Reviews

It's Murakami. Weird, mystical and surreal in a perfect blend. This is a short story, read it in an hour, but it was still very rewarding. Love the artwork as well, and the front flaps gives a cosy and yet a mild claustrophobic feel while reading.
Highly recommended!

ellipsiscool's review against another edition

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4.0

I read this book all in one sitting and it was engrossing. I enjoyed the weirdness, the imagery, and the little boy character. However, I'm not really sure what it was "all about." Is it meant to scare people away from going to the library? I promise we don't lock people in dungeons and force them to read books about tax collecting in the Ottoman Empire. Promise! I think it may have been a representation of how things tend to go wrong in a domino like way and even when we fight to escape one battle another appears in its place. Or maybe it's about escaping real problems by imagining worse, adventure-like ones. Or maybe it isn't supposed to have a "point" and that is ok too.

It may look like a children's book, but it's not. It's a bit too dark and strange, but maybe there are older kids who would really enjoy it.

Overall, it was a good time.

the_sunken_library's review against another edition

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4.0

Aesthetically beautiful, delightfully translated, hauntingly written but lacking a decent finish.

miss_kaktu's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.25

cs4_0reads's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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