Thank you for your review. I just finished this book, a story about ''hispter-ish?'' melancholy and solitude, a long haiku poem. Hugo's quote 'Melancholy is the happiness of being sad,' kept coming to my mind while reading the book. I just started Breasts and Eggs and I'm falling into it actually. Can't wait to listen to your videos about it once I finish it.

@deadlizardreads1937

4 ай бұрын

Yes, the melancholia of this book is so oddly satisfying. There is something about it that entranced me.

It's been a while since I read this book, but every time I think of it, I remember it as a "liminal space", the narrator's train of thought flows along a series of scenes without every really stopping on any (told from an almost ambivalent perspective) and that made me feel like I was caught in a really long white Thursday morning. But it was as if the plot, which I now don't really remember, crumpled like an accordion into one big rainy gray vibe. I agree with the word you chose, it's melancholy.

@deadlizardreads1937

Жыл бұрын

Agree with everything you said! I remember the ambiance more than anything that really happened.

Finished this book 3 days ago and it just keeps sticking with me. I'll find myself thinking about during random parts of the day. And you're right about the dialog. There are times when a character speaks and it's in quotes, there are time when a character speaks and it's not. There are other times when Tsukiko will say what someone said in a middle of a paragraph. Sometimes there is a back-and-forth and you don't know who initiated the conversation. It keeps you off balance a little. I also found myself asking "When are we?" throughout a lot of the book. I had no real sense of what year it was. They listen to the radio, read newspapers and talk on landline phones, so I thought it must be at least the 90's if not the 80's. Then, I find out later that I'm totally wrong. I loved it! And I agree with you on Tsukiko's immaturity not being distracting or annoying. Mainly because she is aware of it and mentions it several times. She's not where most of her peers are in her life (something I can relate to!), so she's kind of hard on herself about it. When she doesn't "act her age" I found myself easily forgiving it ,because I know she's just trying to figure things out for herself. Anyway, long winded way of saying I like your review! Cheers!

@deadlizardreads1937

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! And I agree, it’s a book that sticks with you😊

This book has stuck with me for about a year now. I think understanding why the book in Japanese is titled, "Sensei's Briefcase," with the briefcase playing some role in the book, it helps to understand the character herself. Also, when compared with the Japanese version, the first paragraph in the English version may not have been clearly explained well. In the Japanese version, the character says that she calls him Sensei, not teacher (せんせい), not sensei (先生), but Sensei (センセイ). (First word is written in hiragana (formal), second in kanji (very formal), and katakana (not formal, more like a boyfriend or to a family member). We see the author herself working with the Japanese language, similar to how Vladimir Nabokov did with English in his book, Lolita.

@deadlizardreads1937

Жыл бұрын

I do think it is sad to lose that minutiae while reading. A professor of mine focused on “transreading” where the goal was not necessarily exact translation, but focusing on the sense someone would get from reading the text. I can’t really think of a good example, but one off the top of my head is how in English lambs are used as these cute creatures, in a way that other languages use baby goats. (Calling someone “my little lamb” v “my little kid”) in that case it might make sense to use the wrong word in favor of the right sentiment. How would you have translated Sensei to show that informality? I’m trying to think how to convey it…

It's on my TBR, so it's good to hear that you'd recommend it. Not heard of Falling Leaves before - will keep an eye out for your review.

@PageTurnersWithKatja

2 жыл бұрын

Not sure if this is useful info or not but when I started out on Booktube I didn't know that most people found each other at the start through The Booktube Newbie Tag.

@deadlizardreads1937

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, I just uploaded my July Wrap Up, I discuss Falling Leaves there if you are interested. Also thank you for the suggestion to use the booktube newbie tag!