Here is a deftly written thriller that is also a "deep and moody" (NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW) journey through the dark side of Japan's consumer... read full description
reviews
Apr 23, 2008
Yulia
rated it: 
Not only well-paced but well-written, this mystery of the missing fiancee lost its momentum in only one scene, in which a Japanese businessman felt it necessary to take an hour out of his busy day to explain to another Japanese citizen the country's policy on identification cards, loans, and bankruptcy. Sure, I may not have known this information as an American and it was helpful to learm, but it was carried out so ollishly and pedantically in this translation, I wish the editors had found some
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(3 people liked it)
Aug 15, 2010
Sandra
rated it: 
This is my first venture into Japanese crime fiction and Miyuki Miyabe is purported to be one of Japan’s most popular and best known crime authors. The blurb on the back calls this novel “a suspenseful noir thriller,” which I don’t think describes it at all. The quotation from The Washington Post describes it best: “an artful blend of puzzle-solving and social commentary.”
You could almost call this a police procedural. Shunsuke Honma, a seasoned police detective on leave because of inj More...
You could almost call this a police procedural. Shunsuke Honma, a seasoned police detective on leave because of inj More...
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Feb 22, 2010
Tony
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Miyabe, Miyuki. ALL SHE WAS WORTH. (1992; this ed. in translation 1999). ****. Ms. Miyabe is a very popular novelist in Japan, and this novel, her first translated into English, was voted Best Mystery and Best Novel of the Year when published there. Although it is described as a noir thriller, you will find that Japanese noir is very different from that genre from the rest of the world. Japanese crime novels are very labyrinthine in their construction and the protagonist is usually extreme
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Jun 23, 2009
Louise
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I picked up All She Was Worth by Miyuki Miyabe a few months ago because I liked Brave Story, a novel geared towards younger audiences. All She Was Worth was Miyabe’s first adult book that I’ve read and one of the few mystery novels I’ve read this year.
All She Was Worth starts off with the disappearance of a woman and follows an on-leave detective as he tries to find her and uncover the unusual circumstances in which she disappeared. Although that’s the main mystery flowing through th More...
All She Was Worth starts off with the disappearance of a woman and follows an on-leave detective as he tries to find her and uncover the unusual circumstances in which she disappeared. Although that’s the main mystery flowing through th More...
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Jan 23, 2012
Shovelmonkey1
rated it: 
All She was Worth was billed to me as a mystery and thriller and aside from reading Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto, I've not read a lot of Japanese Literature so I was intrigued to see how this would pan out. Would I be introduced to Japan's answer to Lisbeth Salander, Endeavour Morse or Magnum PI? Er no. None of the above. You will be introduced to Tokyo Metropolitan Police Detective Shunsuke Honma who is polite, and dogged and due to an injury at work is taking his crime solving at a mor
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Jan 11, 2008
Jennie
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I think this book is what got me interested in exploring Japanese fiction in the first place. It just didn't read the way I had expected it to and I was very impressed. I found the whole idea of the book, the nature of our missing fugitive's financial crimes, fascinating. This mystery is really all about the journey and is filled with an amazing sense of place and excellent character development.
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Jul 23, 2010
Siria
rated it:
This is quite readable, though I'm not entirely sure why. I found the characterisations quite distant (possibly because of the translation), the mystery not terribly mysterious (mostly focused on finding out how the crime was achieved, not why or by whom), and the ending quite abrupt. Yet some of the book's central themes—the dangers of materialism, of the credit system and how people get caught up in it—are sadly just as relevant now as they were when this book was written in the early 90s. My
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Dec 25, 2011
BoekenTrol
rated it:
Since I can't update 'my' copy with the BCID of the book, here's the link to the book at BookCrossing:
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/7367...
I liked this book. Not because I think it was such a great thriller, but because of other things.
First of all I loved the insight in the Japanese society. How people live, how things are organised. That world is so different from mine (and therefor so intriguing), that any description of more or less normal Japanese living is welc More...
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/7367...
I liked this book. Not because I think it was such a great thriller, but because of other things.
First of all I loved the insight in the Japanese society. How people live, how things are organised. That world is so different from mine (and therefor so intriguing), that any description of more or less normal Japanese living is welc More...
