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paige_hollingsworth99's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death and Fatphobia
anguawolf's review
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Death
Minor: Grief
xeno_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
csergilo's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Moderate: Grief
cluelessavian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Grief
kappafrog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The arguments about literature were surprisingly conservative, with a disdain for anything that wasn't a Western classic.
Gender was handled very awkwardly. We're told Sayo is smart, but this is never actually demonstrated, and she's shown to struggle understanding books, especially those that aren't romances. Even the translator seemed to notice this because she mentions making the cat's gender ambiguous because she didn't think the book needed another male hero.
The best parts were the surreal details of the labyrinth sequences, and
Moderate: Grief, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Fatphobia and Kidnapping
novella42's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Kidnapping, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Ableism, Fatphobia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Misogyny
hello_lovely13's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Death of parent
warlocksarecool21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The writing was simple and rather direct (which may be a feature of it being a translated work) but I think it serves the narrative well for the topics explored. I also listened to the audiobook and the narrator Kevin Shen was very good and I didn’t mind the writing style that way.
The story itself is clever and witty, the labyrinths Rintaro goes through representing various discourse you often see in the book & publishing community. While I won’t spoil what exactly happens, Rintaro has to face people that only see books for their marketability, as commodities and status symbols instead of powerful gateways to other worlds and the universal experience of humanity. These discussions gave me a lot to reflect on and really made me appreciate how often we take books for granted.
I think the most important component of this story is Rintaro’s character development. He’s mourning the loss of his grandfather (although his grief doesn’t manifest how you would expect it) and what that means for his life, but over the course of the novel you see him grow into his personality and realize what’s important to him. I also really enjoyed how in each of the labyrinths Rintaro would reflect on what his grandfather taught him and how he shaped Rintaro’s life even though he is gone now.
The Cat Who Saved Books is a charming and heartwarming story that I think any book lover would enjoy.
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
———
A truly beautiful, read. It never failed to remind my why I love books so much!
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Death of parent