mazza57's review
4.0
A tale of hows middle aged man, living alone sets out to find out why his food is disappearing. Haivng solved the tale he appears to have regrets about the results. An easy read using language which draws you into his feelings
aylisif's review against another edition
3.0
At first, I wasn’t really driven into the story, and the art style wasn’t the best for me: the lack of colors made me quite anxious in a way. But then near the end, something catched up my interest and I grew fond of the simplicity of this graphic novel ☺️
odrib's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, and Confinement
shumska's review against another edition
4.0
kratka priča -niti šezdeset stranica- o istinitom događaju u nagasakiju kad je stanoviti shimura kobo, primjetivši da mu pojedine stvarčice iz frižidera čudnovato nestaju, napokon otkrio da ima tajnu stanarku: ženu koja mu se potajno uselila u dom i tamo prebivala godinu dana.
sjajno za pročitati u sat-dva i podsjetiti se da ono što stvarnost ispriča, ne može biti nadomješteno ikakvom maštom.
sjajno za pročitati u sat-dva i podsjetiti se da ono što stvarnost ispriča, ne može biti nadomješteno ikakvom maštom.
clarafurchristensen's review
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
patchworkbunny's review
4.0
Fifty-six year old Shimura Kobo lives alone in the suburbs of Nagasaki. His life is relatively uneventful; he goes to work each day and avoids socialising with his colleagues. Then food starts to go missing. The once he could dismiss, but it keeps on happening. Who is in his home, helping themselves to his food?
Nagasaki is a short, but perfectly formed tale, a novella at 109 pages. It doesn’t need to be longer though, it’s a small, intimate story that would likely be damaged with padding. I’ve noticed the French seem much happier with shorter books and yes, it’s French, but somehow seems very Japanese in its telling.
It’s based on a story that ran in several Japanese newspapers and it does make you think. Our homes are our personal spaces, it’s understandable to want them free of intruders. But there’s also a sense of selfishness in the situation…it wasn’t really harming Shimura and there’s a sense of remorse as the story continues. We would like to think we would help those less fortunate in our communities, but when push comes to shove, how many of us do anything?
There’s a lot to think about and discuss which makes this the perfect book for book groups on busy months. Sometimes novellas feel a bit too brief, if ultimately enjoyable, but I don’t think you’d have that problem with Nagasaki.
Review copy provided by publisher.
Nagasaki is a short, but perfectly formed tale, a novella at 109 pages. It doesn’t need to be longer though, it’s a small, intimate story that would likely be damaged with padding. I’ve noticed the French seem much happier with shorter books and yes, it’s French, but somehow seems very Japanese in its telling.
It’s based on a story that ran in several Japanese newspapers and it does make you think. Our homes are our personal spaces, it’s understandable to want them free of intruders. But there’s also a sense of selfishness in the situation…it wasn’t really harming Shimura and there’s a sense of remorse as the story continues. We would like to think we would help those less fortunate in our communities, but when push comes to shove, how many of us do anything?
There’s a lot to think about and discuss which makes this the perfect book for book groups on busy months. Sometimes novellas feel a bit too brief, if ultimately enjoyable, but I don’t think you’d have that problem with Nagasaki.
Review copy provided by publisher.
elenia's review
Court, mais une très bonne lecture. J'étais un peu confuse à cause des changements de narrateur, mais l'écriture de l'auteur était un vrai plaisir pour moi.
jantine's review
4.0
This is a short book without the clashing of huge events, it all keeps polite - which is typical for the Japanese, isn't it? It still is a book with suspence, where many things are not what they appear to be. I liked just rolling along with what happened.
The ending was too abrubt to my liking, I'd have loved to have a little bit more closure.
I received a free copy through Netglley in return for an honest review.
The ending was too abrubt to my liking, I'd have loved to have a little bit more closure.
I received a free copy through Netglley in return for an honest review.
tashachowdory's review
5.0
What a gem of a tale.
The story focuses on the minutiae of one man's life and his obsession with keeping everything in its place. It turns out, that this is what alerts him to the fact that there's someone intruding on his space. As he starts to feel slightly 'odd' when he returns home in the evening. His life feels so lonely, and as the story unfolds, you find out that the 'intruder' has actually been living alongside him for a long long time.
It's slightly scary how 2 people could live alongside one another and not know the existence of the other person. I actually found it really sad, because the 'intruder' knows every aspect of this person, it's quite invasive as he knows nothing about her. I think this was more poignant as it was set in Japan and touches on certain cultural aspects that made it boom-town and also contributed to its demise. The main character was older than standard protagonists tend to be. He also has nothing distinguishable about him which made it sadder in a way. It's hard to describe but you end up feeling quite melancholy afterwards.
It's a short story, but it's the perfect length. My heart broke a little bit for both of the characters. Will now go and eat chocolate.
The story focuses on the minutiae of one man's life and his obsession with keeping everything in its place. It turns out, that this is what alerts him to the fact that there's someone intruding on his space. As he starts to feel slightly 'odd' when he returns home in the evening. His life feels so lonely, and as the story unfolds, you find out that the 'intruder' has actually been living alongside him for a long long time.
It's slightly scary how 2 people could live alongside one another and not know the existence of the other person. I actually found it really sad, because the 'intruder' knows every aspect of this person, it's quite invasive as he knows nothing about her. I think this was more poignant as it was set in Japan and touches on certain cultural aspects that made it boom-town and also contributed to its demise. The main character was older than standard protagonists tend to be. He also has nothing distinguishable about him which made it sadder in a way. It's hard to describe but you end up feeling quite melancholy afterwards.
It's a short story, but it's the perfect length. My heart broke a little bit for both of the characters. Will now go and eat chocolate.
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