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aus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
wextra's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Absolutely mesmerizing tale of survival in the aftermath of World War II, this harrowing tale should bring anyone to pause who has thought ill of survivors and war orphans and their struggles. A really perfect story but definitely not for the faint of heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
juan_jose25's review against another edition
4.0
What a heart wrenching and heart breaking sad story
ddrcope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
renart's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.25
uditnair24's review against another edition
4.0
The short story revolves around a personal tragedy of two siblings in japan post world war 2. Its tragic to read through the experiences. Although it's a short story but manages to leave a deep impact. Wars only bring misery to everyone involved. In this case it showcases the tragedy it brings to personal lives.
whovianmonkey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
enfantdepluie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
nhdiary's review against another edition
4.0
"In the morning half of the fireflies had dropped, dead, Setsuko buried their remains in the entrance of the shelter, "whatcha doin'?" "I'm making a grave for the fire-flies," her head bent downward, "mamma too is in a grave, isn't she."
Extremely raw, heart-rending, graphic. And all the more necessary. A testimony of the results of human barbarism at its finest, of the devastation unleashed by wars and the indifference of others in times of survival.
This was definitely a tough read, literally and figuratively. It took me a little longer than I had expected to read this short story, because of its severe lack of punctuation. The translator said it fairly well in his notes, "He [Akiyuki Nosaka] places periods not so much to end a sentence but to conclude a train of thought, and some of his "thoughts" run on for pages." I had to focus more intensively on each group of words to make sense of the story. But, in hindsight, I think that the author's style added a tragic component to the storytelling, similar to a narrator reminiscing about the heaviest years of his life.
It is quite distressing, as a reader, to be presented with Seita's death at the very first page. That graphic image stays with you as you watch the story slowly unfold, dreading reaching the page of the awful, yet inevitable, fate that awaits the siblings.
What makes this book twice as heartbreaking is the fact that this is a semi-autobiographical novel. Many have endured similar cruelty, and most of them did not survive to tell their story.
Extremely raw, heart-rending, graphic. And all the more necessary. A testimony of the results of human barbarism at its finest, of the devastation unleashed by wars and the indifference of others in times of survival.
This was definitely a tough read, literally and figuratively. It took me a little longer than I had expected to read this short story, because of its severe lack of punctuation. The translator said it fairly well in his notes, "He [Akiyuki Nosaka] places periods not so much to end a sentence but to conclude a train of thought, and some of his "thoughts" run on for pages." I had to focus more intensively on each group of words to make sense of the story. But, in hindsight, I think that the author's style added a tragic component to the storytelling, similar to a narrator reminiscing about the heaviest years of his life.
It is quite distressing, as a reader, to be presented with Seita's death at the very first page. That graphic image stays with you as you watch the story slowly unfold, dreading reaching the page of the awful, yet inevitable, fate that awaits the siblings.
What makes this book twice as heartbreaking is the fact that this is a semi-autobiographical novel. Many have endured similar cruelty, and most of them did not survive to tell their story.