Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

10 reviews

leweylibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

This was such a good book to read during our trip to Japan! There were so many small elements about modern Japanese culture in this book that came up or I noticed in person during our trip, like the maid cafes, family marts, and vending machines. 

The narrator was the author, and she did such an amazing job with these dual narrators in the story, especially considering one was a child/teenager. 

The book was also great enough to me that I know need a physical copy so I can reread it in the future and make better notes of the parts that really hit me hard--and there's a lot of them. Nao and Ruth's characters are great, especially together even though they never technically meet (I love the ending by the way). Ozeki flawlessly weaved these stories together even though they never officially crossed paths. I also loved Nao's father and their relationship and his struggles. I know mental health isn't something that community talks about much at all, so I think it's amazing that this book does talk about it, even if it is painful to read. I love the way this book talks about time and life and what we choose to do with the two. Now I really want to read Nao's book about her grandmother! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Suicide, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Rape

autumnreads23's review

emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

penofpossibilities's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Torture, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, and Hate crime

Moderate: Death of parent and Alcohol

Minor: Terminal illness, Cancer, Lesbophobia, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Genocide

toffishay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This is a story of Ruth in Canada and Nao in Japan telling the story of their lives, their trials and the personal horrors that they face, and how they find a way through with the people around them. I really don't know how to feel, but I was really engaged by this reading experience. It was an interesting exploration of time and identity, who we are in the grand scheme of things. I really connected with Nao and her relationship with Jiko was so beautiful. I liked the deconstruction of a story. Like it's such a meta experience and what we bring to a story as readers. What we read and what we get out of a book says as much about the reader as it does about the writer as it does about the characters in the story themselves. We all make each other. This isn't coherent lol!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Classism, Grief, Abandonment, Misogyny, Death, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Rape, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Vomit, Deportation, and Fatphobia

ka_cam's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

I came across this book as part of Multnomah County's Everybody Reads event and what a great choice! I often like books that involve a light dose of magical realism, historical fiction, existential angst, quantum entanglement, general moodyness, and people connecting across time and space soooo it was kind of up my alley. I felt like the end petered out a bit and sometimes things were a bit on the nose, but all in all really enjoyed!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Rape, Death, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, and Bullying

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, War, Torture, Violence, Suicide, Xenophobia, Grief, and Dementia

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Cancer, Car accident, Colonisation, Deportation, Mass/school shootings, Chronic illness, and Classism

emsim's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, War, Torture, Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Dementia, Alcohol, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Xenophobia

margtherock's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Bullying

ye_li's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

A Tale For The Time Being feels like a fever dream but in the best way possible. It becomes morbid at several points throughout the story, and you can see how Nao spirals deeper and deeper. Ruth's P.O.V was a bit of a slog to get through—I only became captivated with her point of view later on in the book, when it became surrealistic and dreamlike. As time goes on, this book and its story are all I can think about—I can't help but recommend it to other people and I can't stop talking about it. A somewhat grotesque and introspective piece of literature, managing to be so real yet completely bizarre. A work of art.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Violence, Bullying, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Xenophobia and Toxic friendship

Minor: War

badspringbye's review

dark informative slow-paced

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

2.0

it's hard for me to listen to audiobooks so I almost never do but the narrator of this book (the author herself) saved the whole thing. much entertaining than the story itself, gave life to the characters the way I couldn't read it the same way again after trying to read it with my own eyes. it's unfortunate since I liked the flow of Nao's side of story but it keeps on dragging because of Ruth's povs. could not care less about her and her husband and anything about her overall.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Xenophobia

themysteriouserk's review

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A beautifully written book with an intriguing and endearing (if also flawed/complicated) cast of characters. It flawlessly balances a huge variety of perspectives and ideas, its plot covering both the quiet, thoughtful moments of ordinary lives and the dramatic, world-shaping events of the past and present.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Bullying, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, War, Xenophobia, and Racism