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ladylil's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5
The Forest of Wool and Steel reads like a piano composition, with ebbs and flows that you sway along with, crescendo's and moments of stillness that capture your attention and an overall sense of awe that leaves you wondering just how the author achieved it.
The book captures personal growth over a number of years of Tomura, a character who is not immediately the best, having little to no technical background to the path he pursues as a piano tuner. The trials he faces and his growth throughout the book is handled with care and humility, showcasing a character who harnesses both doubt and unflinching perseverance to find his path. Whilst it is not the most relatable subject matter being primarily about piano tuning, it transcends that limit through weaving together human experience and emotions that draws you in.
The Forest of Wool and Steel reads like a piano composition, with ebbs and flows that you sway along with, crescendo's and moments of stillness that capture your attention and an overall sense of awe that leaves you wondering just how the author achieved it.
The book captures personal growth over a number of years of Tomura, a character who is not immediately the best, having little to no technical background to the path he pursues as a piano tuner. The trials he faces and his growth throughout the book is handled with care and humility, showcasing a character who harnesses both doubt and unflinching perseverance to find his path. Whilst it is not the most relatable subject matter being primarily about piano tuning, it transcends that limit through weaving together human experience and emotions that draws you in.
abi_sarah's review against another edition
3.0
As you follow the journey of a piano tuner’s apprentice, you learn along with him the highs and lows of learning a new skill. Tomura-kun is an interesting protagonist and keeps you interested, his thoughts, feelings and opinions as he goes through a life-changing journey is a joy to read. For someone who has played the piano before and understands the inner workings somewhat, the music theory that is touched upon throughout this novel is truly enlightening and reminded me of the feeling that pressing keys to produce a sound gives you. Very poetic, a nice palette cleanse and a mindful read.
yanailedit's review against another edition
5.0
There's a lot of books out there that attempt to grapple with the elusive behemoth topic of what a meaningful life is supposed to be.
Very few books succeed in handling the topic they dedicated an entire damn stack of paper to, not even for a page or two. Some are outright depressing, others are shallow and tinny, most are just flat and apathetic. Nearly all will leave you feeling even more disorientated than when you started which is kind of impressive in a bad way.
Once in a blue moon though, you might come across a book from an author who really does have something to say on the subject in a way that speaks to you. They'll do so with skill, humility, and beauty, reminding you why the hell you ever risked picking up these kinds of 'meaning of life' books in the first place. It certainly helps if you share the same passions as the author too.
This is one of those Once in a Blue Moon Books for me and I remember finding it while browsing almost as though it had been waiting for me.
The writing and translation are both quietly spectacular. Both Miyashita and Gabriel shine at their best, a feat all the more impressive given the relative minimalism of the piece and the subject. It's the classical music book I'd been looking for for years with the soothing depth I've been needing lately.
A breath of fresh air that reminded me why exactly it is that I love Japanese literature, music, and philosophising about beauty.
Writing about hope and beauty is widely regarded as gauche, naive, or just plain uncool. Do yourself a favor and stick that nihilistic elitism confirmation bias in the trash where it belongs.
Very few books succeed in handling the topic they dedicated an entire damn stack of paper to, not even for a page or two. Some are outright depressing, others are shallow and tinny, most are just flat and apathetic. Nearly all will leave you feeling even more disorientated than when you started which is kind of impressive in a bad way.
Once in a blue moon though, you might come across a book from an author who really does have something to say on the subject in a way that speaks to you. They'll do so with skill, humility, and beauty, reminding you why the hell you ever risked picking up these kinds of 'meaning of life' books in the first place. It certainly helps if you share the same passions as the author too.
This is one of those Once in a Blue Moon Books for me and I remember finding it while browsing almost as though it had been waiting for me.
The writing and translation are both quietly spectacular. Both Miyashita and Gabriel shine at their best, a feat all the more impressive given the relative minimalism of the piece and the subject. It's the classical music book I'd been looking for for years with the soothing depth I've been needing lately.
A breath of fresh air that reminded me why exactly it is that I love Japanese literature, music, and philosophising about beauty.
Writing about hope and beauty is widely regarded as gauche, naive, or just plain uncool. Do yourself a favor and stick that nihilistic elitism confirmation bias in the trash where it belongs.
the_nook_of_tomes's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
cauchemarlena's review against another edition
5.0
If it was a question of being blessed or not, then I guessed I'd be in the unsuccessful category. The nuances of sound that a highly skilled tuner must be able to distinguish and what I myself had been brought up with were worlds apart. The soft hotohoto-plunk of ripe chestnuts falling to the forest floor. The rustling sharashara of leaves brushing against each other. The chorochoro trickle of snow sliding down the lengths of a thousand creaking branches. I'm not able to illustrate those sounds quite precisely enough in words: the ear recognizes sounds far beyond what can be expressed through simple onomatopoeia.
