Excellent.

Fantastic story and narration. Thoroughly recommend. Anyone who enjoys the descriptive element of many Japanese novels will really enjoy this.

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Charming

I have loved the Japanese stories I've read so far. The style is succinct and rather like what I've heard of Japanese poetry.
I found the characters most engaging and funny - and above all utterly charming.
The narrator's voice is lovely: it is quite clipped and still really highlights the humour well - humour that is all the better for being underplayed.
The basic premise of the couple's relationship seems so unlikely but I'm sure all who read or listen will find it very touching.

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Truly excellent

An exercise in restraint and respect but a fulfilling read. Memories are made for and from books such as these. I can imagine an author sitting amongst a million pieces of paper bearing crossed out text otherwise how could perfection be approached so noiselessly

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Overall a dull story

This was recommended to me by a Murakami fan group as a good option for something of a similar style. I really found the story to be lack luster and overall dull. Narration is also bad which doesn't help. If you're looking for a story where a girl basically fawns over her old school teacher go for it but it felt very pointless and shallow. sorry!

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Wonderful!

A satisfying and meandering story! Good for long evenings and good for falling asleep to.

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1 person found this helpful

Shockingly Tragic Novel!

This novel is really sweet and yet simultaneously heartbreaking, and a fantastic read. However, it was completely ruined by the narrator, whose voice took away entirely from the story. A more melodious and deeper female voice, I feel, would have lent itself to the tragedy of it more. However, if you're into literature in translation, this is a fab novel, with an interesting storyline, which I'd never encountered before!

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May Dec romance

Not sentimental but it has one of the most beautiful final paragraph images ever in a novel, like a Haiku's

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A really charming story

I found this to be a beautiful touching story with moments of humour and sadness.

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A gentle sensory love story

This is a gentle and sensory love story about Tsukiko, a forty-year-old office worker, and her old teacher who she calls Sensei.

They meet by chance in a bar decades after parting but both remember each other. Their relationship develops with regular eating and drinking. Often, Tsukiko calls into the bar on her way home from work and they spend many evenings drinking and eating.

It has to be said they the eat the most foul food imaginable (to my conservative pallet) and drink copious amounts of saké.
Their conversations are formal and stilted. Sensei is in his late sixties/seventies, is widowed and collects tea pots, so there is much Japanese sensibility.

But Tsukiko is wanting more from the relationship and pursues Sensei even when a younger man appears on the scene to tempt her.

Their relationship does develop into remance and there is a wonderfully surreal other-worldly episode which may be due to drink or love.

Unfortunately, the ending is entirely predictable and can be seen from chapter one.
This is one of those books where nothing happens so the reader has to be fed on nuance, sensory and emotional content. While this happens to some extent, its actually disappointing.

I think the reason the book doesn't work is because we are not given any reason to empathise with Sensei or understand what Tsukiko sees in him.

There are issues about friendship, loneliness, ritual, age difference and unfulfilled lives but only enough to fill a small bowl.
It is very well read and performed.

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I didn't enjoy the book or the narration

I wanted to listen to this book on audible since it was recommended on a list of short stories. I usually enjoy Japan-related stories, particularly quirky stories, so thought this would be a good listen. However, I found the characters very dislikeable and disinteresting - a lot of effort went into giving them "nuances", but unfortunately this did not give them a personality. I began to actively dislike both characters by the end of the book.

I listened to the whole story, however it was definitely a chore to get through. I felt like perhaps I would've enjoyed it more if the narration had been better. I would have preferred a Japanese narrator rather than an incredibly strong British accent. It was very off-putting, particularly for a book that is about subtlties.

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