Reviews

The Bear and the Paving Stone by Toshiyuki Horie

the_sunken_library's review

3.0

If I could I would give this 3.5 but it's not good enough for a 4. I enjoyed Horie's writing style but didn't feel inspired to ponder the hidden depths to these 3 tales. They just didn't grab my imagination.

8797999's review

4.0

A pleasant short read, made for a lovely Friday evening sat on a cosy armchair. Three good short stories, my favourite of the three was the final one.

I would be very interested in reading more stories by the author if there are any more translated into English.

sophmcgraw's review against another edition

This book kinda racist

toniak's review

5.0

This is a collection of three short stories. I really liked them all, despite the fact that they seemed to end abruptly. I wish they were all longer and would definitely read more by this author.

gayathiri_rajendran's review

4.0

I enjoyed reading this story collection. This book has three stories. The first one is about two friends who take a trip through France and reminisce upon the events of the past and the present. The second one is about an obsession with building a sandcastle on the beach and feeling satisfied when it is destroyed by waves.It also touches upon death and mourning. The third story in this book is about getting caught in an abandoned castle with no way outside.

All the three stories have very different themes and they feel melancholic. The word building is very fluid and it jumps back and forth between time periods. All the three stories have their own charm and left me in a bittersweet feeling.

persephtiyareads's review

dark informative reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

molekkasa's review

3.0

I guess it is a Japanese thing where we are to get the meaning of their stories somewhere within the story and that there's no definite answer to anything. I see it in all the Japanese writers I've read and it is not a bad thing either, it is either your cup of tea or not.

While the stories that Toshiyuki write are ok, there are no unique elements that shout out to me, like how Murakami does. Generally an ok book to while away your time.

196books's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

3.5

sofielan's review

3.0

3.5

willbor's review

3.0

We get it, you studied abroad.