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jacss's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
3.0
Listened to audiobook through Nextory.
"The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida" is part coming of age love story, part trauma lore. When Miwako Sumida commits suicide, it comes as a surprise to her friends. The story recounts how they all met, and concludes with a final meeting and passing of Miwako.
A few takeaways:
- The sister, Fumi, is a transwoman and I thought her depiction was effortless. She was respected as a female character by the author, and it shows. I thought this was more tasteful than other similar books, such as Kitchen, for instance. I also appreciated that being trans, was not the only characteristic that Fumi received, she was a fully fledged character, and not a token of any sort.
- I enjoyed the setting of a Tokyo book, grabbing the map and traveling with them where the book was clear enough.
- I am not sure if Ryusei is dead. Did he also receive the curse? Or has he killed himself to be with Miwako? Or just let himself die after getting sick on the mountain. Not sure.
It was a quick listen, about 9 hours in 2 days and I enjoyed it.
"The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida" is part coming of age love story, part trauma lore. When Miwako Sumida commits suicide, it comes as a surprise to her friends. The story recounts how they all met, and concludes with a final meeting and passing of Miwako.
A few takeaways:
- The sister, Fumi, is a transwoman and I thought her depiction was effortless. She was respected as a female character by the author, and it shows. I thought this was more tasteful than other similar books, such as Kitchen, for instance. I also appreciated that being trans, was not the only characteristic that Fumi received, she was a fully fledged character, and not a token of any sort.
- I enjoyed the setting of a Tokyo book, grabbing the map and traveling with them where the book was clear enough.
- I am not sure if Ryusei is dead. Did he also receive the curse? Or has he killed himself to be with Miwako? Or just let himself die after getting sick on the mountain. Not sure.
It was a quick listen, about 9 hours in 2 days and I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Rape
flattrash's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcohol, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Abortion, Blood, Suicide, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Rape
lumiiyowo's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, and Bullying
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Transphobia
tessjx's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
Slight glorification of suicide aside, this is a fantastic book. Characters are so compelling and rich, and I really felt like I was learning and growing them. I would recommend it to anyone
TW: rape, suicide, bullying
TW: rape, suicide, bullying
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
Minor: Transphobia, Cancer, and Adult/minor relationship
ruby_mae_read's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Suicide
Moderate: Abortion, Sexual assault, and Rape
my_bibliotheca's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.75
Hidup tak pernah seberat yg dialami Miwako Sumida. Jadi, ketika semua rahasianya ia ceritakan, hampir tak bisa dibayangkan betapa kuatnya Miwako menghadapi semua tanpa mengatakannya kepada siapapun sampai akhir hidupnya.
Dari penampilannya yg kaku dan sikapnya yg dingin, pembaca pasti sudah menebak-nebak ada yg keliru dg kehidupannya. Dan semua itu terjawab di akhir cerita, kenapa ia selalu berusaha menyembunyikan setiap luka dan takut membangun hubungan dg Ryusei.
Di prolog, kita sudah dipancing dg percapakan Ryusei dan Chie mengenai dugaan tenpat bunuh dirinya Miwako. Misteri buku ini dibangun dg rapi dan berhasil membuat pembaca penasaran. Potongan-potongan clue dikumpulkan dg menekuri kisah dr ketiga sudut pandang karakter yg dekat dg Miwako, yaitu Ryusei, Chie, dan Fumi. Tidak seperti di buku pertamanya (Rainbirds), Clarissa Goenawan menutup ending secara pasti dr pengakuan Miwako sendiri. Jadi, pertanyaan-pertanyaan dan segala sesuatu yg mengganjal sebelumnya terjawab sudah di sini. Tuntas!
Kejutan-kejutan di akhir cerita (POV Fumi) dan beberapa yg sudah dipaparkan sedikit melalui POV Ryusei dan Chie terasa sangat memuaskan rasa penasaran dan masuk akal mengingat sikap Miwako yg sebegitu dinginnya.
Selain menyoroti tentang kisah di balik sosok Miwako Sumida dan karakter lainnya, buku ini jg menyoroti bagaimana cara berdamai dg kematian orang yg disayangi. Cara yg ditempuh Ryusei dan Chie untuk mengikhlaskan kepergian Miwako hampir sama seperti di buku Rainbirds, yakni dg mengunjungi desa terakhir yg ditinggali oleh Miwako untuk menekuri kegiatan selama hidupnya. Sampai akhirnya Ryusei mampu menerima segala kenyataan yg ada dan berdamai dengannya.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, Death of parent, and Suicide
Moderate: Rape
november_is_reading1114's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, and Abortion
areen's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Sexual assault, Bullying, Death of parent, and Rape
Minor: Abortion
lyd41's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed. I was apprehensive at first about the whole story supposedly centering around finding the 'Why' to Miwako's suicide. Once I started reading, though, I was relieved. This was nothing like thirteen reasons why, no romanticization. (It didn't even focus that much on finding out why.) It was more like a character study, a psychological analyzation of how we deal with trauma, and the baggage that we all carry. The story was told in three separate parts, from each protagonist's POV. I enjoyed seeing three different perspectives of relation to Miwako. The characters are what sold me on this book, they're all very well written. The writing is beautiful: relflective prose, with 2/3 parts being in third pov. My critiques are that the three parts attempted to connect an overarching storyline, creating much suspense and build up, but it failed toward the end. The ending rushed and left me wanting more closure and explanation.
Even though I would have enjoyed a traditional book where the story was told from Miwako's point of view, I think I prefer how this author layed it out, as it created much more curiosity and suspense.
Notes to keep in mind when looking to read this book:
This book is set in Japan and includes all traditional aspects of Japanese etiquette and culture. It may be confusing for some who don't know much of the social culture.
This book is angsty. Very Angsty. Top tier angst. Very possibly triggering things. Check content warnings.
Even though I would have enjoyed a traditional book where the story was told from Miwako's point of view, I think I prefer how this author layed it out, as it created much more curiosity and suspense.
Notes to keep in mind when looking to read this book:
This book is set in Japan and includes all traditional aspects of Japanese etiquette and culture. It may be confusing for some who don't know much of the social culture.
This book is angsty. Very Angsty. Top tier angst. Very possibly triggering things. Check content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Car accident, Deadnaming, Abortion, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Cancer, Rape, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Transphobia
Minor: Outing, Adult/minor relationship, Dysphoria, and Alcohol
feliciaa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
loved this book. loved the plot twist at the end. love the way goenawan writes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, and Transphobia