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lucyatoz's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
"Grandpa used to say it all the time: books have tremendous power. But what is that power really?"
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated from Japanese into English by Louise Heal Kawai, is the magical story of Rintaro. One day, following the death of his Grandpa, a tabby cat walks into the bookshop where he spend hours reading books from the high shelves and starts talking to him!
What follows is four labyrinths where Rintaro must go to figure out a way to dissuade people from imprisoning, mistreating and destroying books, using his own logic and reason.
This is a really heart-warming tale, a deceptively simple yet engaging and complex story.
I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on CloudLibrary. I read this for prompt 16, an omniscient narrator, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated from Japanese into English by Louise Heal Kawai, is the magical story of Rintaro. One day, following the death of his Grandpa, a tabby cat walks into the bookshop where he spend hours reading books from the high shelves and starts talking to him!
What follows is four labyrinths where Rintaro must go to figure out a way to dissuade people from imprisoning, mistreating and destroying books, using his own logic and reason.
This is a really heart-warming tale, a deceptively simple yet engaging and complex story.
I borrowed a copy of this book from Taunton Library and listened to it on CloudLibrary. I read this for prompt 16, an omniscient narrator, for the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge 2024.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
palmkd's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This is a book about both the love of books and idealism vs reality. It's a tale of magical realism following high school student Rintaro Natsuki just after his grandfather passes away. Translated from Japanese, this story feels both like a parable and a peek at Japanese culture. The story itself feels rather cozy and was a very nice listen. There was a note from the translator included with the audio version I listened to which was also very nice to hear some tidbits about why they chose to translate certain things the way they did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
kathi_90's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia
zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
4.5
I loved this 😭. The romance felt forced, though
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Grief
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Confinement and Pandemic/Epidemic
rinku's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Fatphobia, and Grief
Minor: Kidnapping and Death of parent
craftysnailtail's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
This book was extremely gentle. I wanted something to read before bed and this is an ideal story for that. It felt like a middle grade short story and I was honestly a bit disappointed in the translation because it made it feel rather dry.
Nevertheless, the theme is heartwarming and makes you think about why you love books and what reading means to you emotionally. The character development was sweet and I'm a bit of a sucker for books about books, so I do think it's worth a read if you're interested in a pleasant and warm story. Plus who doesn't enjoy a talking cat?
Nevertheless, the theme is heartwarming and makes you think about why you love books and what reading means to you emotionally. The character development was sweet and I'm a bit of a sucker for books about books, so I do think it's worth a read if you're interested in a pleasant and warm story. Plus who doesn't enjoy a talking cat?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death
Minor: Death of parent
ehmannky'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? No
3.0
We follow Rintaro, a self-described hikikomori experiencing grief the week after his grandfather dies, going on little adventures with a magical cat that appears in the bookshop in order to save books from people who are hoarding/mistreating them in some way. It's a sweet story about opening up and finding a way to belong in a world while staying true to your beliefs. I think some of the ways reading was described were a little preachy and a bit much, and this is coming from someone who loves reading and books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
serendipity421's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, and Grief
paige_hollingsworth99's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
I thought this book was delightful. The cat was endearing to me, and I enjoyed the reluctantly helpful teenager who got dragged along helping the cat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death and Fatphobia
anguawolf's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Grief