Reviews

The Diving Pool by Yōko Ogawa

heleliis's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

3.0

mdevise's review

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5.0

frustrating because there is a part of me that always wants to know what the story is ABOUT. and i just couldn't tell you

lausbiana's review against another edition

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2.0

lo mal que me ha caído la protagonista...lo siento, pero no he llegado a disfrutarla porque además parece que no tiene desenlace

frankoctopus's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

bookworm_42's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-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? N/A

4.5

suzain's review

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

aeski's review

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

5.0

balqisreading's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

3.5

not particularly my favorite Yoko Ogawa’s book.. 

mobyskine's review against another edition

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4.0

These were all nightmarish and quite hauntingly gripping. The novellas totally leaving me with strange feeling, can't really shake off those plots out of my mind. The Diving Pool was mundane but enough to give me that twisted depressing vibe. While Pregnancy Diary was more personal and honest day to day experience, views and thoughts about the narrator's sister's pregnancy. It was funnily absurd and very evocative. My favorite part would be when she explained about her part-time work and while she cooked those grapefruit jams and sitting together with her sister talking about random stuff with surreal weird thoughts. Dormitory was a bit 'dark', quite intriguing and gave me both satisfaction and creepy aftertaste.

I really love how Ogawa ended all of the novellas-- wiser though puzzling with out of exact ending, a pleasant ambiguous.

syinhui's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

4.0

These three novellas evoke a haunting feeling and a deep sense of unease, all within a prose that is gentle, melancholic, and almost relaxing in its mundane, dream-like quality.

For me, The Diving Pool is equal parts unsettling and calming. It’s a peculiar combination, yet so apt for this book. This is a fascinating read and it reminded me of some of the short stories in The Houseguest by Amparo Dávila, the psychological horror elements, the impassive, sad women and in the way how idleness, loneliness, and isolation can leave the mind to ruminate, and even act upon on thoughts both dark and twisted.

The Diving Pool is a great introduction to Yoko Ogawa, and I’d love to explore more of her works.