I didn't enjoy this as much as the previous volumes :( it was very convoluted and boring. GCC and CSZ were cute though, and I liked the bonus stories.I didn't enjoy this as much as the previous volumes :( it was very convoluted and boring. GCC and CSZ were cute though, and I liked the bonus stories. You'll definitely need to read the extras for closure on the happy ever after....more
This is my least favorite Dostoevsky so far. The plot is honestly a mess. Random events keep happening without proper build up. I'm used to DostoevskyThis is my least favorite Dostoevsky so far. The plot is honestly a mess. Random events keep happening without proper build up. I'm used to Dostoevsky's long-winded writing style but this was too much; so much of it felt like it wasn't leading to anything. Worst of all is that I didn't like any of the characters. In Crime and Punishment, even the side characters were sympathetic and interesting. Here, they were all boring or deeply nasty, and not even in a fun antihero way. Worst of them all is the protagonist Prince Myshkin. His foolishness is annoying, but I can't take him seriously as a "Christ-figure" either. While he's occasionally selfless and always forgiving, I wouldn't call him a good person... He has a righteous streak and a tendency towards making the situation worse. Ack. I only finished this tome so I could say I read it....more
So beautifully written, utterly hypnotic, melancholy and mysterious. It isn't for everyone but it had me captivated. Still, I agree with most reviewerSo beautifully written, utterly hypnotic, melancholy and mysterious. It isn't for everyone but it had me captivated. Still, I agree with most reviewers; the first half is much stronger and more interesting than the second. I also have very many questions about the ending, but I guess it makes sense given how badly the MC was grieving. Loneliness makes you do strange, desperate things....more
“We’re all a bunch of clowns. If you want to see a farce, look in the mirror.”
“Life’s a farce, so we might as well make a good one.”
Okay, maybe readin“We’re all a bunch of clowns. If you want to see a farce, look in the mirror.”
“Life’s a farce, so we might as well make a good one.”
Okay, maybe reading this book in a hospital waiting room while being surrounded by crying children was not the best way to experience it. That said, I was trying very hard to enjoy myself as a distraction from everything, so don’t say that I didn’t try!
Full disclosure: I loved No Longer Human. So of course I was very curious about reading this prequel (?) featuring the same character recuperating at a sanatorium after a failed double suicide with his lover (who had died, while he survived). Dazai fans will instantly realize how similar the premise is to his own life. Except that Flowers of Buffoonery was written at least a decade before No Longer Human.
It is actually is a lot lighter, despite the subject matter. Yozo and his friends play cards, make jokes, and flirt with girls in the sanatorium. His brother visits him to tell him that the police are investigating and he should get his life together, but Yozo doesn’t really care. Everyone is too busy laughing and making the best out of his four days in the hospital.
It’s not really a novel though. It’s less than 100 pages. It’s more of a series of vignettes. Not much happens in the novel, and there is no structure, no overarching plot. It could be tightened up into a short story. I agree that it says more about the author himself. This is most clear whenever he breaks the fourth wall and interjects about the quality of his writing or how much he regrets inserting x plot detail. The funniest part is when he mentions how the manuscript served as his editor’s coaster because he returned it to Dazai with a ring from his teapot lol.
So tldr; I did not really enjoy this book. No Longer Human is indeed superior. Only read Flowers of Buffoonery if you’re a hardcore Dazai Osamu fan and want to be a completionist about his works. It’s an interesting glimpse into his early works and early mindset, albeit a bit sad in context of his real life....more
I am genuinely surprised at how much I enjoyed Crime and Punishment. I was intimidated by its length and expected myself to take at least 6 months to I am genuinely surprised at how much I enjoyed Crime and Punishment. I was intimidated by its length and expected myself to take at least 6 months to read it… only for me to fly through it in less than a month. For context, I read it faster than MDZS, the danmei novel. That’s wild to me…
This is my third Dostoevsky book, but it’s finally the one that’s turned me into a Dostoevsky girlie. I’m so excited to devour his other full length works now. The Penguin Classics Edition was also very readable; it was so much more readable than English classics. I really appreciate that.
I genuinely had so much fun reading Crime and Punishment. It’s got a murder and a murderer evading the police! It’s got dark and gritty descriptions of the lowlifes of St. Petersburg! It’s got a miserable, nihilistic, occasionally insane protagonist who falls hard from grace and then redeems himself at the end! It’s bleak and beautiful, melancholy and tense, sometimes even edge of your seat thrilling. There’s a complicated family drama, a romance, a story of true friendship and brotherhood, and random plot twists that I didn’t expect. It’s also so gorgeously descriptive, and I’m so regretful that I hadn’t read this yet when I visited St. Petersburg many years ago. I would have loved to trace the streets through this novel and visited Dostoyevsky’s home turned museum. Oh well.
For me the funniest thing about this book is discovering that Raskolnikov is actually just 23 years old. He’s basically a college student. It makes so much sense now.
