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lina_harrysversion's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.75
A very sad and reflective work on family relations and a misspent life that Akutagawa Ryūnosuke was at odds with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Rape and Murder
mions's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Perfect on-the-go read, loved pulling this out here and there whenever I had some time to kill. Overall masterfully written.
It took me a moment to get an understanding of what was going on in In a Bamboo Grove, but once I did, I got very invested in the story. Utilised the concept of multiple perspectives in a meaningful way that left me thinking about the case a while after I had finished reading.
Death Register has a very somber feel. The described events from Akuatagawa’s childhood help with not only understanding The Life of a Stupid Man but also with seeing all its influence in Akutagawa’s other writing.
The titular story’s sections are short and sweet, though often of the bitter-variety. The writing paints an elegant yet raw portrayal of regrets and grief, with an adequate glimpses into the happier moments sprinkled in.
Felt like a good introduction to Akutagawa as an author.
It took me a moment to get an understanding of what was going on in In a Bamboo Grove, but once I did, I got very invested in the story. Utilised the concept of multiple perspectives in a meaningful way that left me thinking about the case a while after I had finished reading.
Death Register has a very somber feel. The described events from Akuatagawa’s childhood help with not only understanding The Life of a Stupid Man but also with seeing all its influence in Akutagawa’s other writing.
The titular story’s sections are short and sweet, though often of the bitter-variety. The writing paints an elegant yet raw portrayal of regrets and grief, with an adequate glimpses into the happier moments sprinkled in.
Felt like a good introduction to Akutagawa as an author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Rape, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Blood, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Violence, Chronic illness, Medical content, and Murder
mitchwos's review
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Rape
lqne's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Rape, Violence, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Mental illness
Minor: Child death
adamparrishlover's review
challenging
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Rape
elwirax's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
"At some point he had lost interest in life. ‘I do have the will to create, though.’
‘But surely the will to create is a form of the will to live … ?’"
"The higher he flew, the farther below him sank the joys and sorrows of a life bathed in the light of intellect."
Reading this novella was like reading a collaboration between authors like Poe and Whitman in terms of topics and themes discussed (death/life, regret and nature). Throughout, Akutagawa references many Western authors, suggesting he was fascinated by the ideas these authors presented, while also doing so in his own way. The Life of a Stupid Man had an interesting writing style, it often came across as stream of consciousness yet, read like poetry at times. I liked his use of creative non-fiction that added a sense of depth to these vignettes.
In a Bamboo Grove 3.5/5
An interesting exploration of human nature and the perception of reality. Through the correspondences, what is essentially a simple story gets twisted based on each characters perspective, it becomes difficult to discern who is lying and who isn't. In this story Akutagawa very much scorns/moralises society and people while also commenting on our hypocrisy as humans.
"When I kill a man, I do it with my sword, but people like you don’t use swords. You gentlemen kill with your power, with your money, and sometimes just with your words: you tell people you’re doing them a favor. True, no blood flows, the man is still alive, but you’ve killed him all the same. I don’t know whose sin is greater – yours or mine."
Death Register 3.5/5
An autobiographical account of the authors early life in which many of his closest relatives passed away. From this story it was clear that his mother wasn't a prominent figure in his life and wasted away in front of him. Akutagawa was scared of becoming mentally ill like his mum and this is very much evident in this section of the novella as well as in The Life of a Stupid Man.
The Life of a Stupid Man 4/5
Akutagawa condensed many details of his most important memories into a few lines. These 51 vignettes were full of self loathing, his hatred of society, the evils of capitalism and the loneliness of the intellectual. Given that this is one of the author's final pieces of work before he committed suicide it makes it that more heart breaking.
Overall this was a very interesting read. Easy to follow and offered insightful snapshots into the life of an artist and the struggle with mental illness. While it feels wrong to rate someone's difficult life story, I have done so objectively.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Rape
Minor: Murder and Blood
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