telling one another how we feel and not letting the opportunity to have these important conversations pass us by.

What a quirky read this was! My first of my Japanese reads while I’m in Japan. 😁

Within the first few sections I found myself laughing out loud and once I got stuck in, I found myself feeling sad and reflective. 

Murata has written such a compelling protagonist in Keiko, a single, 36-year-old woman who has worked in a convenience store for the last eighteen years or her life and is trying to navigate ‘fitting into’ society.

This book really makes you think about the things people do only because they make them happy and the lengths some people go to just to be perceived as ‘normal’. It also makes you lament about the sheer number of people that love to impose their opinions and judgments on others.

I found some of the topics of discussion that cropped up a little repetitive - though perhaps that was the point - and the book was also a little too short for me! I wanted to have more time and space to explore the unique narrative arc that Murata had created.

This was definitely more of a page-turner than The Handmaid's Tale, so I enjoyed it in that respect, and having reread The Handmaid's Tale so recently only enhanced my reading experience of The Testaments.

There were gripping, tense scenes, moments that made me squirm in disgust and horror, and even a few pieces of dialogue that elicited a little chuckle.

The book has three different perspectives. At first, I enjoyed the variation of all three, but then one of them became rather irritating and I didn't wholly believe the character and her actions most of the time. I was also rather surprised at how abrupt the ending was given the build-up to the whole thing.

On top of all of this, there was just something missing in this book, and I can't put my finger on it. It just didn't feel as deep and grounded as The Handmaid's Tale. Does anybody know what I mean by this? I'm not even sure I know. 😅

I enjoyed this instalment but didn't feel as 'wowed' as I did when I read the first volume. I felt a little less emotional attachment, but I still raced through it and felt a range of feelings whilst doing so. The art is still so beautiful!

A decent, fun read.

It followed The Flatshare so that was going to be a tough act to follow in this category of books.

Ultimately, I did enjoy it and I did laugh out loud a couple of times, but this wasn't anything to write home about, and it was rather predictable and unbelievable at times.

Very useful, especially if you're a startup founder, for getting a detailed-enough overview of all facets of the venture capital world!

Even if you're not involved in entrepreneurship or tech, but you've seen things like "X company has raised a Series A of $10 million" or "Y company acquired by Z company for $500 million" and you want to have more of a sense of what that means, then this book is for you!

Such a cute, fun read. There were times when I chuckled, gasped, exclaimed "nooo!", and cringed. 

What I love is that the author dealt with serious mental health and trauma issues incredibly well in a book that was ultimately warm and feel-good.

There were things about the plot that were a little annoying, but overall this was a great story and I'm definitely looking forward to Beth O'Leary's 'The Switch Up', due out in April 2020.

Interesting fact: The bulk of the book was written on O'Leary's train commute between Winchester and London! 2 hours of focused writing time each day!