Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids
by Kenzaburo Oë
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
Where's the love? Add this book to your favorite list.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 293)
I thought this book would take a Lord of the Flies streak, but it didn't. The two oldest boys have natural friction between them but as one of the chapter names hints, there is "solidarity of the abandoned." At least... I won't give away the book.
The narrarator is one of the boys so boy characters are very realistic in contrast with the grotesque villagers and adults. Clever, as adult behavior does seem to be exaggerated in the eyes of a child.
For those finding the ending dep...more
The narrarator is one of the boys so boy characters are very realistic in contrast with the grotesque villagers and adults. Clever, as adult behavior does seem to be exaggerated in the eyes of a child.
For those finding the ending dep...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I just received a jury summons the other day and seeing it on the table reminded me of my juror service last year. I served from the day after Christmas to the day before New Year's Eve, and the whole time I was reading this during my breaks.
It just occurred to me that it probably wasn't the best title to be seen with in that environment.
I didn't find this as engaging as A Personal Matter, but it's definitely worth reading as an introduction to Oe's style.
It just occurred to me that it probably wasn't the best title to be seen with in that environment.
I didn't find this as engaging as A Personal Matter, but it's definitely worth reading as an introduction to Oe's style.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2007
Don't understand it yet. It's, as advertised, reminiscent of both "The Plague" and "Lord of the Flies," while being sparely Japanese and brutal.
Finished. Depressing. Vaguely creepy. Good? I'm not sure. I wasn't particularly attached to any of the characters, but I did get swept up in the world, the environment thick with plague and angry mobs and unrepentant killing.
I might just be a popwhore; I prefer Battle Royale.
Finished. Depressing. Vaguely creepy. Good? I'm not sure. I wasn't particularly attached to any of the characters, but I did get swept up in the world, the environment thick with plague and angry mobs and unrepentant killing.
I might just be a popwhore; I prefer Battle Royale.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2006
recommends it for:
Interested in child narrator, race & ethnicity
Oe professed to be intensely influenced by Mark Twain, and it's pretty clear from his writing that this was more than lip service. This book is pretty disturbing in the sort of way that leaves you filled with a crawly feeling afterwards rather than providing any resolution. This book may warrant a second read where I try to consider the book outside of the Twainian context...
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
this was very sad and interesting, but mostly i like the contrast between the boys and the villagers, the humans and the animals (which is more of a relation than a contrast). it's scary that the book was written based on how oe actually lived through ww2. experiencing the types of situations in this book would definitely change you for life.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone interested in contemporary Japanese authors
I decided to expand my Japanese reading list beyond Murakami and had heard good things about the Nobel Prize winning Kenzaburo Oë. The story is about of a group of delinquent boys abandoned in a mountain village when a plague breaks out. The story was pretty depressing and gruesome, but good. I'd give it 3.5 stars.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
A group of delinquents gets abandoned in a plague-ridden village in war-time Japan. This book reads like a more authentic Lord of the Flies, with pubescent boys scared, brave and still trying to sort out morality. The deepest sadness of this book is the reality that strength will literally beat out loyalty.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
15 reformatory boys are left stranded in a deserted village after a plague breaks out. They are left to not only fend for themselves in terms of basic necessities but learn how to live autonomous lives and truly connect with each other for the first time. A postwar Japan version of Lord of the Flies.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I'd never heard of Oe until picking this book up in the store. I couldn't resist after reading the title. I brought this book in for my interview last year and ended up talking with my now boss about her mom's experiences being a lost child in Japan. I have recommended this book to many.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2007
This was an enjoyable read. It had many apects of (and in my opinion is better than) The Lord of the Flies. It also had some good commentary on WWII Japan, and what the atmosphere of the country was like furing those times.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2002
A far more interesting take on the premise of Lord of the Flies. Interesting commentary on how we view children in urban/industrial societies. Bonus -- beautiful example of Japanese prose.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
da-amn.
blah blah blah, Lord of the Flies, blah blah blah, The Plague, blah, yes, sure, but also Catcher in the Rye.
this high-five is for the translators, this high-five is for Oe
blah blah blah, Lord of the Flies, blah blah blah, The Plague, blah, yes, sure, but also Catcher in the Rye.
this high-five is for the translators, this high-five is for Oe
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
Pulitzer prize winning, so that should have been a sign that it would be pretty heavy! had to really push myself to finish it, since it's depressing even though it's a short book.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2007
A group of boys in juvenile detention are dropped off in a mountain village to escape American bombs and are abandoned to the plague. Could anything be more cheerful?
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Dark and creepy but I thought it was worth reading. Read the wordy reviews from other goodreads patrons and then decide whether or not to give it a shot.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I remember being a 6 yr. old and thinking I was a survivor. This book made me imagine myself dying from crying too hard if it really came down to it.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Interesting twist on the Lord of the Flies narrative. The ending is vintage Oe.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2007
I would have given it a 4 if it wasn't a class novel. Slideshow project...lame!
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2007
Add this to the "authors who like torturing fictional children" category.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
Started off well. Managed to get progressively worse throughout.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
