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cyane's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
(Esta reseña es completamente personal y no hago menos al libro, simplemente es lo que sentí y pensé.)
Me vendieron el trigger warning más fuerte de lo que realmente representó este libro para mí. Por un lado sólo puedo pensar: vaya tela de vida. Por otro lado, pienso: qué hueva con este cabrón. Por otro lado, sí soy capaz de ver el dolor y la reflexión ante el desencanto ante la vida a raíz de cómo fue su vida al crecer. Sin embargo, atravesada por factores con los que nací y que no pude quitarme de en medio durante la lectura, también pienso: cry me a river, why don't cha.
Igual fue porque me lo vendieron como algo fuertísimo y de cuidado y así lo tomé entre mis manos, cuando en realidad he leído cosas peores en lugares muchísimo más cotidianos y allegados a mí, que esto fue como un granito más de arena a la costa distímica donde nací, crecí, y sigo viviendo.
Me vendieron el trigger warning más fuerte de lo que realmente representó este libro para mí. Por un lado sólo puedo pensar: vaya tela de vida. Por otro lado, pienso: qué hueva con este cabrón. Por otro lado, sí soy capaz de ver el dolor y la reflexión ante el desencanto ante la vida a raíz de cómo fue su vida al crecer. Sin embargo, atravesada por factores con los que nací y que no pude quitarme de en medio durante la lectura, también pienso: cry me a river, why don't cha.
Igual fue porque me lo vendieron como algo fuertísimo y de cuidado y así lo tomé entre mis manos, cuando en realidad he leído cosas peores en lugares muchísimo más cotidianos y allegados a mí, que esto fue como un granito más de arena a la costa distímica donde nací, crecí, y sigo viviendo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child abuse
lilylivresque's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Felt more like a conversation than a book. Beautiful, beautiful prose, yet simplicity is maintained with pivotal moments presented as poignantly brief. While there is danger in romanticising this novel, the tortured artist-esque theme was well done, with sentiments on art running reminiscent of Wilde. I appreciated how the characterisation in the novel underlined the duality of a complex narrator, especially considering the parallels that he projects. I feel as if a lot of the negative reviews do not properly address that we are meant to dislike the narrator. It is okay to avoid this book due to its sensitive content (which I admittedly struggled with), but if we are to assess literature fairly, then it is our duty as readers to acknowledge that we are dealing with an extreme. Literature is a means of perspective and ethical distinctions are contingent on the deplorable insights that it can enable—without these conversations, how else will we induce change? I believe that this novel’s unreliability of narrative works well to recognise and challenge ongoing societal issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Suicide
strawberrygrapejelly's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
I picked up this book after reading a few chapters of Junji Ito's depiction of it, which in, in my opinion, illustrated the damage Dazai suffered at the hands of his abusers in a very profound way.
I finished this in one go. Hard not to. There is a darkness that is unique to this book, and it is compelling.
But can I be real with you?
I definitely think my life is not better for reading this.
And I would not recommend anyone read it.
I didn't learn or gain a damn thing. Let me explain.
People often act like if you don't read this you're missing out/are deliberately sheltering yourself, but I think that shows their own immaturity and lack of life experience and perhaps even their inexperience with literature? I'm ranting but people also think it somehow makes them so enlightened lmao to "be able to" look past the horrific levels of misogyny that stemmed from his horrific and fucked up life experience no one should ever go through (SAed as a child at the hands of women ). It is not "missing out" to not want to read about an abused person becoming an abuser if you already understand the mechanisms in place. The MC also inflicted profound levels of violence and damage on his victims.
And guess what? All of this? Extremely, unfortunately, common and even mundane. All of it.
Sure, you could possibly gain perspective from this if you're like 15 and untouched by the world. But if you've lived any amount of real adult life, the perspective offered here is not extremely unique and not much more than a BEYOND extremely depressing and disturbing reminder of what victims go through, including Dazai, and including his victims, and how ugly humanity can be.
His depiction of the brain fog and extreme darkness that happens when you're suicidal/ near suicidal is also very accurate and no I will not elaborate. But is it worth reading the book?
I'll also say no to this.
