A review by booksbythewindow
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
For full review: https://booksbythewindow.wordpress.com/2023/03/08/before-the-coffee-gets-cold-tales-from-the-cafe/
Summary: Tales from the Cafe keeps the same narrative structure that was so effective in Before the Coffee Gets Cold, introducing the reader to four characters who want to travel in time to meet with someone from their past or future. The first story, ‘The Best Friend’, reintroduces the premise of the story through the eyes of a character who is unfamiliar with the specific rules of travelling in time in the Funiculi Funicula café. Although parts of this could feel reductive for those who have already read Before the Coffee Gets Cold, it allows first-time readers to become orientated to the world quickly through the narrative itself.
Overall Thoughts: Everything that I liked about Before the Coffee Gets Cold is still present in this sequel, Tales from the Cafe, from the atmosphere to the thematic questions posed through the individual stories. If there was a theme that connected all four stories in Tales from the Cafe it is being able to find a way to move forward after the death of a loved one, a theme that weaves the stories together in a much stronger way than Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I really loved reading Tales from the Cafe and would definitely recommend this duology to anyone who enjoys narratives that are character-driven and thematic, whether or not you are a regular reader of science fiction. For those who enjoy time-travel narratives, there are unique parameters surrounding the time travel in this world which make it interesting, particularly in the time-limited nature of the journey.
Summary: Tales from the Cafe keeps the same narrative structure that was so effective in Before the Coffee Gets Cold, introducing the reader to four characters who want to travel in time to meet with someone from their past or future. The first story, ‘The Best Friend’, reintroduces the premise of the story through the eyes of a character who is unfamiliar with the specific rules of travelling in time in the Funiculi Funicula café. Although parts of this could feel reductive for those who have already read Before the Coffee Gets Cold, it allows first-time readers to become orientated to the world quickly through the narrative itself.
Overall Thoughts: Everything that I liked about Before the Coffee Gets Cold is still present in this sequel, Tales from the Cafe, from the atmosphere to the thematic questions posed through the individual stories. If there was a theme that connected all four stories in Tales from the Cafe it is being able to find a way to move forward after the death of a loved one, a theme that weaves the stories together in a much stronger way than Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I really loved reading Tales from the Cafe and would definitely recommend this duology to anyone who enjoys narratives that are character-driven and thematic, whether or not you are a regular reader of science fiction. For those who enjoy time-travel narratives, there are unique parameters surrounding the time travel in this world which make it interesting, particularly in the time-limited nature of the journey.