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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
ashley_143's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
4.0
Such a good book! Osamu Dazai is a great author, he’s book provides so many great quotes and insights. In this book he somehow figured out certain aspects of life that young teenager girls go through. However, some parts seemed a bit misogynistic. As the author is a grown man writing from a young teen girls perspective, so some of the comments about other women just seemed gross at times. However his flow of writing and amazing quotes really sealed the deal that this book was good!
aynazdiary's review against another edition
"You wait and wait for happiness, and when finally you can't bear it any longer, you rush out of the house, only to hear later that a marvelous happiness arrived the following day at the home you had abandoned, and now it was too late. Sometimes happiness arrives one night too late."
mikelesa's review against another edition
3.0
It was cute it was fun. A bit sad. I thought she might get her period until i checked who the author was.
And somethings were just weird like her opinion on women especially.
Really loved the last bit.
And somethings were just weird like her opinion on women especially.
Really loved the last bit.
alehlir's review against another edition
5.0
«¿Será la juventud algún tipo de enfermedad como el sarampión, que nada más se cura pasándolo?»
«Me parece bastante cruel que se eduque a todo el mundo con los mismos valores e ideales cuando todos somos distintos.»
«¿Por qué no nos satisface pasar toda la vida amándonos solamente a nosotros mismos?»
«Me parece bastante cruel que se eduque a todo el mundo con los mismos valores e ideales cuando todos somos distintos.»
«¿Por qué no nos satisface pasar toda la vida amándonos solamente a nosotros mismos?»
bingbongbeepbeep's review against another edition
4.0
"Well, bear with it just a little longer, if you can make it to the top of the mountain, you'll have done it, you are ignoring the fact that we are suffering from a terrible stomachache--right now" (p. 99). There were several passages that caught my attention during the reading but this one in particular & the last one I had marked seemed to summarize the majority impression I received from those prior. Purpose. I am trying my hardest or even a matter of why am I trying my hardest. I'll either go insane (or more insane) by constantly trying to prove myself to others or shall I continue to idly perform as an NPC in this grown up adult world. I guess either option isn't really desirable. So what does it all mean?
xuxicroptop's review against another edition
5.0
Genuine beauty is always meaningless, without virtue.
Rating
I’ve opted to give Schoolgirl a 5/5 rating.
Genre
I am very unsure of the genre of this book, and therefore can only label is as Japanese Culture, and Japanese Literature.
About the Book
Schoolgirl follows the typical day of a young Japanese school girl. We are introduced to a lot of her inner feelings, including grief, mourning, happiness, and are shown her realism. With further revision, I have found out that this novella describes the social structures of a time in Japan, now lost, and how the young girl we follow struggles against them.
Why did I choose this book to read?
I chose to read Schoolgirl because it was the first Dazai Osamu story I came across. I’ve wanted to read Dazai’s work for a long time; he’s well renowned as being one of the best Post-War Japanese authors around, so when I found Schoolgirl I just had to dive in and give it a read.
Pricing
I read this for free thanks to a 30 day free trial with Scribd.
Note: with the 30 day free trial you only get three book credits to read three full books.
What did I think of it?
Schoolgirl is a hard title to review. I didn’t think much of it when I first started reading it, and it was hard to actively get into (see: qualms). Eventually, when I say down and forced myself to read, I was able to appreciate it for what it was. A young girl, struggling in the coarse of daily life; it was really relatable, other than the obvious Japanese traditions which I don’t partake in, but it was scary how much I could relate to this. It moved me, massively, and I teared up at one or two parts of the story. Dazai’s words may be used very simply at times, but they portray such a massive picture. Dazai has created a true work of art within Schoolgirl, and I may be biased because I love Dazai’s aesthetic so much, but this was truly stunning.
Did I have any qualms with it?
I had a qualm when I first began to read it, and that was the very short sentences that read more like a poem than they did a story. It took me time to get used to it, and to realise that perhaps this was due to translation, or this is how sentences are structured in Japanese, or just simply, Dazai wrote them that way. It took me time to adjust, but once I did, I can no longer refer to this as a qualm. Upon studying it after finishing Schoolgirl, I found out that Dazai was using new language types, using ironic and inventive language use and it made sense. After rereading the first few pages with this in mind, I was able to enjoy it much more.
Would I recommend it and who to?
I would definitely recommend this novella to everyone and anyone who enjoys Japanese literature, and stories that are likely to become classics in later years. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys short novellas, and to those who enjoy novellas that make them think about the world, and their own lives.
Overall opinion
Schoolgirl is honestly a masterpiece. Never have I been so taken back by a story before, let alone a small novella. This deserves so much attention. You can feel the pain that Dazai was in when writing this and it gives the story a whole new feel. I loved this; I 100% loved this, and this is definitely a book I will be buying a copy of to add to my small collection of Japanese literature.
