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jennie_cole's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this book from Audible because the author was Ruth Ozeki. It never dawned on me until I started listening to it that a book titled My Year of Meats was an odd choice for a vegetarian. I loved this book. The two main characters, Jane and Akiko, are beautifully developed and it is great to go through their journeys with them. To the outsider Jane is this tough, mixed race American woman but a lot of that is because she is a very tall women in a world where women are not meant stand out. While Akiko is this abused, timid Japanese woman. But they grow so much throughout the story.
This book is very much the story of how Jane grows and learns about the things she needs and wants most and Akiko develops the strength to explore and be who she wants to be. All of this is set against the idea of showcasing American families and their Meat dishes in a Japanese TV show. The idea of the TV show actually highlights cultural variations between Americans and Japanese but also within the American culture itself. The Japanese TV Producer, Ueno, has a very narrow idea of what types of families are acceptable to the Japanese audience, but as we get Akiko's story we find out that Ueno is entirely wrong. It is through this show that Akiko begins to change.
The second half of the TV show story revolves more around the meat industry itself so if you are not fully aware of what kinds of things go on and how inhumane factory farming is this part might be difficult to read. That being said this is a novel and not a non-fiction expose so that might help you feel better but the scenes at the slaughterhouse and the feed lot do not feel like over-exaggerations. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in Asian based narratives at all. This book is set in 1991 so things have changed in the last 25 years but it is a beautiful piece of social commentary.
This book is very much the story of how Jane grows and learns about the things she needs and wants most and Akiko develops the strength to explore and be who she wants to be. All of this is set against the idea of showcasing American families and their Meat dishes in a Japanese TV show. The idea of the TV show actually highlights cultural variations between Americans and Japanese but also within the American culture itself. The Japanese TV Producer, Ueno, has a very narrow idea of what types of families are acceptable to the Japanese audience, but as we get Akiko's story we find out that Ueno is entirely wrong. It is through this show that Akiko begins to change.
The second half of the TV show story revolves more around the meat industry itself so if you are not fully aware of what kinds of things go on and how inhumane factory farming is this part might be difficult to read. That being said this is a novel and not a non-fiction expose so that might help you feel better but the scenes at the slaughterhouse and the feed lot do not feel like over-exaggerations. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in Asian based narratives at all. This book is set in 1991 so things have changed in the last 25 years but it is a beautiful piece of social commentary.
laurenjnk's review against another edition
4.0
Super interesting. I’m glad I read it as a grownup lady, the themes of work, marriage, motherhood were all the more impactful.
amberhayward's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like it's more of a 3.5 than a 3.
It felt pretty authentic but kind of contrived at the same time. It just kind of ended a little too neatly.
I am a sucker for lady-lit though. Stories of women being women and what that means in society and biology and the whole experience and rhetoric and blah blah blah. I eat that stuff up, you guys and this has it all over.
It felt pretty authentic but kind of contrived at the same time. It just kind of ended a little too neatly.
I am a sucker for lady-lit though. Stories of women being women and what that means in society and biology and the whole experience and rhetoric and blah blah blah. I eat that stuff up, you guys and this has it all over.
emjay2021's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
I remember enjoying this well enough but being a little bit disappointed in it--perhaps it was a case of expectations being unrealistically high; the reviews I read praised it lavishly, and I was expecting to be blown away. I did like it, though, and Ozeki is a good writer. I also think that I might appreciate it more now that I am older and have a different perspective--I might be able to grasp more of the nuances in the story.
I remember enjoying this well enough but being a little bit disappointed in it--perhaps it was a case of expectations being unrealistically high; the reviews I read praised it lavishly, and I was expecting to be blown away. I did like it, though, and Ozeki is a good writer. I also think that I might appreciate it more now that I am older and have a different perspective--I might be able to grasp more of the nuances in the story.
bevmoss6's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book in spite of its multiple characters, eclectic style and varied themes. And I am definitely more aware of what additives are in the meat I buy!
jwiser711's review against another edition
5.0
This book really changed the way I think. I good read. Great fem lit!
stella_starstruck's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed it. I found it hard to put down and when I did, the characters haunted me until I picked the book back up.
I have a few quibbles with the author about life in Japan that she wrote about, but who is to say that another area of the country might be different than what I have experienced.
I have a few quibbles with the author about life in Japan that she wrote about, but who is to say that another area of the country might be different than what I have experienced.
bdfarber13's review against another edition
3.0
4 stars might be a little much, but 3 doesn't seem quite fair. 3.5 sounds about right. The last half/third of the book is heavy-handed with the slaughterhouse and CAFOs soapbox. It's also a little happy ending irritating for me. The casual sexual violence that happens to several of the women in the book is also disturbing. But I really like the characters, specifically Jane, and the families she works with. The writing is very rich and detailed-Ozeki has a lot of very beautiful phrases. I also love the pillow book and the lists that read like poetry. The best part is Jane's focus on making each show with the families she advocates for. I enjoyed those parts the most. I could have done without the last third of the book.
nrhernan's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
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
4.5
sve_ja_ni's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0