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Apr 06, 2009
Stephanie
rated it:
I don't think this was well-translated from Japanese. Not that I know what the Japanese version was like, but there were some really funky language things going on, and a translator's note or something would have been nice. It read like a pulpier mystery and isn't a piece of literature, but the story was engrossing and it held my attention, other than the huge swathes about the credit system, which I skipped. It didn't seem relevant to the story and seemed like a nationalistic insert. If I w
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Aug 20, 2010
Made
rated it: 
A stunning look at Japanese society, economy (consumer lending culture in particular), culture and more in the 90s. Eye-opening and extremely well-researched (without being heavy or boring) by Miyuki Miyabe. Fiction that tells a very real story of one woman trying to disappear, and the police investigator trying to find her.
Riveting, well-written contemporary fiction by one of Japan's most popular and prolific female writers. I've heard this book is even used in some Western univers More...
Riveting, well-written contemporary fiction by one of Japan's most popular and prolific female writers. I've heard this book is even used in some Western univers More...
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Dec 26, 2011
Liora
rated it:
The main premise of this book concerns a Tokyo police detective, Shunsuke Honma, who is on medical/disability leave, trying to locate the missing fiance of a distant relative. As he begins to peel back the complicated layers of this woman's past, he uncovers a story of personal identity theft and even murder. Overwhelming debt, personal bankruptcy, and ruthless loan sharks are central to the plot of why the fiance went missing and the theft of personal identity.
One of this novel's m More...
One of this novel's m More...
Jan 29, 2010
David
rated it:
If you're looking for a puzzle mystery that will leave you guessing until the end, or a tough-guy mystery with action and suspense, this is NOT your book. I like novels that, while diverting, also give me a look at a place, time and/or mindset that I normally wouldn't know much about, so I enjoyed this book. Unlike Western entries into this same genre, the characters in this book are largely decent people who go around helping, supporting, and caring about each other, and the policeman hero is
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Mar 19, 2009
Gertrude & Victoria
rated it:
Debt, deception, and demise: this novel presents an interesting and in-depth account of a woman's bondage to debt and submission to its consequences. If the mingle of crushing debt, false identities, the mafia, and murder are the desired elements for a fast-paced mystery story, then Miyabe provides the neccessaries.
All She Was Worth by Miyabe Miyuki is a dark story about a young man in search for his fiancee who has gone missing. With the help of his uncle, a police detective, who More...
All She Was Worth by Miyabe Miyuki is a dark story about a young man in search for his fiancee who has gone missing. With the help of his uncle, a police detective, who More...
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Feb 12, 2008
Nancy
rated it:
This story takes our fears of identity theft and raises them to a new level.
I liked this book. Aside from the translation difficulties which made it very wordy and often tedious reading, the mystery itself was good. I would recommend it for the mystery...but you'll find yourself skimming at points.
brief plot overview:
The novel tells the story of Tokyo Detective Honma, at home and on leave from his police job because he is recovering from a gunshot wound to his More...
I liked this book. Aside from the translation difficulties which made it very wordy and often tedious reading, the mystery itself was good. I would recommend it for the mystery...but you'll find yourself skimming at points.
brief plot overview:
The novel tells the story of Tokyo Detective Honma, at home and on leave from his police job because he is recovering from a gunshot wound to his More...
Jun 12, 2011
Gargi
rated it:
Although the premise of this mystery is relatively simple (a detective is trying to figure out what happened to a missing woman), the plot is set forth with an expert hand, and the suspense builds as we follow the detective on his quest. The characters were also well drawn and the relationship between the detective, his son and the various individuals within their social circle provides a very satisfying snapshot of 'modern' life in Japan.
Oct 30, 2011
Bookmaniac70
rated it:
Good plot which gives also an unusual glimpse into Japanese society. The book should have made a great impact in its time, as it was chosen 'the best mystery"and "the best novel of the year". I`m not accounted with the present situation of credit system in Japan, and it`s quite possible these problems are still present but to me it sounded a bit outdated. Nevertheless,though not much impressed, I enjoyed this quick read.
Apr 15, 2008
Stephanie
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Well, I had high hopes for this book considering the awards it won (Japan's book of the year) and the fact that Amazon told me that people who like Murakami also liked this book. In my case, Amazon was wrong and I'm hoping I something was lost in translation. The timing was all off on this book, which is supposed to be a murder-mystery. I certainly learned enough about the 1980s consumer credit crisis, and the underworld of seedy loan sharks, but that's about it. There were no "aha!" m
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May 11, 2011
Sae-chan
rated it:
I got so absorbed in the credit business mess that I felt I got choked. I think it's very real and at home anywhere in the world. Once you're in it, seems that there's no way out.
