shainalite's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
connersutton's review against another edition
1.0
The major plot points are revealed in the first forty pages, meaning when they happened later I felt like I was rereading them but with more detail. Most of the story (especially the first 200 pages) happen in such a disjointed manner that I was never able to develop any attachment to a character. Without any sense of a dramatic present, the story was not gripping. The characters are incredibly flat, but written as if they are the most philosophically complex beings caught in a battle of age, gender, and cultural influences. These complexities are real and deserve to be written about, but this book does not do a good job of earning it.
Possibly due to the translation, the narration is incredibly dull and boring. What the book does well, it commends itself for; for example, saying “no other novel would write about this character. No one would care about her,” basically the book acknowledging its own merit. Good god, this one was incredibly hard to get through. And—I won’t spoil it—the ending might be the most cliché thing I’ve ever read. I physically cringed. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
Possibly due to the translation, the narration is incredibly dull and boring. What the book does well, it commends itself for; for example, saying “no other novel would write about this character. No one would care about her,” basically the book acknowledging its own merit. Good god, this one was incredibly hard to get through. And—I won’t spoil it—the ending might be the most cliché thing I’ve ever read. I physically cringed. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
juaneco's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.75
jadior's review against another edition
2.0
I feel a bit funny giving this book only 2 stars while others seem to have loved it, but I found it quite uneventful. It is a story of two sisters who are dealing with their ailing mother. It's not a spoiler because one of the first sentences in the book is that the mother has died. The book talks about how the mother was raised by her mother, and how she raises her girls. Then goes on to talk about their relationships with the men the marry, but mostly their relationship with their mother. I waited for something to happen but found the book predictable and just plain flat. Maybe it's me, I seem to be finding a lot of books that end up flat this summer.
fuushart's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
liampatrickcre's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. From the surface, it’s seems there isn’t much I could relate to, but it’s a very relatable story about getting older and your life not ending up exactly where you thought you’d be and it’s really beautiful and tragic at times. I would definitely recommend
sosapien's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.0
libraryvee's review against another edition
4.0
This was a beautiful, slow, contemplative read. Mitsuki is a woman in her fifties, at odds with her current life. Her elderly mother, once so vibrant (and difficult) is dying. Her husband is having an affair. Her favoured and spoiled elder sister is dealing with her own life.
The format is easy to read, despite the slow and rather ponderous nature of the storyline. It was originally published as an homage to serialized novels, so the 66 chapters read almost as little stories - literally chapters in Mitsuki's life. This did mean a tiny bit of repetition, but generally, I found this worked in the novel's favour - it was easy to put this one down for a while and then start up again.
Minae Mizumura has crafted a beautiful novel - it's really a quietly reflective look at life. Through Mitsuki, we learn about old age and facing down death. We learn about the complex, many-layered web that is the relationship between mother and daughter. We learn about Japan, and how the country changes through generations; how traditions are both lost and treasured. This wasn't a fast-moving plot, but I enjoyed my time spent with Mitsuki and her thoughts.
The format is easy to read, despite the slow and rather ponderous nature of the storyline. It was originally published as an homage to serialized novels, so the 66 chapters read almost as little stories - literally chapters in Mitsuki's life. This did mean a tiny bit of repetition, but generally, I found this worked in the novel's favour - it was easy to put this one down for a while and then start up again.
Minae Mizumura has crafted a beautiful novel - it's really a quietly reflective look at life. Through Mitsuki, we learn about old age and facing down death. We learn about the complex, many-layered web that is the relationship between mother and daughter. We learn about Japan, and how the country changes through generations; how traditions are both lost and treasured. This wasn't a fast-moving plot, but I enjoyed my time spent with Mitsuki and her thoughts.
romeaboo's review
sad
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? Yes
5.0
nini23's review against another edition
4.0
4.4 stars
I applaud Mizumura for daring to write about such a taboo subject in Japanese culture: wishing your mother would die. The phrase "today mother died" itself is repeated like a literary riff refrain throughout the book, apparently mirroring the opening of The Stranger by Camus. The author also shows us the conflicts that a supposedly dutiful sacrificial nurturing woman in the roles of daughter, sister, mother and wife in Japanese society faces. Along the way, she makes salient points including the unacknowledged contribution of primarily female caregivers in an aging society. There are also depressing nostalgic commentary from the protagonist Mitsuki such as how females past a certain age become invisible to society, shunted to become observers rather than being observed.
The novel had an interesting mix of Japanese and Western foci. Many of the characters spent some time in France and are connected by their love of the French language and culture. References of literary works abound including Madame Bovary and the Golden Demon. The dreams, romance and tribulations of three generations of women are explored. Class differences, etiquette and traditions in Japanese society have a large impact upon their lives.
Mitsuki faces so much pressure in her life, both visible and invisible. She gives and gives, as is expected of her, and inevitably resentment builds up. Some of the unexpressed build-up of negative emotion manifests as physical symptoms which further makes the situation worse. I couldn't help feeling sympathy for this character, trapped so much by tradition and circumstance. It wasn't hard to feel the despair and fatigue she faced and one couldn't help wishing that she would get some respite and rest. The inheritance from her mother's estate does feature in that respect but the novel's strength lies in the skillful way that the author immerses us into these flesh and blood characters' lives and their realistic struggles.
I applaud Mizumura for daring to write about such a taboo subject in Japanese culture: wishing your mother would die. The phrase "today mother died" itself is repeated like a literary riff refrain throughout the book, apparently mirroring the opening of The Stranger by Camus. The author also shows us the conflicts that a supposedly dutiful sacrificial nurturing woman in the roles of daughter, sister, mother and wife in Japanese society faces. Along the way, she makes salient points including the unacknowledged contribution of primarily female caregivers in an aging society. There are also depressing nostalgic commentary from the protagonist Mitsuki such as how females past a certain age become invisible to society, shunted to become observers rather than being observed.
The novel had an interesting mix of Japanese and Western foci. Many of the characters spent some time in France and are connected by their love of the French language and culture. References of literary works abound including Madame Bovary and the Golden Demon. The dreams, romance and tribulations of three generations of women are explored. Class differences, etiquette and traditions in Japanese society have a large impact upon their lives.
Mitsuki faces so much pressure in her life, both visible and invisible. She gives and gives, as is expected of her, and inevitably resentment builds up. Some of the unexpressed build-up of negative emotion manifests as physical symptoms which further makes the situation worse. I couldn't help feeling sympathy for this character, trapped so much by tradition and circumstance. It wasn't hard to feel the despair and fatigue she faced and one couldn't help wishing that she would get some respite and rest. The inheritance from her mother's estate does feature in that respect but the novel's strength lies in the skillful way that the author immerses us into these flesh and blood characters' lives and their realistic struggles.