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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
xeno_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
csergilo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
cluelessavian's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
kappafrog's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This book was disappointing. It felt like an anime you'd find really deep as a tween, but as an adult it's heavy handed and not as profound as it thinks it is. The characters were flat, and everything they did or felt was over-explained. They felt more like stock characters than real people, and the dialogue was often unnatural.
The arguments about literature were surprisingly conservative, with a disdain for anything that wasn't a Western classic.The final labyrinth sequence seemed to imply that the final "boss" was the Bible. While it was interesting to see the Bible represented as a Japanese woman, it didn't make a lot of sense.
Gender was handled very awkwardly. We're told Sayo is smart, but this is never actually demonstrated, and she's shown to struggle understanding books, especially those that aren't romances. Even the translator seemed to notice this because she mentions making the cat's gender ambiguous because she didn't think the book needed another male hero.
The best parts were the surreal details of the labyrinth sequences, and the carriage conversation between Rintaro and Tiger. I really liked the scene where you learn he represents the souls of books that Rintaro has loved. The way books moved in the labyrinths and the use of space in the transitional sequences were cool. Overall though, this book felt surprisingly shallow and mediocre.
The arguments about literature were surprisingly conservative, with a disdain for anything that wasn't a Western classic.
Gender was handled very awkwardly. We're told Sayo is smart, but this is never actually demonstrated, and she's shown to struggle understanding books, especially those that aren't romances. Even the translator seemed to notice this because she mentions making the cat's gender ambiguous because she didn't think the book needed another male hero.
The best parts were the surreal details of the labyrinth sequences, and
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia and Kidnapping
novella42's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think this book was not for me. I nearly stopped reading when he brought out the damsel in distress trope, especially considering Sayo was the most interesting character but it was a short enough book I was able to finish it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Misogyny
hello_lovely13's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I did not expect this to hit as hard as it did. This is definitely for the book lovers (and I mean LOVERS). Even the simplest of sentences (i.e.: “do you love books?”) had such an impact on me that it made me tear up out of nowhere. I liked the writing style and each of the characters. The first two labyrinths were definitely the strongest writing-wise. The third was good, but I think it was a bit too short so while the first two had very clear messages, the third was harder to pin down as it didn’t feel as fleshed out. Part of the reason why I didn’t enjoy the third labyrinth as much is because the first two had flashbacks of advice and wisdom from Rintaro’s grandfather, where that was absent in the third . The story overall of Rintaro working through his grief is well done and subtle enough not to be all consuming, but also prevalent enough that the payoff is satisfying and we are happy and can clearly see Rintaro’s character development. One of the main reasons this isn’t a five star read for me (other than the dip in enjoyment during the third labyrinth because it felt too short) is because the progression isn’t exactly what I wanted it to be. In my ideal world, the story would have unfolded extremely similar to how it did. I was extremely disappointed that Akiba wasn’t included in the adventures, only mentioned and interacting with Sayo at school during the chapter featuring the third labyrinth. I would have preferred the story to go this way: the first labyrinth with just Rintaro and the cat; the second with Rintaro, the cat, and Sayo; the third with Rintaro, the cat, Sayo, and Akiba; and the final labyrinth with just Rintaro. This is extremely similar to how it actually occurred, and I just think that it missed out a bit by not including Akiba on the adventures (this would have improved the found family aspect even more while still having Rintaro’s character development and confidence increased by having him complete the final labyrinth alone). Overall, I really loved this; if only there was that one tweak in the story, this could have been a solid 4.5, if not 5 star read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
warlocksarecool21's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
The Cat Who Saved Books is a clever story about the power of books and reading, but also about finding yourself after experiencing a great loss. We follow Rintaro Natsuki, a teenage boy who lived with his grandfather taking care of their bookshop until the grandfather passed away. After, he is facing an imminent move with a distant aunt and a life without the bookshop until he meets a talking cat who requires his help to save books. This story is whimsical and funny, but it has profound messages about what books mean to us and the impact they have on their lives.
The writing was simple and rather direct (which may be a feature of it being a translated work) but I think it serves the narrative well for the topics explored. I also listened to the audiobook and the narrator Kevin Shen was very good and I didn’t mind the writing style that way.
The story itself is clever and witty, the labyrinths Rintaro goes through representing various discourse you often see in the book & publishing community. While I won’t spoil what exactly happens, Rintaro has to face people that only see books for their marketability, as commodities and status symbols instead of powerful gateways to other worlds and the universal experience of humanity. These discussions gave me a lot to reflect on and really made me appreciate how often we take books for granted.
I think the most important component of this story is Rintaro’s character development. He’s mourning the loss of his grandfather (although his grief doesn’t manifest how you would expect it) and what that means for his life, but over the course of the novel you see him grow into his personality and realize what’s important to him. I also really enjoyed how in each of the labyrinths Rintaro would reflect on what his grandfather taught him and how he shaped Rintaro’s life even though he is gone now.
The Cat Who Saved Books is a charming and heartwarming story that I think any book lover would enjoy.
The writing was simple and rather direct (which may be a feature of it being a translated work) but I think it serves the narrative well for the topics explored. I also listened to the audiobook and the narrator Kevin Shen was very good and I didn’t mind the writing style that way.
The story itself is clever and witty, the labyrinths Rintaro goes through representing various discourse you often see in the book & publishing community. While I won’t spoil what exactly happens, Rintaro has to face people that only see books for their marketability, as commodities and status symbols instead of powerful gateways to other worlds and the universal experience of humanity. These discussions gave me a lot to reflect on and really made me appreciate how often we take books for granted.
I think the most important component of this story is Rintaro’s character development. He’s mourning the loss of his grandfather (although his grief doesn’t manifest how you would expect it) and what that means for his life, but over the course of the novel you see him grow into his personality and realize what’s important to him. I also really enjoyed how in each of the labyrinths Rintaro would reflect on what his grandfather taught him and how he shaped Rintaro’s life even though he is gone now.
The Cat Who Saved Books is a charming and heartwarming story that I think any book lover would enjoy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death