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libraryofjessica's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
banana yoshimoto, you can do no wrong!
seanhelvey's review against another edition
3.0
I found this to be a little bit soft, in spite of the title. I prefer Murakami's style of dream fiction with elaborate stories and deeper characters.
brokebookmt's review against another edition
3.0
Banana Yoshimoto has done it again. Ever since I read [b:Kitchen|50144|Kitchen|Banana Yoshimoto|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327904393l/50144._SX50_.jpg|1543818] a couple of months ago, she has become one of my favorite Japanese authors, with Kitchen as my most beloved work of hers. [b:Hardboiled & Hard Luck|50142|Hardboiled & Hard Luck|Banana Yoshimoto|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1469174622l/50142._SY75_.jpg|17934572] is a collection of two novellas, and their names are on the title: Hardboiled and Hard Luck. I enjoyed the first one much better than the second one, but the second one is still a good read.
Yoshimoto discusses death and grief in this collection, but each novella approaches those themes differently. Hardboiled deals with accepting the guilt of death and touches on abandonment and separation in relationships, while Hard Luck tells the story of a woman dealing with the knowledge that her comatose sister will soon be cut off from the ventilator, which is the only thing keeping her alive.
Hardboiled has an addition of a supernatural element to it that to me makes it more interesting than Hard Luck. What is interesting is how the paranormal aspect of the story was presented in a rather welcoming and sad way. It wasn't entirely a horror novella, yet the horror aspect is still prevalent in the novella and gives a chill to my spine a couple of times. Hardboiled deals with reconciling your past and your present, and understanding that grief isn't something to be put away or ignored, nor is it something to envelop yourself in.
Hard Luck, on the other hand, is gentle and tragic: it is gentle in the way that it embraces the subtleties of grief and how it is okay to grieve, yet it is tragic to see how even though the woman and her family try to overcome their grief, they ultimately will always return to their grief when their emotions got the best of them. The novella does, however, tell us a message that death and grief are a part of life, and that one must move on and not be stuck in their emotions. It was a bittersweet and touching novella overall.
Although I really enjoyed the book, I give this 3.75 stars because some stuff felt a bit repetitive in this collection, especially in Hard Luck. I felt that some parts were unnecessary and could've left a bigger impact had the author decided to cut them out. I think there is merit in those parts being written into the story, but I just preferred it if it wasn't too draggy.
I still will read more from Banana Yoshimoto, but in my opinion, this is not her best work yet. Definitely recommend it for readers who want a heartbreaking yet healing book to read.
Yoshimoto discusses death and grief in this collection, but each novella approaches those themes differently. Hardboiled deals with accepting the guilt of death and touches on abandonment and separation in relationships, while Hard Luck tells the story of a woman dealing with the knowledge that her comatose sister will soon be cut off from the ventilator, which is the only thing keeping her alive.
Hardboiled has an addition of a supernatural element to it that to me makes it more interesting than Hard Luck. What is interesting is how the paranormal aspect of the story was presented in a rather welcoming and sad way. It wasn't entirely a horror novella, yet the horror aspect is still prevalent in the novella and gives a chill to my spine a couple of times. Hardboiled deals with reconciling your past and your present, and understanding that grief isn't something to be put away or ignored, nor is it something to envelop yourself in.
Hard Luck, on the other hand, is gentle and tragic: it is gentle in the way that it embraces the subtleties of grief and how it is okay to grieve, yet it is tragic to see how even though the woman and her family try to overcome their grief, they ultimately will always return to their grief when their emotions got the best of them. The novella does, however, tell us a message that death and grief are a part of life, and that one must move on and not be stuck in their emotions. It was a bittersweet and touching novella overall.
Although I really enjoyed the book, I give this 3.75 stars because some stuff felt a bit repetitive in this collection, especially in Hard Luck. I felt that some parts were unnecessary and could've left a bigger impact had the author decided to cut them out. I think there is merit in those parts being written into the story, but I just preferred it if it wasn't too draggy.
I still will read more from Banana Yoshimoto, but in my opinion, this is not her best work yet. Definitely recommend it for readers who want a heartbreaking yet healing book to read.
clone's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
hildakokkola's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
faroclau's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cait808's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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? No
4.0
I’m writing this review like MONTHS after I read this because I finished it and I didn’t quite know what to think abt it. Still kind of don’t. Tried to re-read it but really only muddled through it reluctantly before returning it to the library.
Two succinct stories about grief. Yoshimoto’s prose is candid and a little odd. It made me cry on public transportation. What the hell, Miss Banana!!!!
Two succinct stories about grief. Yoshimoto’s prose is candid and a little odd. It made me cry on public transportation. What the hell, Miss Banana!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Domestic abuse
jamisenfallot's review against another edition
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
happyrobotdrea's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
massaad007's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5