Scholars from all over the world have dissected this book for hundreds of years so there’s not much I can add to the conversation. But yeah, I get the hype. Brb about to make this my personality ❤️ ...more
OHHH I loved Volume 2 a lot more than Volume 1! We finally get somewhere with the romance <3 The plot also gets a lot more serious, and the backstorieOHHH I loved Volume 2 a lot more than Volume 1! We finally get somewhere with the romance <3 The plot also gets a lot more serious, and the backstories of the characters are revealed. The final chapters sent me into an existential spiral. I... I did not expect to ponder the immensity of immortality at 10 PM on a Sunday. Oh... Oh how lonely that must be...
I'm both scared and excited for Volume 3 because even if they end up happily ever after, HOW WILL IT WORK???
Also I cannot believe I'm saying this but I feel like I'm growing old because the 30 year old protagonist here was getting intensely relatable to me. Help....more
Ahh, I love gay detective stories but I think my expectations were a little too high. I found the first mystery kinda boring and I was frustrated by tAhh, I love gay detective stories but I think my expectations were a little too high. I found the first mystery kinda boring and I was frustrated by the hot-and-cold ping-ponging between the two leads. They're flirting heavily and about to kiss at one moment... then acting like they're just colleagues the next moment. Of course, this is caused by some heavy miscommunication (especially at the end! Xie Lanshan, you can't just tell Shen Liufei that you're going on a date with your ex-girlfriend and her son and then try to kiss him afterwards. No wonder he slapped you brooo) that I hope will be resolved neatly and won't get too annoying in the future books.
That said, it's very promising! The crimes were all unique and I liked the different side characters. Some of the lines were also genuinely, surprisingly laugh out loud funny. And most of all, I am so intrigued by Mu Kun and Xie Lanshan's forgotten past. Evil mafia boss who's obsessed with Xie Lanshan... Oh besties I am SEATED for the next volume....more
Maybe I shouldn't have read this at the end of my Christmas holidays, right when I'm about to go back to work at my miserable office job.
I enjoyed TheMaybe I shouldn't have read this at the end of my Christmas holidays, right when I'm about to go back to work at my miserable office job.
I enjoyed The Double more than Notes from the Underground. For me, No Longer Human by Dazai Osamu still reigns supreme as the ultimate depressing existentialist classic. However, I'm glad I finally read it and I think I understand why people like it so much. The protagonist in Notes is an awful, despicable man -- incredibly cringey -- but he rallies against the world: the hypocrisy of society, having to constantly bow down and scrape to your superiors, being a worker drone under capitalism (had Marx even been published yet?), the shallowness of preferring looks over intelligence, and, well, just generally being miserable that other people have a better life than you, when you think they don't deserve it.
Really, the most depressing part is the realization that human life has always been the same and we will never change. Happy New Year, folks....more
I've been following Haruki Murakami for many years (since 2012, I think) but Norwegian Wood is one of the last novels of his that I've read. AdmittedlI've been following Haruki Murakami for many years (since 2012, I think) but Norwegian Wood is one of the last novels of his that I've read. Admittedly, it was because this is his most popular and I am an obnoxious contrarian. I'm glad that I finally picked it up. It's SO different from his other books, but you can still catch his favorite motifs and themes.
I'm sorry for describing this as a "straightforward love story" because it's NOT. Murakami is never straightforward! Actually, this is a novel about grief at its core. It's about grief and learning to live in this awful, nonsensical world after you've lost someone you love. It's about urban loneliness, about wanting to understand other people but never being understood. It's actually a really bleak story, but in true Murakami fashion, you can't tell that it's depressing because he writes it in such a matter of fact way.
The narrator Toru keeps sleeping with random women because he desires the warmth of human touch. Supposedly, it's because the woman he loves doesn't love him back, but I don't think it's just that. He never recovered from the fact that his best friend killed himself when they were teenagers. Toru is constantly surrounded by people who retreat into their own selfish little shell and reject love -- his college friend, the second love interest Midori (who I hated lmao but I understand why her character was necessary), even Reiko to an extent. Ever since his friend died, he has been haunted by the specter of death. That's why he's so easygoing, without any strong personal desires outside of human connection.
One thing I found interesting about this novel (and which hardly gets much mention) is the fact that it's set during the 1960s Japanese student riots. Neither Toru nor Midori are political sorts; in fact they're neutral and don't really understand all the critical theory jargon. But he points out the hypocrisy of these student activists -- after the protests are all finished, they sit down and continue living in accordance with the structure. They get jobs at the big corporations, get married, have children, and treat their college years as a distant memory. In fact, they're more in love with the idea of activism than vouching for any true change.
Sure, Murakami's gaze is incredibly male and heterosexual. The constant sex talk got overwhelming, and it was not sexy at all, though at one point the over-the-top horniness became funny. But in the end, it isn't about sex at all. It's about a desperate desire for love and human connection, and the joining of bodies becomes the easiest way to express that.
This is one of his easier to digest books. I'll be thinking about it for a while....more
Detectives + fantasy + gay romance... This book catered to all my interests! I thought I had given up on danmei due to the tiring lengths of each bookDetectives + fantasy + gay romance... This book catered to all my interests! I thought I had given up on danmei due to the tiring lengths of each book but since Guardian is just a trilogy, I decided to collect it. It's action-packed, occasionally creepy, occasionally funny, and just so cool... It felt like an anime in the best way possible.
