Reviews

Takes a while to get going, and I'm not a tremendous fan of the prose or protagonist's voice - would have given it 2 stars based on the first half. But it becomes more emotional and impactful as the story progresses and is worth reading for that reason

alexandra_ninelives's review against another edition

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4.0

A quick read and a heartwarming one at that. I just wish I knew it would make me cry. Maybe I wouldn’t have read it at work lol

olyts's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

4.25

kipperstein's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

shay2_0's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

kba76's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

A tale told from the viewpoint of Nana the cat. Taken in by Satoru, our main character chronicles his time living with the man who takes him in and heals him after he is injured. They share five years together, and then Nana is told that he and Satoru are going travelling.
Each of the subsequent chapters shows us a different character from Satoru’s past as he tries to find someone to look after his cat. We learn a little about the man he was, and see Nana’s curiosity as he tries to work out what is happening.
The style of writing is quite simplistic, and I wonder how much of the trouble I had engaging with the story was down to the rather disjointed style. I also found it frustrating that because we view things from Nana’s perspective it’s hard to really focus on developing a sense of the character/situation.
As the book progressed it became clear as to the reason behind what was happening, but it didn’t make me feel any more strongly about what I was reading.
The crux of the story is over fairly quickly, and I couldn’t help but feel that the narrative from Nana’s perspective made the whole thing feel a little mawkish. While the suggestion of the arrival of a new cat towards the end may provide some solace, it just felt like a rather painful reminder that little can be done to stop things coming to a natural end.
I hate to say it, but I think this may have just been a case of the right book at the wrong time for me.

iktara's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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