Reviews

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

kjsears's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

heron_m's review

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Self harm, Addiction, and Drug use

Minor: Violence and Sexual assault

afterttherain's review against another edition

3.0

“Inside? Outside? What is the difference and how can you tell? When a sound enters your body through your ears and merges with your mind, what happens to it? Is it still a sound then, or has it become something else? When you eat a wing or an egg or a drumstick, at what point is it no longer a chicken? When you read these words on a page, what happens to them, when they become you?”

dua008's review against another edition

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

oxnard_montalvo's review

Starts strong, with a bit of a sag 3/4 of the way to the end before ending in a whirlwind. So much I loved; the idea of things speaking, their own desires affecting their personalities and what they speak of. The structure of the book is memorable and unique. The book acknowledges that you are reading, it becomes its own narrator, conversing with Benny, our protagnonist, and holding court about the bookish world.
I think you could read the ending more ambiguously; does it end as neatly as suggested? Or is it delusion? Perhaps there is something darker under the surface.

anniebru's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

chotchki's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

mitskacir's review against another edition

4.0

As usual, Ozeki’s writing is engrossing, unpredictable, and a bit didactic. I have to give her huge credit for writing a book about books that I actually really liked. In particular I don’t like books that talk about how magical books are, but this one got me - I bought into it for sure. I particularly was invested in the mother’s story, but found myself a bit bored with Benny’s sometimes, even though his was the more exciting and fantastical. Maybe it’s because the mother was more relatable with her more real-to-my-life problems. This solidified my desire to read anything Ozeki writes.

patchworkculture's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm and Death of parent

thejenny's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

3.5