I'm repeating myself, but this story is not unique. A story does not have to be unique, but again, people getting up in arms about people not enjoying this book probably don't realize either of those things.
It's not a bad book. It's also not worth the read. Again, I genuinely
I wish the NLH/Dazai glazers understood the following.
A book can incite a lot of feeling and not be good. A book can accurately describe the depths of human darkness, which this book absolutely does, and not be good. A book being damaging to the soul does not make it good. It just makes it damaging to the soul.
Now if you read all this and value this book for those things, you're entitled to your opinion.
But plenty of people do not love this book but also fully understand it. End of rant that definitely did not get written because of the braindead, unnuanced take I see everywhere that you're missing out because you want to avoid the, AGAIN, very awful and unfortunately realistic content of the book. Imagine telling a woman who has suffered violence at the hands of man that she could learn something from this book. Or even a woman who has had to to witness it happen to others. Chances are she already has.
I finished this in one go. Hard not to. There is a darkness that is unique to this book, and it is compelling.
But can I be real with you?
I definitely think my life is not better for reading this.
And I would not recommend anyone read it.
I didn't learn or gain a damn thing. Let me explain.
People often act like if you don't read this you're missing out/are deliberately sheltering yourself, but I think that shows their own immaturity and lack of life experience and perhaps even their inexperience with literature? I'm ranting but people also think it somehow makes them so enlightened lmao to "be able to" look past the horrific levels of misogyny that stemmed from his horrific and fucked up life experience no one should ever go through (
And guess what? All of this? Extremely, unfortunately, common and even mundane. All of it.
Sure, you could possibly gain perspective from this if you're like 15 and untouched by the world. But if you've lived any amount of real adult life, the perspective offered here is not extremely unique and not much more than a BEYOND extremely depressing and disturbing reminder of what victims go through, including Dazai, and including his victims, and how ugly humanity can be.
His depiction of the brain fog and extreme darkness that happens when you're
I'll also say no to this.
I'm repeating myself, but this story is not unique. A story does not have to be unique, but again, people getting up in arms about people not enjoying this book probably don't realize either of those things.
It's not a bad book. It's also not worth the read. Again, I genuinely
I wish the NLH/Dazai glazers understood the following.
A book can incite a lot of feeling and not be good. A book can accurately describe the depths of human darkness, which this book absolutely does, and not be good. A book being damaging to the soul does not make it good. It just makes it damaging to the soul.
Now if you read all this and value this book for those things, you're entitled to your opinion.
But plenty of people do not love this book but also fully understand it. End of rant that definitely did not get written because of the braindead, unnuanced take I see everywhere that you're missing out because you want to avoid the, AGAIN, very awful and unfortunately realistic content of the book. Imagine telling a woman who has suffered violence at the hands of man that she could learn something from this book. Or even a woman who has had to to witness it happen to others. Chances are she already has.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
danny_peanut's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
I found this as an amazing mirror while I was/am struggling with motivation and my choices I need to make atm. The cover and title hooked me, the sadness, events and melancholy calmed me. I found three times while reading this book I had to stop for a moment - on the verge of tears. The story doesn't really climax... that for me worked, implying there's a future to Yozo and thus a future for many in similar situations.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
cuucmber's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Classism
nyra's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
ammireads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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? Yes
4.0
“from then on, however, I came to hold, almost as a philosophical conviction, the belief: what is society but an individual?”
i would say the book was terribly sad but oddly funny, at times, in its absurdity. the main character seemed to run so much from the idea of “society” of what he believed a human being is like that he somehow got stuck in it. i think, at the end, through it all, his biggest enemy was himself
i would say the book was terribly sad but oddly funny, at times, in its absurdity. the main character seemed to run so much from the idea of “society” of what he believed a human being is like that he somehow got stuck in it. i think, at the end, through it all, his biggest enemy was himself
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
fishreads's review against another edition
dark
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
I seriously didn't get what this guy's problem was, except being an entitled spineless brat with zero redeeming qualities. But apparently this book is second most sold book in Japan, what am I not getting here?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse and Rape
Minor: Suicide and Death of parent
skvm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
sausten03's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt