Reviews

La casa della luce by Yōko Ogawa

j_reads_again_10's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
I cannot give this collection a rating. However, I’d be curious to speak with its author and hear her goals in creating these works. I found each story quite unsettling and atmospheric—it could be said that this is an accomplishment in its own right. While I agree, I found very little enjoyment in reading these novellas. This conflicting assessment leaves me incapable of providing an honest rating that honors the book as a whole. 

tarafoor's review against another edition

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4.0

Well, here's my initial review... it's a short book containing three novellas by an acclaimed Japanese author that address conflict, literary merit and are even demented, but in a moral way. It's something worth reading if you are not familiar with literature (not historically based) from Japan.

Now for my enlightenment...um... after finishing the book, I get on Goodreads to post a review and see something in the description that I definitely didn't read... I must've missed it because I was on a deadline to get this done for a class, but now I really want to go back and reread it to see if I can catch it.

Someone should read it with me and compare notes.

kaetha's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

4.0

lucyndavi's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? No

2.0

bookish_reveries's review against another edition

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3.0

Let's just say that you'll be thinking about these stories long after you've finished reading each one of them.
You just keep wondering if you really read what you just read or did you miss out on something or is it supposed to be the way you read it.
Haah I don't know if I made any sense but I don't think it's in my capacity to even explain these 3 stories to anyone.
3.5 stars rounded down to 3.

hirsch99's review against another edition

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4.0

Like other books I've read by Yoko Ogawa, I found this book to be deeply unsettling, but in a way that I find hard to pinpoint or explain. And that's what I like about her books. Three great stories; my favorite was probably the third.

little_moonflower's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

readersdijesst's review against another edition

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4.0

3 uneasy, fun to read novellas. This really makes me want to read Revenge. If you enjoy Ottessa Moshfegh or Shirley Jackson, you’ll enjoy these.

CW: Ableism - Didn’t love the use of disfigurement in the third novella.

mint_julippe's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-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? Yes

4.5

s_ahar's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0