A review by rieriereads
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐บ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐บ ๐ญ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฎ
๐ฑ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐ ๐ฒ๐๐๐, written by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and translated to English by Geoffrey Trousselot, was a heartwarming and equally heartbreaking novel.
ย
In a back alley in Tokyo, there's a cafe called Funiculi Funicula that has served coffee for more than a century. What makes this little cafe special, though, is the urban legend that it is known for. The cafe is believed to offer its customers a chance to travel back in time.
ย
The short novel was divided into four chapters. Each part was magical, quirky, and mysterious. And by the first chapter, I had fallen in love with the book.
ย
There are many different reasons why I loved this book. First and foremost, there is the plot. Simple and maybe not so special to some, I found it perfect. To me, it was perfectly paced, and it makes you keep wondering what will happen next. How the book was narrated is another reason. Some reviews say that the writing felt repetitive, and I quite agree. But what makes it tolerable is how Arina Ii executed the narration of the audiobook version.
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Additionally, I loved the characters and the little details each one had. Their characteristics and individual descriptions made them who they were. And the final reason is rather simple: I loved that it made me cry. I empathize with the characters' regrets and shortcomings. I also felt their love for their partners, sister, and child. And right after finishing, I wanted to hug them all.
ย
Overall, this was such a great book. I regret not reading this sooner. For those who are looking for a heartwarming book that could be read this weekend and that will also squeeze your heart and make you think someone is cutting onions, I highly recommend checking this out.
๐ | 42
โญ | 5
โขโขโข
My Rating System
5 ๐ - Life changing, a new favorite read
4 โญ - I loved it
3 โญ - I liked itย
2 โญ - It was okay
1 โญ - I hated it but decided toย not dnf
Graphic: Medical content, Death, Grief, Chronic illness, and Car accident
Moderate: Death of parent, Dementia, and Pregnancy