Scan barcode
angelsbeforeman's reviews
878 reviews
N.P by Banana Yoshimoto
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
it's very banana. it's so her. first of all, i adore her writing style, so this was just wonderful to read. it has some very typical banana yoshimoto literary elements, and i appreciate that. one thing that stands out about this novel is that the concept, theme, and storyline are very unique, which you can tell just by reading the blurb. and i liked that! i also loved the atmosphere and the writing, and the mysterious vibe this one had. it is definitely just a bit different compared to her other work. it would've been perfect, especially because i loved the ending, but. um. i just didn't like the incest subplot. because of course i didn't ðŸ˜
Parade: A Folktale by Hiromi Kawakami
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.25
i had to read this cause it's related to strange weather in tokyo and i like that book a lot. and this was pretty good! the title is accurate for sure, this reads just like a folktale. quite liked the element of mythology there, and i also liked the writing, so this was an overall enjoyable read ^^
Marie's Proof of Love by Mieko Kawakami
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
big fan of this because i love it when my favourite authors (or any authors at all for that matter) write about love. the writing style was beautiful as always, so many pretty sentences. the characters are also well developed and i can connect with them, which is especially impressive since this is such a short story. lovely!!
Manazuru by Hiromi Kawakami
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.75
i don't think it's for everyone, mostly because it's sort of vague. but it's definitely for me! i love a story about memories, especially when the story is atmospheric. and the atmosphere is a huge part of the novel, much like with other books by hiromi kawakami. i've always been a huge fan of her writing style, so i'm really not surprised that i loved this. i found it very easy to emotionally connect and sympathise with kei, and i also liked the unnamed woman and how drawn to manazuru (the town) kei was. i also thought the writing was lovely ^_^
Lizard by Banana Yoshimoto
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
i liked these a lot, and i expected to like them. i always know what to expect from banana yoshimoto because her style is super consistent. i was also happy about these being short stories because i think banana's style shines in shorter pieces. anyway, i liked all of these, though helix didn't really appeal to me because i didn't connect with the story. the title story was fun and i liked the more peculiar elements of it. my personal favourites would be a strange tale from down by the river, blood and water, and dreaming of kimchee ^_^
Argentine Hag by Banana Yoshimoto, Nara Yoshitomo
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
somewhat reminded me of kitchen, thematically. in argentine hag, banana yoshimoto once again explores the themes of family, death, loss, grief, and coping with the death of a loved one. however, i wasn't bored because the approach is different from her approach in kitchen, and so are the characters. they deal with the grief differently, which is quite good because it allowed the author to showcase the varying ways people cope with loss. just like every other banana yoshimoto book, it's very atmospheric, it has some peculiar elements, and it's well written in her signature style. the design of the book stands out though, because of the pictures by nara yoshimoto ^^
Chandelier: An Original Story by Mieko Kawakami
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
the premise of 'a story about a woman who spends all her time in a department store. not working there. just being there' immediately drew me in. and mieko kawakami didn't disappoint, since she seems incapable of writing something i dislike. anyway, even in such a short story kawakami manages to do some excellent commentary on issues that she's addressed in her other work too. she talks about things such as womanhood, beauty standards, misogyny, mental health issues, family issues, etc. i absolutely loved the atmosphere and mieko kawakami's writing style was amazing as always. so good ♡
Amrita by Banana Yoshimoto
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
i liked this because i love banana yoshimoto's work, but i do have to admit it's not her best. in many ways, it has the typical elements you'd find in a banana yoshimoto book, and i liked those. especially the atmosphere, she's amazing at crafting an atmosphere that just draws you in. i also enjoyed the more obvious elements of magical realism that she went for here, it's definitely a bit more surreal than her other work. however, my issue is that it's just too long. objectively, it's not a long book, but i feel like banana yoshimoto's style shines and stands out much more when it comes to pieces that are just a bit shorter. still good!
Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
i'd read mary hk choi twice before. i really loved yolk, and then the only thing i liked about emergency contact was the writing. that's what happened here too. the idea was better than the execution. i just didn't care for the characters that much and i couldn't get invested in their stories. i kind of disliked pablo, meanwhile there wasn't enough to leanna for me to truly dislike her. their romance didn't make sense, which might be because i'm not into the insta-love trope at all. once again, at least the writing was good.
Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho
lighthearted
medium-paced
1.5
kpop and literature are my special interests but no thank you. i think i'd only recommend this to someone who dreams of being in a romantic relationship with a kpop idol, not that i'm blaming those people. anyway, the writing is the biggest issue. i disliked the style because it read like fanfiction written by a 12 year old. elena's character development was barely there and she generally annoyed me, meanwhile robbie couldn't annoy me purely because he had no personality at all. the side characters are lacking severely. could've been much better. the idea is fine, but the execution made this a forgettable read