Ma mõtlesin, et ma ootan sellest raamatust kirjutamisega esmaspäevani, aga ma kardan, et kui ma ei kirjuta nüüd, siis see tunne jääb mulle igaveseks hinge ning mul saavad otsa sõnad, et seda edasi anda. See on raamat, mida ma vajan eestikeelsena. Just - vajan! Ma ei tea, kui palju sellele lugejaid oleks, sest see on küllaltki aeglane kulgemine, kuid minule jättis see kustumatu mulje.
Naoki Tomura elu on sihitu kuni selle päevani, kui ta passib koolis teistest kauem ja tema õpetaja palub, et ta juhataks häälestaja kooli võimlasse. Tomura, kellel pole õrna aimugi kes või mis on häälestaja, arvab, et see on seotud kliimaseadmetega. Ta täidab oma ülesande ning on juba lahkumas, kui üksainus klaveriheli naelutab ta paigale. Ta läheb tagasi võimlasse, näeb, kuidas härra Itadori töötab. Tomura ei oska klaverit mängida, ta ei ole eriti kunagi muusikast huvitunud, kuid see kohtumine jääb alatiseks temaga. See ei ole elumuutev sündmus - see on palju rohkemat, üks elu andev hetk. Tomura otsustab saada klaverihäälestajaks.
Ta läbib vajalikud õpingud ning saab omale töökoha samas firmas, kus töötab härra Itadori. Tal on veel palju õppida, sest iga klaver on erinev ja igal kliendil on omad visioonid. Alguses käib ta kaasas abilisena ning sedasi tutvubki ta kaksikõdede Kazune ja Yuni'ga. Mõlemad tüdrukud mängivad klaverit, ent väga erinevalt. Nad harjutavad samal klaveril, mis peab olema häälestatud nii, et see sobiks mõlemale.
Kogu raamatu tegevus kestab viis aastat. Selle sisse mahub erinevaid kliente, vestlusi häälestaja olemusest ning ühe noore mehe pingutused, et leida oma tee metsast välja.
I comforted myself with the notion that at least at this point talent wasn't what was needed - I must not let the word 'talent' distract me, or use it as an excuse to give up. Experience, practice, effort, knowledge, a quick mind, perseverance and passion. If I didn't have enough talent, I could make up for it with all of these. If one day in the future they were no longer enough for what I needed, then I could give it all up - but the thought of this terrified me. It must be so frightening to admit finally that you don't have what it takes.
Mulle nii meeldis Tomura tegelaskuju ja see, kuidas ta tundis ära oma kutsumuse. Et ta otsustas järgida oma südame häält, kuigi tal polnud tegelikult mingeid eeldusi olla oma valitud erialal edukas. Minu arust võiks selliseid raamatuid olla rohkem, kus peategelane pingutab oma eesmärgi nimel. Kõik Tomura tegemised ei ole edukad. Ta teeb vigu ja mõnikord on need sellised, et ta ei saa neid ise parandada. Saab neist vaid õppida. Et alati ei pea tegema neid asju, mille jaoks on annet, et ei pea olema parim või väga hea selles, mida sa teed, senikaua kuni sa ise püüdled paremuse poole. Minu jaoks on see üks asi, mida ma oleks teismelisena tahtnud raamatutest leida.
'They say that if you put in ten thousand hours towards any goal, things will fall into place. If you're going to worry, best to wait until after you've done your ten thousand hours and then see.'
Mina alustasin oma klaveriõpingutega juba kuueaastaselt täiesti läbi juhuse. Tegelikult tahtsin minna käsikellade grupiga liituma, aga seal olid ainult suured poisid ning siis pakuti hoopis klaveriõpinguid. Klaverihäälestust olen näinud oma elus ühel korral ning ma ei mäleta seda väga hästi. Aga see raamat pani mind sellele mõtlema. Pani mõtlema kõikidele klaveritele, mida ma olen mänginud ja mis ootavad mind ees. Nii et võib-olla just see side muutis selle raamatu minu jaoks nii eriliseks ja nauditavaks.
