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ninebookishlives's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
4.0
This is another short story collection that I wished I had spread out over a few days. The intro and rules became a bit repetitive when reading them all in one sitting. That being said, I found this collection more impactful and emotional than The Kamogawa Food Detectives. With a little bit of backstory into each tea drinker's history and reasoning for wanting to travel back in time, it really made each character feel real and like actions in the world had consequences. Maybe not in the present, but I think the overall message of each story could be interrupted differently depending on the reader.
I did like that the first story eases you into the concept before the stories start to break your heart. You're introduced into the world and the rules. Following the first characters debat on whether not it would be worth it based on the rules. Again, it really helped flesh out the world/magic, and surprising in less than 300 pages.
The Husband and Wife story was my favourite, followed closely by The Sisters.
If you're in a good mental space and can handle the content covered (see content warnings), then I think this would be a great collection to space over time. I really hope to continue the series soon, but take more time with the book.
I did like that the first story eases you into the concept before the stories start to break your heart. You're introduced into the world and the rules. Following the first characters debat on whether not it would be worth it based on the rules. Again, it really helped flesh out the world/magic, and surprising in less than 300 pages.
The Husband and Wife story was my favourite, followed closely by The Sisters.
If you're in a good mental space and can handle the content covered (see content warnings), then I think this would be a great collection to space over time. I really hope to continue the series soon, but take more time with the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Medical content, Dementia, and Grief
han_amey's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
izzirizzo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death, Car accident, and Pregnancy
kathi_90's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Dementia, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion
jiobiee's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
OVERALL: 5.3/10, or 2.7/5
This is a cozy, albeit tedious read. I am not as critical as everyone else seems to be of it, for a couple of reasons:
- This is a translated work, and it is difficult (but not impossible) to accurately capture the nuances of another language- especially Japanese.
- This is an adapted work. This novel was based off of a play he wrote for his theatre troupe, hence the stylistic quirks, and why it reads more like a play than a novel.
Keeping these in mind, I am not so quick to condemn a work so harshly because of the conditions it was forged in. I will not, however, pretend that these criticisms aren't valid. They absolutely are.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold follows one Tokyo coffee shop that offers its patrons the chance to go back in time under specific circumstances. You have to stay in one particular seat, you have to think about a time you were at the coffee shop before, and you have to drink your coffee before it gets cold- among a few other extraneous rules. The book is split up into four chronological short stories that follow different characters going back to the past to address loved ones with the hindsight they have from the present.
This is a fantastic get, and paired with its lovely cover art, it was an insta-buy for me. I read this while I was on a week-long cruise, and I enjoyed it for what it was.
What this book excels at is providing the reader with a blank canvas to fill in the blanks the author left out- intentionally-, such as the nuances of language or the actions of its characters. It's simple to a fault, but this simplicity cuts through and makes the tone and theme of these stories crystal clear. It lays its heart out on the table for everyone to see, quietly emotional, eager to make sure it appears contained. Toshikazu Kawaguchi allows us some insight into these situations, unremarkable in almost any facet except that these characters have the opportunity to go back in time to have these conversations. These meetings are the the heart of this book. The pain, hurt, and love these characters feel, are felt deeply. The second storyabout the married couple struggling with early on-set Alzheimer's made me weep.
It is painfully obvious to me that this used to be a stage play. Descriptions are direct and almost clinical, telling you only what the author thinks you need to know. As an actor and director, I appreciate this- in a theatre setting, it would give myself and my peers the opportunity to create the depth that these stories lack. But in a narrative setting, in a novel, it comes across as overly simple and extremely tedious. Emotions are over-explained, or not touched upon at all, and this has the unintended effect of insulting the audience's intelligence. We're capable of picking up on the little things. Not to say that all plays are clinical, direct, or tedious- I'm a big fan of Oscar Wilde and Tennessee Williams, who are both known to have a very distinct voice in even the teensiest of descriptions-, but there are a lot of playwrights that value the input that actors and directors have, and focus on putting words and actions to paper. I will bet you Toshikazu Kawaguchi is one of those playwrights.
