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mazzoccatoadele's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, and Vomit
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
whaliensong's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
That's how it felt reading this, as someone struggling to navigate lost and alone in the dark. As someone who's felt the need to hide the part of themselves too "subhuman" for society. The experience of reading this book felt like a release, and it pulled up a stool for me at the bar in Ginza to sit with my fears of abandonment and isolation.
I just wish there was someone there to echo Osamu Dazai's thoughts back to him so he could hear how he sounded.
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault
ada_elisabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'm so glad I read this. It was dramatic, melancholic, and deeply philosophical. It was one of the best explorations of the human experience I've ever read. It was one of the few translated books that I found to have beautiful writing. It was, in an odd way, comforting.
This book does a great job of balancing the intensity of Yozo's life and emotions; although it is often a very calm, slow-paced story, there are moments (especially towards the end) when it begins to spiral and peak in the best way possible.
I am sure I will revisit this book (and this review) in the future, because I loved it and I could think about it probably for the rest of my life, but for now, we're on to other things.
Since I still haven't started school yet, there may be time for one final book of Sad Book Summer, but if not, this was a remarkable way to close the season out. It wasn't tender or gentle in the way that many other sad books are, and it had almost no positivity or happiness in it, but sometimes, that's the only thing I want to read. I think this may very well be my favorite book of the year. 5/5. Incredible.
There were too many amazing quotes for me to pick just one favorite, so here are my top three:
"There are all kinds of unhappy people in the world."
"I wonder if I have actually been happy."
"It is curious, but the cathedrals of melancholy are not necessarily demolished if one can replace the vulgar "What a messy business it is to be fallen for" with the more literary "What uneasiness lies in being loved."
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
micahsch17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Mental illness and Misogyny
sausten03's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
hongstoes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I knew halfway through the book that I wanted to reread it. It's quick with fairly simple prose that allows you to lose yourself in it.
Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Minor: Rape
wyabook234's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Child abuse and Death of parent
pata's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
ellies_92's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
L'epilogo
Non mi aspettavo il commento finale nell'epilogo
Ad ogni modo questo libro secondo me ha un potente potere didattico e riesco a cogliere un messaggio di speranza, nonostante tutto: lungo tutto il corso del libro ci si trova a sperare che Yozo si redima, che cambi vita, perchè nella sua disperazione e nel suo sentirsi alienato è così profondamente e unicamente umano che è impossibile non empatizzare con lui. Verrebbe persino voglia di entrare nel libro ed abbracciarlo. Vedo Yozo come un
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
pissnelke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Suicide attempt