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jahcoffman's review against another edition
4.0
I want more of the story. But understand the amount we’ve been given.
hunterkst98's review against another edition
3.0
cute but simplistic, and never fully realized the point it was trying to make
moudi's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
الرواية فكرتها جميلة ومبتكرة حيث نتابع رجل يوظف نفسه للأجار ، و استئجار البشر موجود بالفعل منذ زمن، ففي الثقافة العربية مثلا كان أهل العزاء يستأجرون نسوة لتبكي على الميت وتذكر مناقبه، لكن كيف يبدو الاستئجار اليوم؟
من خلال هذا الحال يسلط المؤلفة الضوء على صراع النفس البشرية مع الوحدة و ضياع الهوية.
تملك المؤلفة الفكرة و الحبكة لكنها لا تملك لغة ، الرواية تفتقر لامرين، الأول عمق المشاعر .. حديث الشخصية عن نفسه لم يكن مجسداً لشعوره فالتصريح بالشعور لا يكفي ، في مواضع استطاعت المؤلفة تجسد الشعور حيث أظهرت روتين الشخصية اليومي ، لكنها مواضع قليلة ، الثاني انعدام الجمال و البلاغة.. اللغة ليست كماليات في الأعمال الأدبية، لابد أن تطربني و تحركني العبارات ، لابد أن تخرج من الأدب بنصوص تحوم في ذاكرتك .. الرواية فقيرة ادبياً .
هذه روايتها الأولى وهنا بارق أمل .
من خلال هذا الحال يسلط المؤلفة الضوء على صراع النفس البشرية مع الوحدة و ضياع الهوية.
تملك المؤلفة الفكرة و الحبكة لكنها لا تملك لغة ، الرواية تفتقر لامرين، الأول عمق المشاعر .. حديث الشخصية عن نفسه لم يكن مجسداً لشعوره فالتصريح بالشعور لا يكفي ، في مواضع استطاعت المؤلفة تجسد الشعور حيث أظهرت روتين الشخصية اليومي ، لكنها مواضع قليلة ، الثاني انعدام الجمال و البلاغة.. اللغة ليست كماليات في الأعمال الأدبية، لابد أن تطربني و تحركني العبارات ، لابد أن تخرج من الأدب بنصوص تحوم في ذاكرتك .. الرواية فقيرة ادبياً .
هذه روايتها الأولى وهنا بارق أمل .
keliseb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
this book really surprised me, and focused on aspects i wasn't anticipating going into it. i think it was really well written and had the perfect ending, even though i spent the middle SO tense with anxiety over what was going to happen!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
jenaschuh's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
vivikay's review against another edition
3.0
*mild spoilers*
The premise was very interesting and writing style actually quite good however I felt the story was a bit unfinished and characters underdeveloped.
Five-star stranger is about a man (who remains unnamed) who is a rental stranger - someone for hire who fulfills the character of whoever the client wants him to be. There was little, if any, comedic relief in the story (despite how much fun you could have with the premise!), perhaps because it is told in the first person of our main character who is flawed because of his past trauma with his mother committing suicide. His behavior is cringey and stunted at times because of this and I found him to be kind of unlikable. I was hoping this would be redeemed a bit by learning more about his mother but we literally never learn why his mother was unloving towards him which he says is what caused him to feel the need to be a rental stranger in the first place.
It felt like there was little buildup to the main conflict in the story and switch was just flipped at the 90% mark with a pretty flat character arc afterwards. It also felt like at some point the MC wanted to stay in his pseudo-fathering relationship because he had romantic feelings for the mother based on some of their interactions but this was never revisited so things felt inconsistent at times.
It was mostly the writing style and prose that kept me reading - I felt there were interesting descriptions and monologues but the plot just wasn’t quite there.
The premise was very interesting and writing style actually quite good however I felt the story was a bit unfinished and characters underdeveloped.
Five-star stranger is about a man (who remains unnamed) who is a rental stranger - someone for hire who fulfills the character of whoever the client wants him to be. There was little, if any, comedic relief in the story (despite how much fun you could have with the premise!), perhaps because it is told in the first person of our main character who is flawed because of his past trauma with his mother committing suicide. His behavior is cringey and stunted at times because of this and I found him to be kind of unlikable. I was hoping this would be redeemed a bit by learning more about his mother but we literally never learn why his mother was unloving towards him which he says is what caused him to feel the need to be a rental stranger in the first place.
It felt like there was little buildup to the main conflict in the story and switch was just flipped at the 90% mark with a pretty flat character arc afterwards. It also felt like at some point the MC wanted to stay in his pseudo-fathering relationship because he had romantic feelings for the mother based on some of their interactions but this was never revisited so things felt inconsistent at times.
It was mostly the writing style and prose that kept me reading - I felt there were interesting descriptions and monologues but the plot just wasn’t quite there.
beththeawkward's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
rmarcin's review against another edition
4.0
This was an unexpected story for me. I thought it was a romance, but it is definitely not. The main character is for rent! His longest job is to be a father to young Lily, who believes that he truly is her father. As the story progresses, and one of his other clients gets involved in the relationship, his job and ties to Lily are threatened.
Ultimately, the man must face his responsibilities and come to grips with his relationships - with his dead mother, his absent father, and Lily.
It is a strange look at jobs in a gig economy, and is based on rental family services in Japan!
rudy1720's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25