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What Members Thought
2.5 stars really.
I thought this was ok. The problem was..the writing I think. The story should have been interesting but was told in a very unsophisticated way, in my opinion. There wasn't really a difference that I could tell between the grown woman in Canada and the teenage girl in Japan. And the solution came about through the classic copout literature has fallen into in history.
I didn't like the back and forth between the two narrators. It made it feel like you have the story, and the a re ...more
I thought this was ok. The problem was..the writing I think. The story should have been interesting but was told in a very unsophisticated way, in my opinion. There wasn't really a difference that I could tell between the grown woman in Canada and the teenage girl in Japan. And the solution came about through the classic copout literature has fallen into in history.
I didn't like the back and forth between the two narrators. It made it feel like you have the story, and the a re ...more
Fun read on the intersection of American and Japanese cultures. Love Ozeki's environmental consciousness and the mixed topics of war, bullying, honor, etc, here. Got a little annoyed with the Proustian meta-moments in the last quarter of the book--unneccesary to the plot and theme, and Proust had been more subtley developed earlier.
Sent it to my dad for a fun way to practice his Japanese and its take on zen, kamikaze fighters in WW2, nuclear power. ...more
Sent it to my dad for a fun way to practice his Japanese and its take on zen, kamikaze fighters in WW2, nuclear power. ...more
Jul 26, 2018
Astrid Lim
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literature,
asia,
dysfunctional-family,
psychology,
culture,
mental-illness,
historical-fiction
A beautiful story about time, family, love and life. The alternate way of telling the story (Naoko in Japan with her diary and Ruth in present day Canada) is very engaging. Short chapters making this book easier to read, even though there are some heavy stuff inside (suicide, mental health, zen philosophy, and WWII history). It all came beautifully in the end. My first time readi Ruth Ozeki and I was falling in love :)
I really enjoyed this book.
Wow, if I read another novel this good this year, I will be thrilled. This novel is so richly layered that I already know that I will reread it many times and enjoy it differently each time. Truly, a work of art.
This book had potential, it just got a little too philosophical for my tastes at the end.
Mar 06, 2013
Sarah
marked it as to-read
May 25, 2013
Katy
marked it as to-read
Nov 12, 2013
Ali
marked it as to-read
Dec 03, 2013
Pamela
marked it as to-read
Aug 17, 2014
Anie
marked it as to-read
Oct 25, 2014
Isabel
marked it as to-read
Sep 05, 2015
Annika
marked it as to-read
Feb 15, 2019
EmJay
marked it as to-read
Mar 25, 2019
Colleen Chi-Girl
marked it as to-read
May 14, 2019
Heather
marked it as to-read
Sep 09, 2019
Gaelyn
marked it as to-read
