Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - All the Lovers in the Night

Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami

230 reviews

kajloli's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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corporatelobotomy's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad slow-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

5.0

no one can write about humanity quite like kawakami does. her prose is stunning, and this book has left a gaping hole in my heart i don't quite understand how to fill. at the same time, i feel complete, and seen.

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bookmonsterally's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

3.0

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sappie's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

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maggiezz's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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hello_lovely13's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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sillycreature's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Leave it to Mieko Kawakami to create the most beautiful visuals and lyrical descriptions of what listening to your favorite song feels like. I also enjoyed the brief lessons on how light and colors work.

I could relate quite a bit to Fuyuko, and to me, this story served as an important reminder on what it REALLY means to have a real, genuine connection to someone.
(To put it in a nutshell, take the time to get to know the other person in depth and, in turn, allow yourself to be known and seen and heard as well. It needs to go both ways.)

Did NOT see that ending coming, but I can't say I was disappoined.

In fact, I quite liked the subversion of expectations. It goes back to the previous idea of knowing someone & being known in return. Fuyuko barely shared anything about herself, and also never got to know Mitsutsuka on a deeper level, opting instead to daydream about him or stay mostly silent during their hangouts instead of asking those questions she had in her mind, to get to know him better. In turn, Mitsutsuka himself avoided to tell the truth about who he really was from the very beginning - perhaps out of shame, or simply because it was great to be somebody else for a little while. Maybe he felt lonely, too. Maybe he knew that, if they were to get closer, Fuyuko would eventually find out he wasn't at all what he said he was. Maybe he got scared and that's why he ran away. So they pretty much remained strangers to each other all throughout their "relationship".
Same thing with Hijiri's wish to know Fuyuko better - whether she wanted to get closer to and manipulate Fuyuko, or whether that actually was a genuine plea for connection: "I want to know you better. I want to know you, so I can be your friend, too." I like to think it's the latter reason, but it could be either one.

I only wish we'd gotten more of a glimpse on how Fuyuko's friendship with Hijiri developed after the end of chapter 12.

With that last paragraph, I like to believe that Fuyuko went on to write this very book that we're reading right now, and named it "All the Lovers in the Night". I like to believe that, with these six words, with this book, she finally found her voice.

All in all, every character had its flaws, but Kawakami wrote them in such a way that their personalities & motivations were believable and, most of all, very human - which is why I found all the characters likeable in some way and worthy of consideration.

Except for Mizuno, he can die in the hole he crawled out of for doing what he did and for having the absolute NERVE to blame it all on Fuyuko - and on TOP of that, to say that SHE pisses HIM off. While I can understand his frustrations with a stagnant, pre-determined life in a small town, and wanting to leave somewhere far away, to create his own identity & make a different, better life for himself, NOTHING could EVER justify what he did.

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catsteaandabook's review against another edition

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emotional sad 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

5.0

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ellieangel05's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I thought the language was quite repetitive and for me this made most of the book feel quite slow. But the last 30 pages really brought it all together for me and made me adore the book. I think it encapsulates human experience very well as someone who struggles a lot with mental health. The character of Hijiri specifically is flawed but her flaws for me didn’t make me end up hating her nonetheless. The ending was beautiful.

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lizetteratura's review

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

All the Lovers in the Night is a frigid yet powerful novel that delves into loneliness, connection, and self-discovery, but it also describes work and the close connection of friendship and love, as well as a thought-provoking perspective on social and gendered expectations. The main character, Fuyuko Irie, is easily relatable, and Kawakami does an excellent job at conveying her emotions through the story. The novel moves at a bit slow-ish to medium pace, which may not appeal to everyone, but it allows you to really immerse yourself in the plot. If you appreciate stories that focus on characters and emotions, this one is absolutely worth reading. I wish Kawakami had developed and examined the characters further, but I enjoyed her writing approach of contrasting them, as with Fuyuko and Hijiri. It's a story that sticks with you and makes you wonder long after you've finished reading (endings tend to do this to me).

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