Rating
I’ve opted to give Schoolgirl a 5/5 rating.
Genre
I am very unsure of the genre of this book, and therefore can only label is as Japanese Culture, and Japanese Literature.
About the Book
Schoolgirl follows the typical day of a young Japanese school girl. We are introduced to a lot of her inner feelings, including grief, mourning, happiness, and are shown her realism. With further revision, I have found out that this novella describes the social structures of a time in Japan, now lost, and how the young girl we follow struggles against them.
Why did I choose this book to read?
I chose to read Schoolgirl because it was the first Dazai Osamu story I came across. I’ve wanted to read Dazai’s work for a long time; he’s well renowned as being one of the best Post-War Japanese authors around, so when I found Schoolgirl I just had to dive in and give it a read.
Pricing
I read this for free thanks to a 30 day free trial with Scribd.
Note: with the 30 day free trial you only get three book credits to read three full books.
What did I think of it?
Schoolgirl is a hard title to review. I didn’t think much of it when I first started reading it, and it was hard to actively get into (see: qualms). Eventually, when I say down and forced myself to read, I was able to appreciate it for what it was. A young girl, struggling in the coarse of daily life; it was really relatable, other than the obvious Japanese traditions which I don’t partake in, but it was scary how much I could relate to this. It moved me, massively, and I teared up at one or two parts of the story. Dazai’s words may be used very simply at times, but they portray such a massive picture. Dazai has created a true work of art within Schoolgirl, and I may be biased because I love Dazai’s aesthetic so much, but this was truly stunning.
Did I have any qualms with it?
I had a qualm when I first began to read it, and that was the very short sentences that read more like a poem than they did a story. It took me time to get used to it, and to realise that perhaps this was due to translation, or this is how sentences are structured in Japanese, or just simply, Dazai wrote them that way. It took me time to adjust, but once I did, I can no longer refer to this as a qualm. Upon studying it after finishing Schoolgirl, I found out that Dazai was using new language types, using ironic and inventive language use and it made sense. After rereading the first few pages with this in mind, I was able to enjoy it much more.
Would I recommend it and who to?
I would definitely recommend this novella to everyone and anyone who enjoys Japanese literature, and stories that are likely to become classics in later years. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys short novellas, and to those who enjoy novellas that make them think about the world, and their own lives.
Overall opinion
Schoolgirl is honestly a masterpiece. Never have I been so taken back by a story before, let alone a small novella. This deserves so much attention. You can feel the pain that Dazai was in when writing this and it gives the story a whole new feel. I loved this; I 100% loved this, and this is definitely a book I will be buying a copy of to add to my small collection of Japanese literature.
p4perfrog's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kukawesome's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
it’s a good, short novella — starts when she wakes up and ends when she falls asleep. i liked the style. it’s written very much in a way i used to aspire to, where it all really feels like thats just how the words come out her head. it was totally exactly how i think when i hate myself. i wondered how well a dude in like 40s japan could embody the mind of like a teenage girl. the misogyny was offputting. it was reflective and some parts totally resonated with me but overall didn’t leave too much of an impression — then again, maybe i didn’t understand it. good for a days read when you’re in between books.
adyakatkar7's review against another edition
3.0
Would be better if he wasnt wildly misogynistic at any given time
nolongerlaura's review against another edition
4.75
there's a certain intuitiveness to this novella that's hard to put into words. it is a product of its age, to be sure— yet it manages to articulate the most obscure, often unspoken intricacies of the mind. the schoolgirl's voice is raw and unfiltered; fleeting insights and thoughts flow through her mind in conjunction with her experience of the mundane.
through his writing, dazai successfully bridges anonymity and intimacy. the schoolgirl is one of many— her presence as fleeting as the novella, bound to be forgotten in the infinite sequence of time. yet, her innermost thoughts are strikingly profound. they touch upon the crude nature of the subconscious, traveling with her as she goes about her day, peppering her mind with discomfort and melancholy. her memories and experiences are not the same as our own, yet many of her thoughts mirror the most personal aspects of the human experience— touching upon feelings that we assume are felt only by us alone.
through his writing, dazai successfully bridges anonymity and intimacy. the schoolgirl is one of many— her presence as fleeting as the novella, bound to be forgotten in the infinite sequence of time. yet, her innermost thoughts are strikingly profound. they touch upon the crude nature of the subconscious, traveling with her as she goes about her day, peppering her mind with discomfort and melancholy. her memories and experiences are not the same as our own, yet many of her thoughts mirror the most personal aspects of the human experience— touching upon feelings that we assume are felt only by us alone.