Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - El declive

Funnily enough, The Setting Sun reminded me of El Coronel No Tiene Quien Le Escriba: both are novels I deeply respect the literary/cultural significance of, but struggled to connect with because of the very literary techniques they're renowned for. That being said, there are some beautiful images here, and

Naoji's final letter really resonated with me.

.

I also can't help but feel like this novel was somewhat lost in translation for me, unfortunately.

But perhaps, just as it is true of my love, they could not go on living except in the way they do.

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clemrain's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.5

It’s simply a beautiful book. I really savoured it. Enjoyed every page.

Characters are a delicious soup. So deep and yet so simple.

The writing is so dreamy. And I’ve never read a structure like this. I loved reading what was practically Kazuko and Naoji’s diaries and collection of letters. It was intimate and I felt for and understood the characters deeply.

A whole story revolving the love you feel for a mother and how a child is always just a child. The identity and connection and ties to a mother. I appreciated it.

I saw a lot of typos in the translation. And thought some of it was awkwardly written. I wonder how true to the original these typos or awkwardness was.

I’m not sure if I could read through this again. But I do feel an urge to. Looking forward to reading more Dazai.

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marianasreading's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.25

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nadanje's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

My favourite Osamu Dazai’s work. In spite of No longer human being more popular currently, I find that the Setting sun is his best work because the main character actually wants to live. Her methods are not perfect or kind, not even good but she is human who wants and fights to live. Her brother is what i consider a classic Dazai character but the one chapter dedicated to his character made me love him as an addict who suffers but stills loves. This book gave me some of my favourite quotes. It talks about failing japanese aristocracy (hence the name Setting sun) but my favourite part is the exploration of human suffering and the way we deal with it.

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chaconne's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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