Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

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Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

28 reviews

toastyghosty13's review

challenging funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really liked the characters in this book, they all have their own unique personalities and whimsy. Takako goes through a rough patch with her boyfriend, who has been seeing someone else at the same time and is planning on marrying the other woman. He breaks up with Takako and she falls into a pit of despair. Her uncle Satoru calls her up and offers to have her work at his bookshop with him. What starts as a partially begrudging family reunion blossoms into a journey of Takako finding herself and the inner courage to stand up for herself.

While her love for her uncle and his book shop grow, Takako meets others that are living and working in the neighborhood. She makes friendships that last a lifetime and has a therapeutic experience, while also helping her uncle through his own similar experience.

I really liked this book as a light read. It is short, but does not lack in content or passion by any means. If anything, it made me want to open up my own used book store. This book was a joy to read, and I will be reading the 2nd book sometime in the future.

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biobeetle's review

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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annaoallen's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

While this book is not visually descriptive, I found my imagination taking off with the scenery. This, combined with the wholesome and somewhat relaxed storytelling, made me think, "this would be a nice Miyazaki movie" on more than one occasion. I liked the characters and their development but something about the writing or translation brought the word "mundane" to mind. I would still recommend it. I know if this were a movie, I'd adore it.

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aseel_reads's review against another edition

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funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This was a very sweet and quick read. I think it ended at a pretty good point of the story, just a short slice of life - because it was short, i can't rate it higher, since the several heavy plot points were not deeply discussed (like a good thing and a bad thing at the same time)

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danyyel's review

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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teetasse's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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adventures_in_bookstagram's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

For the right reader in the right mood, I can see how Days at the Morisaki Bookshop could be a great comfort read. It ambles along slowly with its messages of finding your feet and going at your own pace being matched by the novel's gentle pace and meandering plot. And, of course, it helps that Yagisawa's descriptions of Morisaki and its neighbourhood of bookshops made me want to pack my bags and get on the next flight to Tokyo.

Unfortunately, I personally found it a little underwhelming. There isn't really a strong plot and the story's episodic bursts didn't hold my attention. It's more character-driven, which didn't quite work for me because I didn't particularly warm to Takako. She comes across as a little shallow and judgemental towards her uncle in the beginning though, to her credit, she does learn to appreciate him for his eccentricity and they get some sweet bonding moments as the novel progesses. For me, it was hard to relate to her inital lack of curiosity about the neighbourhood and her ambivalence about moving into the bookshop (she's living the dream!). She also came across as a bit of a doormat in her reaction to her ex-boyfriend's cheating, though I suppose her underreaction could be attributed to cultural differences? On the other hand, I liked the friendships she built with the bookshop's patrons and locals and especially the bond she develops with Satoru, though I was less impressed with her underdeveloped potential romance with another booklover. Or the romantic subplot between two secondary characters Takako is tasked with matchmaking; we just didn't get to know them enough to be invested in their romance. The mystery of Satoru's M.I.A. wife is more interesting, which is the focus of Part Two; I do love a second chance romance and intergenerational friendships between women in fiction! And *spoiler alert* there is a happy ending, of course.

Overall, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is well written, the characters are a bit bland but generally pleasant, and I always appreciate a book about loving books filled with recommendations for other books. It just didn't grip me or stick in my mind. I'm sure other readers will find a lot to enjoy in it but, for me, it was underwhelming. I didn't particularly enjoy the narration of the audiobook by Susan Momoko Hingley either. For some reason, I found her voice grating. Perhaps it was a little too perky and over-enunciated? I'm not sure how to describe it. Of course, my reaction to the narrator's voice is purely subjective and other readers may not have the same problem. That said, I might try re-reading DatMB one day when I'm in the mood for something slow-paced to see if it lands better on the re-read.

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