Reviews
(4.04/5)Great language learning material.
This book is great for learning Japanese! The vocabulary found here can be seen everywhere in Japan. The story starts amazingly well. We follow this character who has worked in a convenience store for many years. The author presents us with situations that make us question how the modern world works. However, my interest in the story was decreasing the more I read. However, I had problems finishing this book. Upon reaching 70% of the book, I just wanted it to end soon. The story felt like it dra
A highly recommended book, and I can see why.
It's quite approachable in terms of difficulty for someone getting into reading prose, although there are some easier and some harder sections. Having a basic knowledge of コンビニ and 敬語 going in certainly helps with understanding.
The themes of the book are strong, and although at times it can feel a bit deflating or depressing, following the main character's journey towards some form of self acceptance and removal from the whims of others is hearten
Wonderful Thought-Provoking Story
This is a great first book for those looking to bridge the gap at upper level N2. The story is very well written and it challenges you to comprehend what you are reading. There is a lot of vocabulary in the beginning 30 pages or so that I recommend you make flash cards for, as they show up throughout the story. Overall, I enjoyed the twists and learning how each character develops and interacted with one another, and would encourage this for anyone looking for a more philosophical and thought pr
I liked the book but one thing I didn't expect was how much the difficulty of the vocabulary fluctuated when comparing the different sections. Especially in the latter half of the book I found that there were whole paragraphs that were packed with words that I had never seen before (and also with comparatively low frequency), while at other sections in the book I basically flew through the pages. That might just be a personal blind spot tho... :|
I still encourage reading it, as it isn't very l
Definitely not my favorite book
The first 30 pages are quite entertaining as we follow the daily life of 古倉さん, but then the story becomes increasingly boring.
This book tackles the societal problems that women face (getting married, having children...) and it's quite interesting on that front except that it doesn't really become more developed but rather repetitive over and over and over again.
There's a lot of everyday vocabulary which is repeated so it's good for learning. For me, the main problem with the language was
Short and not so sweet
Great book to read for upper-intermediate learners. The author repeatedly uses a lot of the same vocabulary which helps for learning. The story is straightforward and grounded in reality, but entertaining enough to stay engaged. There's a good critique of class-based structures, the pressures of modern life, and mental illness.
Initially I was hesitant to pick it up because how interesting can a convenience store be? However, if you're at all fascinated with Japanese 'conbini' there's a lot to
Thoughts on the Plot
Positives
A few scenes where it really gracefully switched between dramatic, comedic, sad, ...
Subtleties of how other characters acted/spoke translated into what 恵子 took away from an encounter. This I thought was done nicely.
Negative
恵子 views the world in a very different way to others, but even still, I found some of the jumps in logic/plot a bit jarring. This is probably intended in many cases, but I didn't love it.
Language Side
Many good things about th
A glimpse into Japanese culture.
I read this last year on a whim so it's not very fresh in my mind so this review won't be as detailed.
This is a book where nothing... really happens. It follows the life of a young Japanese woman who works in a convenience store, except... she doesn't quite fit in with the norm. She's content working at her job, where every day it's the same thing, the same routine and the same smells and sounds. I weirdly related to the protagonist, though I believe, personally, it's a story of a woman who
- Entertainment: This book just wasn't for me. The author's main point is the pressure society puts on people - especially women - to either have a family or a successful career. And while this sounded generally interesting, I did not think that the book actually added anything interesting beyond simply repeating that premise again and again. At some point through the middle I thought "OK, I get it now! Please tell me something new!". Of course it is not all bad: The characters are great and del
Pros
- Really good for language learning as it contains common day-to-day vocabulary with some harder N2/N1 words here and there
- Easy to follow and understand for someone who's more aware of social norms in general and Japanese norms in particular (how to be a good 社会人, etc.)
- Gives good insights on everyday expectations of the Japanese society and why it's not for everyone
- Contains a post-face from the author, explaining certain aspects of the story
Cons
- Complete lack of acknowledgment
My first Japanese Novel
So, this is my first Japanese novel and, obviously, I will be revisiting it multiple times as a benchmark for my Japanese reading skills (I will use it to see how far I have come from my 10th, 20th, 30th, nth book in Japanese, like a starting reference).
This book is very popular among Japanese learners (I also picked it out because of its popularity), but it is also accessible to those who are starting out in their Japanese journey. The author is also popular in Japan as well. Her writing sty