I personally was not fond of these characters, merely sympathetic to their plights. I loved the small scale of these situations, but these characters, for the most part, do not think or react how I would expect a human being with their background to react. The reasoning for making the decisions that they do made little sense to me, save for the defining actions of each respective story. The woman in the first story would make decisions that were sometimes understandable, other times infuriating. What actions these characters take don't always need to be the most logical, but we should be able to follow their logic once we have all of the pieces to do so. I still struggle to understand whyKei was allowed by both family and medical professionals to conceive despite her health issues. I know I don't understand how grand it is to give a child life, but I also don't understand why she wouldn't want to, I don't know, adopt? Given that she has had all of these issues? And then she can focus simultaneously on raising a child and managing her condition. I hate the topic of pregnancy and sentimentality over children, but I understand why its so important to a lot of people- and I don't think the story really understood the weight of the situation the same way actual parents should. This is not the right kind of sacrifice for your child. And many of these women doted on those in their lives (usually men) in a way that put no focus on themselves as individuals, just how they could better serve the people around them. There is honor in that, but to give yourself up so easily- I don't think that's what these women would truly want. I disagree wholeheartedly with Toshikazu Kawaguchi on that.
Perhaps I would need to read this book in its original language to see if all of my criticisms remain, but as it stands, this is an okay read. I don't regret my time with it, despite my disagreements with its writing. The second story in particular tugged at my heartstrings, and I loved how cozy I felt reading it. I just wish this was written as a novel first. Character-driven in a novel is vastly different than character-driven in a play. I don't have a cast and crew available to fill in the blanks for me.
This is a cozy, albeit tedious read. I am not as critical as everyone else seems to be of it, for a couple of reasons:
- This is a translated work, and it is difficult (but not impossible) to accurately capture the nuances of another language- especially Japanese.
- This is an adapted work. This novel was based off of a play he wrote for his theatre troupe, hence the stylistic quirks, and why it reads more like a play than a novel.
Keeping these in mind, I am not so quick to condemn a work so harshly because of the conditions it was forged in. I will not, however, pretend that these criticisms aren't valid. They absolutely are.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold follows one Tokyo coffee shop that offers its patrons the chance to go back in time under specific circumstances. You have to stay in one particular seat, you have to think about a time you were at the coffee shop before, and you have to drink your coffee before it gets cold- among a few other extraneous rules. The book is split up into four chronological short stories that follow different characters going back to the past to address loved ones with the hindsight they have from the present.
This is a fantastic get, and paired with its lovely cover art, it was an insta-buy for me. I read this while I was on a week-long cruise, and I enjoyed it for what it was.
What this book excels at is providing the reader with a blank canvas to fill in the blanks the author left out- intentionally-, such as the nuances of language or the actions of its characters. It's simple to a fault, but this simplicity cuts through and makes the tone and theme of these stories crystal clear. It lays its heart out on the table for everyone to see, quietly emotional, eager to make sure it appears contained. Toshikazu Kawaguchi allows us some insight into these situations, unremarkable in almost any facet except that these characters have the opportunity to go back in time to have these conversations. These meetings are the the heart of this book. The pain, hurt, and love these characters feel, are felt deeply. The second story
It is painfully obvious to me that this used to be a stage play. Descriptions are direct and almost clinical, telling you only what the author thinks you need to know. As an actor and director, I appreciate this- in a theatre setting, it would give myself and my peers the opportunity to create the depth that these stories lack. But in a narrative setting, in a novel, it comes across as overly simple and extremely tedious. Emotions are over-explained, or not touched upon at all, and this has the unintended effect of insulting the audience's intelligence. We're capable of picking up on the little things. Not to say that all plays are clinical, direct, or tedious- I'm a big fan of Oscar Wilde and Tennessee Williams, who are both known to have a very distinct voice in even the teensiest of descriptions-, but there are a lot of playwrights that value the input that actors and directors have, and focus on putting words and actions to paper. I will bet you Toshikazu Kawaguchi is one of those playwrights.
