Reviews

Herr Nakano und die Frauen by Hiromi Kawakami

jenny_sofia's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

3.0

mimosaeyes's review against another edition

3.0

Slice of life story set in a thrift shop and revolving around the people who work there. I'm not normally the kind to mind, but nothing much happens, and it is quite flat affectively. The prose is really straightforward and unadorned. Still, it has a certain charm to it by the end.

annaptobias's review against another edition

2.0

I don't know why I'm having such a difficult time reading this. I used to devour Japanese contemporary novels like they were going out of style. Maybe I've outgrown it? The story follows the lives of four employees of a thrift shop: Mr. Nakano, the shop owner; his sister Masayo, and the two employees Takeo and Hitomi. Everyone is, uh, quirky--except for Hitomi, who is so utterly bland. I hesitate to call her a character since she barely has any. All that I can surmise about her so far is that she had a relationship a short time before starting the job, and she's interested in starting a relationship with her co-worker, who's not entirely excited to return her feelings.

lauranickel's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

oleander's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-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

3.75

hanabaiyu's review

5.0

Alltagserzählungen aus einem Trödelladen mit herzlichen Charakteren, die man schnell ins Herz schließt. Wenig tiefgründig, dadurch aber erfrischend leicht zu lesen

mgrumet's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective 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

4.0

jesselopod's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

3.5

madkc4ever's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Gentle is the perfect word to describe this book - Kowakami focuses more on character rather than plot which some enjoy and some do not. Not much happens in the book - the world that Kowakami created in the small thrift shop in Tokyo is quiet and gentle. Each chapter is named after an item in the thrift shop that the chapter will then use to help you get to know the characters bit by it. Strange Weather in Tokyo - another Kowakami - is the work that I prefer because I feel as though the characters were fleshed out more but this is a cozy and splendid coffee read.

cirrus_prince's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

Took a little while to grab me, but I ended up liking this book more than I expected to. Very much a slice-of-life, where nothing dramatic happens and there isn't a strong plot, but this book is a series of lovely little vignettes that transport you into everyday moments of the Nakano shop. Evocative, slow and reflective, I found myself drawn into the tiny but very human happenings of the characters.