Reviews with content warning for Death - Strange Weather in Tokyo

2.5 Stars. A Reddit post recommended this book for me. I really enjoyed the first stretch of this book. I thought it was going to be a nice look through a series of vignettes of an intergenerational friendship. I enjoyed the loving descriptions of eating and drinking, the focus on environmental details and descriptions, and the moments between the two characters. But as the story went on (really from the chapter The Cherry Blossom Festival), I felt like the novel was losing me. Was it the sudden halting and uncertain romance? Was it the acknowledgement that whatever these two have, it will not last? Was it the sense of... smallness I felt towards the protagonist, childish and aimlessly drifting through her own life? I'm not sure. Either way, it was a well written book... just to me, fell flat towards the end. I don't know what I was expecting (digging deeper into the alcoholism between the two characters, maybe a more overt discussion of their loneliness, maybe even an expansion of the Beach chapter, dreamlike and symbolic to make the implied explicit, I don't know) but I'd recommend borrowing this one instead of buying if you have the chance.

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americattt's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

“‘That’s how love is,’ she used to say. ‘If the love is true, then treat it the same way you would a plant—fertilize it, protect it from the elements —you must do absolutely everything you can. But if it isn’t true, then it’s best to just let it wither on the vine.’”

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theothergrl's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

An interesting prose that's simple, though not bad. There are two scenes of surrealism in the second half that make this book worth the read, though at times it trudged along quite slowly. This is not the sort of love story you'd think about if someone said romance. The love between the characters is told like the love that grows between two lonely people who feel very content in each other's company. It's a very understated passion, a slow-burn passion that asks you to rethink what passion means to you. I think these are the sort of love stories that we miss out on - comfortable love that is full of imperfections, that at times feels boring and tired, that is between people you wouldn't think to match. Honestly, I appreciate this book now more than I did when I was reading it. If it were longer I'm not sure I would've stuck with it, but it's a short story with a beautiful, surreal ending and therefore im glad that I did.

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frenchfry_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

tender. honest. emotional. light read but can get heavy at some points. i found the premise to be a bit peculiar especially since i’m not the most comfortable with wide age gap relationships. but this was a comforting and sensibly written story. the protagonist at times only narrated matter-of-factly, but her pov of the situations she faces are still made rather crystal clear. though i expected it because of the foreshadowing, the timeskipped was quite abrupt. but perhaps that was intentional and the entire story itself worked as the tribute to sensei.

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sandramarinis's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

Loved this book

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risemini's review against another edition

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reflective fast-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? No

4.0

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vilde_a's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

I just don’t think this is a great book for me. Occasionally I felt like I had to trudge through it, but at times it was more than enjoyable. Definitely an interesting insight into a culture I don’t know much about. It might’ve just been the wrong time for me reading this..

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