Reviews

Yoshimoto is often compared with Murakami for certain reasons I couldn't grasp (except for the fact that they are of course both Japanese0. Murakami has a crazier take on surreal/ magic realism, while Yoshimoto is more focused on the subtleties of simple (but nonetheless insightful)human interactions and observations. Yoshimoto's modesty in Lizard leaves me quite unsatisfied. Maybe it was a cultural thing; Japanese culture has many subtle elements that cannot be translated to English.

sanmeow's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

i liked these a lot, but i truly expected to like them. i always know what to expect from banana yoshimoto because her style is super consistent, and that applies here too. the stories are very banana, yknow. i was also happy about these being short stories because i think banana's style shines in shorter pieces. anyway, i liked all of these, though helix didn't really appeal to me because i didn't connect with the story. the title story was fun and i liked the more peculiar elements of it. my personal favorites would be a strange tale from down by the river, blood and water, and dreaming of kimchee ^_^

runia's review against another edition

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2.0

Meh. Una raccolta di racconti, si legge senza sforzo, ma questo è tutto ciò che è. Ho l'impressione che li dimenticherò facilmente.

megbecker's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.5

jrreads1012's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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