thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
very surprised to find that i actually prefer the english version to this thai version. the language is def beautiful at times and it's more detailed than the english ver overall, but somehow i bafflingly find it less impactful. yoshimoto's stories still ring true w/ their melancholic yet hopeful tone, tho kitchen is markedly better than moonlight shadow imo.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Murder, Cancer, and Car accident
timedothwasteme's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Car accident
james1star's review
emotional
reflective
sad
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
4.0
I picked this up as a ‘blind date with a book’ and was pleasantly impressed. It’s quite a strange one consisting of two short stories (the first split into two parts so three chapters in total), the first about a young woman Mikage who recently lost her sole family member, her grandmother. Yuichi who knew her grandmother asks Mikage round with the possibility of moving in wi yh him and his mother Eriko, who’s a trans woman. The second story follows Satsuki who recently lost her high school lover of four years Hitoshi as she tries to look to the future. Out running she meets a strange woman called Urara who says a once in a hundred year event will take place, Hitoshi’s you get brother Hiiragi is another strange but lovable character we meet.
The prominent motif throughout is grief, the many forms and how it impacts oneself. This sensation is heavily explored and Yoshimoto does a great job at realising these characters and thus how they’re impacted by the death of loved ones. Her storytelling isn’t particularly imaginative but is very real and flows well. The characters are for the most part loveable but what’s done best is how we’re attached to them as a reader in an emotional way. Some sentences maybe went on too long with many passages but her nuance/craft could’ve been lost in translation. Being written in 1988, I thought the inclusion of a transgender character was rather ‘modern’ and greatly appreciated, Yoshimoto’s work was hailed as very contemporary in Japan so this is great. That being said, some parts made me a little uncomfortable where there’s an emphasis played on Eriko (and later Chika)’s ‘masculine’ features, with some outdated terms like ‘transsexual’ with deadnaming and Yuichi has a ‘she was/is a man’ ideology. But this was about it and overall I was impressed by this book. It’s not a favourite but definitely decent and one I’d recommend, the author does an amazing job at making grief a very real and important emotion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Minor: Deadnaming, Murder, Alcoholism, Car accident, Mental illness, Hate crime, Cancer, Death of parent, and Transphobia
lynxpardinus's review
emotional
reflective
sad
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Mental illness, Death, Transphobia, Hate crime, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, Deadnaming, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Violence, and Medical content
Minor: Stalking and Animal death
onthehummingbirds's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident and Death
Minor: Murder
edgaranjapoe'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Deadnaming, and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Cursing, Murder, Animal death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Car accident, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Body shaming
lindcherry's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Car accident
sofiadanielle's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Wow.
This book was so easy to rate 5 stars. I feel utterly moved by the content and by Yoshimoto’s writing. I am fortunate to have not experienced a loss as large as that of the characters, though their stories and the ‘advice’ they are given resound deeply in me.
I didn’t expect to love this book in the way I do, but I’m so happy I bought a copy and took my time with reading it.
This book was so easy to rate 5 stars. I feel utterly moved by the content and by Yoshimoto’s writing. I am fortunate to have not experienced a loss as large as that of the characters, though their stories and the ‘advice’ they are given resound deeply in me.
I didn’t expect to love this book in the way I do, but I’m so happy I bought a copy and took my time with reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
savvylit's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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? No
4.0
Kitchen is a delightful story focused on grief and chosen family. Protagonist Mikage has just lost the grandmother she was raised by. At the funeral, she meets an eccentric and sweet young man named Yuichi who had been friends with her grandmother. Soon after, Yuichi and his mother Eriko invite Mikage to live with them while she gets back on her feet. Their welcoming nature and cozy apartment becomes exactly what Mikage needed during her grieving process. Later, Yuichi faces his own struggles and Mikage is able to return the favor.
Moonlight Shadow, the second novella, is an even quicker look at grief and sudden loss. Satsuki is lost without her boyfriend of many years. But then she meets a strange and magical woman who helps her more than she could've imagined.
Of the two, Kitchen is the more fully-realized and compelling story. Something about Mikage's love of kitchens and food lent the whole thing a very cozy and heartwarming feeling. This made it a perfect read for a cold and rainy day. Moonlight Shadow was more fable-like. It seemed to serve merely as a fictional exploration of the need to come back to yourself while lost in the throes of grief.
Overall, this book is a cozy and quick read with likeable characters. However, Kitchen was first published in 1988 and features some outdated and transphobic language. There are a few trans folks in the first novella who are beloved by the rest of the characters BUT are written about in quite an ignorant way. Even viewed through the lens of a less-understanding past, the outdated descriptions can be quite grating.
Moonlight Shadow, the second novella, is an even quicker look at grief and sudden loss. Satsuki is lost without her boyfriend of many years. But then she meets a strange and magical woman who helps her more than she could've imagined.
Of the two, Kitchen is the more fully-realized and compelling story. Something about Mikage's love of kitchens and food lent the whole thing a very cozy and heartwarming feeling. This made it a perfect read for a cold and rainy day. Moonlight Shadow was more fable-like. It seemed to serve merely as a fictional exploration of the need to come back to yourself while lost in the throes of grief.
Overall, this book is a cozy and quick read with likeable characters. However, Kitchen was first published in 1988 and features some outdated and transphobic language. There are a few trans folks in the first novella who are beloved by the rest of the characters BUT are written about in quite an ignorant way. Even viewed through the lens of a less-understanding past, the outdated descriptions can be quite grating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Transphobia, and Car accident
nofriendofmine's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Transphobia, and Death
Minor: Car accident and Murder