I personally was not fond of these characters, merely sympathetic to their plights. I loved the small scale of these situations, but these characters, for the most part, do not think or react how I would expect a human being with their background to react. The reasoning for making the decisions that they do made little sense to me, save for the defining actions of each respective story. The woman in the first story would make decisions that were sometimes understandable, other times infuriating. What actions these characters take don't always need to be the most logical, but we should be able to follow their logic once we have all of the pieces to do so. I still struggle to understand why
Perhaps I would need to read this book in its original language to see if all of my criticisms remain, but as it stands, this is an okay read. I don't regret my time with it, despite my disagreements with its writing. The second story in particular tugged at my heartstrings, and I loved how cozy I felt reading it. I just wish this was written as a novel first. Character-driven in a novel is vastly different than character-driven in a play. I don't have a cast and crew available to fill in the blanks for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
xila17's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
I guess I've just never known grief
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Grief
sarahb919's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-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
4.75
Definitely an emotional book, although it doesn’t start out that way. Bit philosophical: Although you can’t change the past you can change yourself and do better moving forward.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
ninahuynh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
I like the stories but they weren't as phenomenal as the media makes them out to be. Definitely a cozy read. There were a few parts that were confusing and had me flipping back to the previous stories to make sure I didn't read wrong, like Hirai not knowing about the curse, which you would think she would know after spending so much time there and likely witness someone do that. There seems to be some undertones of misogyny here and there, but I don't know if that is from the translation or from the originial text. This also seems to be a trend in Japanese translated novels I have read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Minor: Car accident
skylarkblue1's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Representations: https://trello.com/c/x4zZsSuI/116-before-the-coffee-gets-cold-1-before-the-coffee-gets-cold-by-toshikazu-kawaguchi
If you've liked other recent Japanese translation works in this similar vein, you'll like this one for sure. The rocky translation is still there, but the last 2 stories made me cry :')
Characters were a lot more prominent in this than say, Food Detectives, but there was still a new story and mostly new characters for each of the 4 mini-stories. I really loved the group who runs the cafe, they were really chill and the book felt really calm with them too. Even for the characters that just appeared for 1 story I felt like I understood them, they were all described and explained really clearly and easily.
There's not too much plot, the stories focus heavily around those characters, their lives and why they've visited the cafe. The first 2 stories where a little rough I felt, it had the usual "this has been translated and is understandable, but it feels like a lot is missing between translations". The last 2 stories though, oh boy. I read the 3rd one while volunteering at the library and I was just sat in the corner, surrounded by kids at storytime, just holding back tears :') Then read the 4th story when I got home and just cried at it. Incredible writing there.
Despite dealing with heavy topics as well and being very emotional, it felt pretty light and was certainly a quick read!
If you've liked other recent Japanese translation works in this similar vein, you'll like this one for sure. The rocky translation is still there, but the last 2 stories made me cry :')
Characters were a lot more prominent in this than say, Food Detectives, but there was still a new story and mostly new characters for each of the 4 mini-stories. I really loved the group who runs the cafe, they were really chill and the book felt really calm with them too. Even for the characters that just appeared for 1 story I felt like I understood them, they were all described and explained really clearly and easily.
There's not too much plot, the stories focus heavily around those characters, their lives and why they've visited the cafe. The first 2 stories where a little rough I felt, it had the usual "this has been translated and is understandable, but it feels like a lot is missing between translations". The last 2 stories though, oh boy. I read the 3rd one while volunteering at the library and I was just sat in the corner, surrounded by kids at storytime, just holding back tears :') Then read the 4th story when I got home and just cried at it. Incredible writing there.
Despite dealing with heavy topics as well and being very emotional, it felt pretty light and was certainly a quick read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Dementia, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
ed_moore's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“No matter what difficulties people face they will always have the strength to overcome them, it just takes heart. And if the chair can change someone’s heart, it clearly has its purpose”
‘Before the coffee gets cold’ is a series of interlinked short stories based in the cafe Funiculi Funicula where if a number of conditions are met one can travel back in time and meet someone who had once visited the cafe, just they have to return before their coffee gets cold. I was expecting a more coherent narrative but rather the four tales told are interlinked by the cafe and its staff.
It is a very quaint tale that explores human emotion, relationships, child brith, illness and grief but does this in a very cosy and manageable manner, at no point is this upsetting or distressing but rather very open to being accepting of it and making the best of it. ‘Before the coffee gets cold’ was by no means revolutionary, and no character arcs are particularly major due to the nature of the shifting perspectives in each of the four tales and a lot of the mechanics of the time travel are unexplained and justified as just ‘the rules’. I would’ve loved to hear more about the mysterious ghost figure that remains present throughout the whole novel but always in the background, and maybe this will be a topic of one of the sequels. It just remains a quiet novel about an overlooked little cafe.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Grief, and Car accident