Reviews

La gula by Asako Yuzuki

neridah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

venusinlove's review against another edition

i really thought i'd like this one, I see people CONSTANTLY hyping it up and honestly? it sounded very intriguing but it's so tedious to listen to. I'm not even that far in but it's just dragging. almost nothing has happened and I don't really enjoy slow books... It has 14+ more hours until the end and I don'tr think i'm going to do it simply because it has not grasped me that well.

barbarajean's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

sullyisreading's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative mysterious reflective tense 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

The whole novel was deeply fascinating for me. There were a couple of simple errors that must have slipped through the translation and editing phase, but nothing distracting.

At the end of the day, who truly dislikes Butter?

wanderlustaxa's review against another edition

3.5

A truly weird plot with lots of twists and turns. I thought it was a mystery but upon reading it’s actually a take on feminism in Japan. It’s a book in translation which may have accounted for some of the choppy sentences but I did love the ways I learned about food  culture in Japan. At times, the men who shamed the women for gaining weight gave me ick, but the community that fathers at the end made me think of crashing at each others apartments in college and gave such a warm feeling. An odd, but compelling, read. 

readwithharry's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

jude94's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

tbhyknow's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective

5.0

This books broke me down in the most gut-wrenching, hair-ripping, eyes-bawling way that I feel completely hollow inside. I feel like I have been turkey-fied after reading this.

Yuzuki just has such a way of words that I couldn't describe in any language on this world. It's definitely something worthwhile reading.

The characters are written great! They're incredibly flawed, but they felt so real and Yuzuki wrote them in such a way that still makes them likeable, even Kajii who's supposedly the antagonist of the entire book, I still love her as a character. I would still fight her if she ever were a real person.

Rika's relationship and Interactions with the said woman is just so interesting to read about. She was definitely obsessed with Kajii. Like-- Imagine being so devoted that you practically become her eyes, mouth and tongue. And the way Kajii became somewhat obsessed with Rika when she stopped visiting the detention centre.

To be honest, some characters just feel so queer -coded. Like for example,

Reiko really said: "I wish Rika could've been a boy" during her time spent in one of Kajii's victims' house

and it just screamed queer to me. Not to mention Rika who literally chose Reiko over and over again instead of her boyfriend, Makoto, like-- I know they were never that close, but still.

No wonder they broke up, they were better off as just friends in the beginning anyways so

I say queer-coded even though it's not exactly prominent, so maybe I'm just projecting.

I don't really have anything intellectual to say about this book, just know this broke me so bad and I want to eat mochi with butter now.

Definitely recommend this if you're into crime fiction and discussing women relationships ^^

sarahsbookss's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

3.0

louisek96's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0