The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
courtneynreed's review against another edition
2.0
In general, the English version of this text is well translated, and is a fast and interesting read.
While I did become interested in the plot, I didn't have much attachment to the characters. Both Go and Chigiri seem to be fairly cookie-cutter as far as protagonists go: divorced single mother, taking care of her aging father with nothing else to really define her as an individual meets married business man with a horrible lifestyle and little connection to his family. While they both seem to discover an innocence through their romance and "learn to love again," it just seemed a little too cliche to mean much, as a reader.
While the plot is beautifully written, we find our protagonist pair as dull in comparison. I'm not certain if the sexual details needed to be discussed as much as they were. The relationship was focused around the sexual turning into love, but the elaboration wasn't critically necessary. If anything, perhaps it was used as a device to get readers to continue reading or become attached to the characters, but this may be alienating to some readers when overdone. It's not essential to the exposition and the end story.
And, of course, someone dies. There wasn't much other direction to take, granted, but it really added to how cliche a lot of this seemed. I was more attached to Go because of his personal realizations about his life and his understanding of love, and I was a bit disappointed, but I didn't foresee any other ending when I started this book.
Overall, I didn't mind reading it. It only took me a few hours to finish and kept my attention through its plot and simple narration. It did not have much to distinguish it from other works, however.
Perhaps there is some beauty in the idea that we, as humans, all experience and relate to love similarly enough to reproduce this story time and time again.
While I did become interested in the plot, I didn't have much attachment to the characters. Both Go and Chigiri seem to be fairly cookie-cutter as far as protagonists go: divorced single mother, taking care of her aging father with nothing else to really define her as an individual meets married business man with a horrible lifestyle and little connection to his family. While they both seem to discover an innocence through their romance and "learn to love again," it just seemed a little too cliche to mean much, as a reader.
While the plot is beautifully written, we find our protagonist pair as dull in comparison. I'm not certain if the sexual details needed to be discussed as much as they were. The relationship was focused around the sexual turning into love, but the elaboration wasn't critically necessary. If anything, perhaps it was used as a device to get readers to continue reading or become attached to the characters, but this may be alienating to some readers when overdone. It's not essential to the exposition and the end story.
And, of course, someone dies. There wasn't much other direction to take, granted, but it really added to how cliche a lot of this seemed. I was more attached to Go because of his personal realizations about his life and his understanding of love, and I was a bit disappointed, but I didn't foresee any other ending when I started this book.
Overall, I didn't mind reading it. It only took me a few hours to finish and kept my attention through its plot and simple narration. It did not have much to distinguish it from other works, however.
Perhaps there is some beauty in the idea that we, as humans, all experience and relate to love similarly enough to reproduce this story time and time again.
More...