Aga see oli ka kirja pandud lummavalt. Väga sageli ei meeldi mulle sellised aeglased ja üsnagi igapäevase sisuga raamatud, aga seda lugedes tekkis kohe tunne, et viige mind autoriga kokku. Ma ei taha temalt isegi midagi küsida. Tahaks minna mõnda klaveriga kohvikusse, istuda ja juua teed (või kohvi?), kuulata. Või jalutada metsas või rääkida niisama ükskõik millest, kas või sellest raamatust. Kuna ma üldse see aasta väljakutse lõpuni tegemisest ei unista, plaanisin selle visata hoopis kaanepildi punkti alla, sest see on lihtsalt võrratu. Aga see äratas minu südames hoopis äratundmise, igatsuse sarnase hinge järele. Kui autor selle kirja pani, siis ilmselt pani ta kirja ka midagi oma hingest! Ja ma tahaksin seda paremini tundma õppida. Seda juhtub minu puhul üliharva, et ma tahaks autorit tunda.
Raamatu põhjal on jaapanlastel valminud ka samanimeline film. Ma vaatasin seda täna ning mõtlesin: see on täpselt selline film, mida ETV võiks näidata. See on ilusasti tehtud. Mina, kelle jaapani keel on peaaegu olematu, vaatasin seda ilma subtiitriteta, sest mul polnud kusagilt seda subtiitritega vaadata. Aga ma sain aru. Ja millest ei saanud, lugesin näitlejate nägudelt. Kento Yamazaki mängis Tomurat täpselt nii nagu poiss mu kujutluses oli. Ja see oli lihtsalt võrratu.
Lugedes otsisin ma youtube'ist välja igasugust klassikalist muusikat ning igasuguseid klaverilugusid jaapanlastest heliloojatelt ka. Kuulasin ja igatsesin oma klaveri järele. Mõtlesin sellele, kuidas ma tahtsin klaveriõpingud pooleli jätta, aga ema kurat ei lubanud. Kuidas ma nutsin ja muusikakoolist poppi tegin. Ja kuidas ma oma viimasel muusikakooliaastal leidsin kaks kuud enne eksamit endas armastuse klaveri vastu. Ja võtsin kõigest paar kuud pärast lõpetamist uuesti eratunde. Armastust tuleb ju hoida.
Perhaps I hadn't taken the wrong path after all. Even if it took time, even if there were detours, this was exactly the right path for me. I had thought there was nothing in the forest, nothing in the scenery around me, but now I knew: everything was there. It wasn't that it was hidden, but that I simply hadn't seen it.
_jessecantread's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tesko's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
3.0
uk_vignettes's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
florismeertens's review against another edition
Een boek over volharding, focus en verfijndheid, thema's die me bijzonder interesseren omdat ik er een chronisch gebrek aan heb.
Schrijven over muziek is dan wellicht een beetje dansen over architectuur (al moet ik zeggen dat ik een indrukwekkende Macarena kan dansen over Jugendstil), maar aan de beschrijvingen van de muziek merk je duidelijk dat Natsu Miyashita zelf enthousiast pianist is, en die passie kan ze helder overbrengen naar de lezer. De sensaties beschrijft ze zo gepassioneerd, dat ik aan mezelf begon te twijfelen als muzikant; voor mij roepen klanken niet zulke heldere beelden op. Bovendien lijkt de zoektocht naar de goede klank in dit boek, ondanks alle onzekerheid, lineair en mogelijk; door oefening word je beter. Ik voel me vaak nog even hulpeloos in de zoektocht naar de goede klank, die ik bij vlagen vind (of aan mij gegeven wordt).
De hoofdpersoon is verfrissend onschuldig en ontwapenend onzeker.
Schrijven over muziek is dan wellicht een beetje dansen over architectuur (al moet ik zeggen dat ik een indrukwekkende Macarena kan dansen over Jugendstil), maar aan de beschrijvingen van de muziek merk je duidelijk dat Natsu Miyashita zelf enthousiast pianist is, en die passie kan ze helder overbrengen naar de lezer. De sensaties beschrijft ze zo gepassioneerd, dat ik aan mezelf begon te twijfelen als muzikant; voor mij roepen klanken niet zulke heldere beelden op. Bovendien lijkt de zoektocht naar de goede klank in dit boek, ondanks alle onzekerheid, lineair en mogelijk; door oefening word je beter. Ik voel me vaak nog even hulpeloos in de zoektocht naar de goede klank, die ik bij vlagen vind (of aan mij gegeven wordt).
De hoofdpersoon is verfrissend onschuldig en ontwapenend onzeker.