It's like living in front of an evil magic mirror. It's showing what we want and convinces us that we are nothing without them. What a bogus world we live.
I just wish it has more suspense and twists. This book is too real, like a very long newspaper column. Yes, I like living in fantasy land.
It's like living in front of an evil magic mirror. It's showing what we want and convinces us that we are nothing without them. What a bogus world we live.
I just wish it has more suspense and twists. This book is too real, like a very long newspaper column. Yes, I like living in fantasy land.
Sep 19, 2010
thegift
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an interesting detective procedural, this was written just after the bubble broke in the late '80s in japan, and gives a detailed, plausible, desperate murder to assume a debt-free identity. i can see why it won awards, how timely, but a lot of it seems to be realistically detailed, pursuing detective work. more detective mystery than crime. solving it is the least important aspect. sad, knowing, bitter ending.
Apr 21, 2010
Korynn
rated it:
A nicely plotted mystery about identity theft (which is apparently nearly impossible to accomplish in Japan due to the way they keep records) with a theme of credit card debt as the source of all evil in modern society (with a couple chapters devoted entirely to explaining this in complete exhausting exacting detail) but otherwise a nice immersion in a foreign culture with believable characters.
Sep 01, 2011
Lula
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I literally could not put this book down, after getting past the rather slow start. I gave it to my sister to read after me, and she was exactly the same way. Some parts get long and rambling with the explanations of Japanese cultural things, but still, just when the story seems to be losing speed, it picks right back up. I suppose this is called good pacing.
Dec 30, 2008
Colleen
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I made a list of interesting books from the Conde Nast Traveler article about "books that give you a sense of place," and this was a pretty good one. It's about a woman who changes her identity for various mysterious reasons, but the interesting aspect of the book is the exploration of identity in Japan, and the importance of ancestry and family.
Jun 26, 2008
Patrick
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I like Japanese fiction, in part for the sensibility of the writers, and in part for the glimpse into another society. This delivers on both counts. It is now seems almost a little dated in the depiction of the broad response to the Japanese real-estate economic crash of the early 90's, but it actually set me to thinking about the next ten years in the states and the response to widespread mortgage default. One hopes that the loan sharking described in the book has few parallels here in the US.
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Feb 26, 2010
Jose
rated it:
My second book from Japanese authors. Since I lived in Japan for some time I found the cultural aspects interesting and was able to relate. Other than that a very descent plot.
I found interesting how they link consumerism to many of the bad things happening now a days to society. Mainly bankruptcy.
I found interesting how they link consumerism to many of the bad things happening now a days to society. Mainly bankruptcy.
May 19, 2010
Jeffrey
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I teach Japanese literature, and every time I have my students read this book, there is always at least one -- often more -- people who tell me this was the best book that they have ever read. It is an utterly engrossing story about the underside of contemporary Japanese culture. Riveting!!!
Jan 20, 2012
Michael
rated it:
A well constructed mystery that kept me turning each page wondering how the mystery would be solved.
The translation was generally good but about 5 or 6 sentences did not seem to be grammatically correct English when the present tense was used when the past was required.
I will now read more books by this author.
The translation was generally good but about 5 or 6 sentences did not seem to be grammatically correct English when the present tense was used when the past was required.
I will now read more books by this author.
Apr 03, 2009
Lauren
rated it:
A great crime novel with multi-faceted characters and a creative story. Unlike many other "mysteries," this one didn't sacrifice writing for the story - both were great. I didn't want it to end, and the end wasn't as satisfying for me as it might have been. Still, I really enjoyed it and would like to see more of Miyuki Miyabe's works translated into English (I believe this is the only one).
Jul 01, 2009
Erik
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I highly recommend this novel. Miyabe is a great crime writer. If you like mystery pick this book up now. It's about the length a young woman is willing to go to get out of debt. I don't want to ruin it by writing more. Honestly, an awesome read.
May 02, 2009
Saharial
rated it:
Interesting detective story set in Japan about the search for a missing fiancee who may not have been quite what she seemed. Nicely paced and thought out it has the added factor of family relationships and face involved when family asks for favours.
May 06, 2009
Martha
rated it:
As I continue to romp through my husband's collection of contemporary Japanese literature, I find some jewels and some simply entertaining. This is the later. A nice mystery, but ultimately somewhat predictable. Well written. Worth a look.
