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A review by bookstorian
The Bookshop Woman by Nanako Hanada
4.0
Intrigued when I saw this book on Hachette Australia's publicity list and blessed to have received a copy.
Here's what I liked:
-Captivating cover, seriously, look at it!
-Great translation and very easy to read and sink in to. So much so, I had to keep reminding myself that this was actually a non-fiction book. Written practically and chronologically. The concept of PerfectStrangers and giving strangers book recommendations was actually quite captivating and interesting.
-What really shone through was Nanako's love and understanding of literature and what it can do for people through not only giving people book recommendations but explain why those books would be right for them
-Found the feelings that Nanako expressed about her job to be very relatable.
-Explored new beginnings, relationships, societal expectations and Japanese culture
Here's what I thought was missing:
-Maybe a little more detail about her marriage break down. I think we only really caught a glimpse inside and for me this was part of the tension of the story and what compelled me to read on.
-I also thought a little longer could have been spent on Nanako's displacement and moving from place to place.
No fault of the author BUT I wish it was translated before my visit to Japan at the beginning of the year so I could have looked for some of the titles of visited the bookstores mentioned.
The Bookshop Woman was released on June 11th. Thank you to Hachette Australia for my gifted copy.
Here's what I liked:
-Captivating cover, seriously, look at it!
-Great translation and very easy to read and sink in to. So much so, I had to keep reminding myself that this was actually a non-fiction book. Written practically and chronologically. The concept of PerfectStrangers and giving strangers book recommendations was actually quite captivating and interesting.
-What really shone through was Nanako's love and understanding of literature and what it can do for people through not only giving people book recommendations but explain why those books would be right for them
-Found the feelings that Nanako expressed about her job to be very relatable.
-Explored new beginnings, relationships, societal expectations and Japanese culture
Here's what I thought was missing:
-Maybe a little more detail about her marriage break down. I think we only really caught a glimpse inside and for me this was part of the tension of the story and what compelled me to read on.
-I also thought a little longer could have been spent on Nanako's displacement and moving from place to place.
No fault of the author BUT I wish it was translated before my visit to Japan at the beginning of the year so I could have looked for some of the titles of visited the bookstores mentioned.
The Bookshop Woman was released on June 11th. Thank you to Hachette Australia for my gifted copy.