giovianna's review against another edition
5.0
loved this book SO MUCH, so many good stories. banana yoshimoto is incredibly special
lizaliza5's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
blairwitchapologist's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
levi_masuli's review against another edition
2.0
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
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
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
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
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