Admittedly, I didn't get much of a read on Shen Wei's personality yet in volume 1, though I delightfully guessed the plot twist. Zhao Yunlan is the perfect hero: handsome, charming and intelligent yet a total manslut sleaze, hotheaded and messy, contradictory yet very lovable. I really appreciated how we have a strong fantasy plot alongside the relationship. Really looking forward to see how their romance develops!...more
I’ve been in a Sappho mood lately, and now I am desperate to devour all of her works. This book only half-sated my need, because Carson emphasizes howI’ve been in a Sappho mood lately, and now I am desperate to devour all of her works. This book only half-sated my need, because Carson emphasizes how INCOMPLETE and fragmentary Sappho’s surviving poems are. We have incomplete sentences, and even more short phrases, sometimes a mere word. Sometimes what survives barely makes sense on its own. I know nothing about Ancient Greece and am not a classicist, but that said, there are some poems that I recognized here and enjoyed more when it came from a different translator. Ie, some of the most iconic translations were not Carson’s (though she also has some of my favorite iterations). I’m glad I finally got a copy though. Mine is well-tabbed, well-worn and loved....more
I'm honestly still stunned at how beautiful this book is. It's quiet, bleak, understated, yet so full of feeling. And I think this is the first book II'm honestly still stunned at how beautiful this book is. It's quiet, bleak, understated, yet so full of feeling. And I think this is the first book I've ever read that features a lesbian couple having a child, so I really appreciated that, even if it did not end happily. There's a quote that comes to my mind: why do we only treat something as successful if it lasts forever? Just because a friendship, relationship, job, or hobby ended, doesn't mean that it was a failure. For a brief time, it was real and made you happy — is that not equally beautiful?
Boulder is an unnamed woman who works as a cook on a cruise ship. She lives a simple, minimalist, isolated life. She meets her lovers on docks, and all of them are temporary until Samsa — who is soon getting a new job. To prevent their separation, Boulder moves to Iceland with Samsa. They go through all the rocky landmarks of a serious relationship: moving in together, supporting each other's careers, etc, though Boulder remains adrift and you get the impression that she is smothered by this rigid lifestyle, as someone who's a free spirit. Eventually, Samsa decides that she wants to have a child. Boulder does not want one, but she has no choice. They have the baby, but it eventually leads to the breakdown of their relationship.
The prose is truly stunning. Boulder is as isolated as her environment, even more isolated from her wife once the pregnancy begins. She is an imperfect, occasionally frustrating human being, but I appreciated her honesty. Boulder does not want to be a trophy wife. She does not want to be a mother. In many ways, she feels trapped by the traditions of womanhood and so distances herself from being a woman. Samsa only allows her a little time with their daughter; she insists on doing the bulk of the caregiving. In many ways, Boulder feels more like a father than a second mother. And though she learns to love her daughter more than her wife, there is still that distance between them — she does not need to see the child every day, the way Samsa needs to be connected with her baby for every moment. Both women ruin the relationship by doing something unforgivable... But maybe they were never meant to be like this, the happy family with a white picket fence.
Boulder's character really resonated with me. She is a masc lesbian, prickly and preferring her own company to that of other human beings. She is so distant from womanhood and the expectations of gender and traditional life, and so she runs far, far away — choosing manual labor and a simple minimalistic life. But then it begs the question — is she capable of truly settling down, or will she keep running whenever she feels too tied down?
I'm incredibly intrigued. I’ll definitely check out this author's other books....more
This book was so moving and beautiful. It starts out slow and quiet, a little dull, but once it picks up it grabs hold of your heart and doesn't let gThis book was so moving and beautiful. It starts out slow and quiet, a little dull, but once it picks up it grabs hold of your heart and doesn't let go. I adore feminist, women-centric novels by Japanese female authors like this one. It reminded me of Strange Weather in Tokyo — lonely workaholic thirty-something woman slowly falls for an older man — except it's a disservice to boil this novel down to its love story.
Fuyuko has no hobbies, no desires, no strong opinions. She works as a proofreader until the social environment (basically, bullying) at her office convinces her to go freelance when an old coworker offers her the opportunity. Now working as a freelance proofreader, she decides to take charge of her new life by befriending her new boss (a strong, independent, feisty woman), binge drinking, and consistently meeting a physics teacher who she literally ran into by accident.
It takes a very long time for Fuyuko to emerge from her shell. She's quiet, often a sounding board for her friend to ramble at her, and refuses to make major decisions or rock the boat. She turns into a legit alcoholic. But we learn why she became this way, and the more we read, the more of her feelings start to bleed through the pages. I could feel her defrosting as the story went on, and it was both so poetic and painful. On one hand, it's a novel about how women are forced to conform to society's idea of them. But on the other, it's a story about a woman so scared of getting hurt that she sacrifices her life and doesn't do anything at all.
The simplistic slice-of-life beginning chapters might lose some readers, but have a little patience and hold on, because All the Lovers in the Night is worth it....more
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