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mathman329's review against another edition
4.0
2022 Book Review - Book No. 17: “The Cat Who Saved Books” by Sōsuke Natsukawa
Date started: 9/3/22
Date finished: 9/11/22
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(would recommend reading this fall, especially if you like books and/or cats)
Spoiler free review: I purchased this book after walking into a small independent book store and looking at it for 2 seconds. I like cats, I like books, so I figured I would probably like a book about a cat who saves books. Turns out I was right! More seriously, though, I have been trying to read things more outside of my usual reading box. That includes books from outside the US, and this book was originally written in Japanese before being translated into English. This was the second Japanese book I read this year (along with “Memoirs of a Polar Bear”).
One of the things I’ve noticed in these books is the way the translation will get to the point directly in many situations. That isn’t to say there isn’t some more flowery descriptions, but for the most part it’s rather straight forward. One of the things I like in the translation of Natsukawa’s tale was the inclusion of Japanese words that don’t have direct English translations. It was neat to look those words up and get a better idea of what they meant rather than simply using context clues.
The story itself is fun. After the young protagonist inherits a used book store from his grandfather, he is soon visited by a mystical talking cat who recruits him for help on some quests to, well, save books. What ensues is a tale of growth and a love of literature. Much like “The Reading List”, this tale hopes to highlight how books can heal their readers. And while the cat gets the title treatment, the story is truly about Rintaro, the recently orphaned boy. Though possibly a bit predictable at the end, this book is well worth saving and reading!
Date started: 9/3/22
Date finished: 9/11/22
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(would recommend reading this fall, especially if you like books and/or cats)
Spoiler free review: I purchased this book after walking into a small independent book store and looking at it for 2 seconds. I like cats, I like books, so I figured I would probably like a book about a cat who saves books. Turns out I was right! More seriously, though, I have been trying to read things more outside of my usual reading box. That includes books from outside the US, and this book was originally written in Japanese before being translated into English. This was the second Japanese book I read this year (along with “Memoirs of a Polar Bear”).
One of the things I’ve noticed in these books is the way the translation will get to the point directly in many situations. That isn’t to say there isn’t some more flowery descriptions, but for the most part it’s rather straight forward. One of the things I like in the translation of Natsukawa’s tale was the inclusion of Japanese words that don’t have direct English translations. It was neat to look those words up and get a better idea of what they meant rather than simply using context clues.
The story itself is fun. After the young protagonist inherits a used book store from his grandfather, he is soon visited by a mystical talking cat who recruits him for help on some quests to, well, save books. What ensues is a tale of growth and a love of literature. Much like “The Reading List”, this tale hopes to highlight how books can heal their readers. And while the cat gets the title treatment, the story is truly about Rintaro, the recently orphaned boy. Though possibly a bit predictable at the end, this book is well worth saving and reading!
shereadytoread's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
I had really mixed feelings about this book. I enjoy the message behind the book about the love of reading and how important reading and books can be in someone's life. I loved the idea of the power of books and how that presents in different ways for different people.
However, the concept and the execution don't match up as much. The "adventures" to save books are primarily short philosophical conversations about different viewpoints on books and reading. There is no action to these quests. It's walk in, talk, rinse and repeat.
I really enjoyed some of the imagery around the books and the bookshop. The cat is a brash character but not in a way that made him unlikeable to me.
This was chosen as the "Works in Translation" selection for the Diversify Your Reading book club. Join us here: https://bookclubs.com/diversify-your-reading-2/join/
However, the concept and the execution don't match up as much. The "adventures" to save books are primarily short philosophical conversations about different viewpoints on books and reading. There is no action to these quests. It's walk in, talk, rinse and repeat.
I really enjoyed some of the imagery around the books and the bookshop. The cat is a brash character but not in a way that made him unlikeable to me.
This was chosen as the "Works in Translation" selection for the Diversify Your Reading book club. Join us here: https://bookclubs.com/diversify-your-reading-2/join/
julesssss's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
paxicara's review against another edition
1.0
This book lacked substance. Everything was surface-level and frankly boring. There wasn’t any actual conflict and practically no stakes. Rintaro would just show up to the boss of the labyrinth, say something to the extent of “no books are meant to be enjoyed and what you’re doing is bad” and the boss would smile and nod knowingly like he had solved their clever book puzzle.
Character development was bad, I didn’t care about any of them, and the cat could have been written out of the book since he was practically useless.
The message of the book was about how important books are but it was done so preachily that it was cringy.
Overall: blah
Character development was bad, I didn’t care about any of them, and the cat could have been written out of the book since he was practically useless.
The message of the book was about how important books are but it was done so preachily that it was cringy.
Overall: blah
ruemorgue00's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
marvsbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
joene's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0