Scan barcode
A review by flowerbinsh
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I read this book for book club.
When I first started reading it, I felt extremely frustrated by the characters. It seemed they were all simply plot devices and that their character descriptions didn’t match their actions, especially Fumiko. The writing toward the beginning was also very clunky and unnatural.
The last two sections, however, really changed my opinion. It tugged at my heartstrings, and it made me engage with such thought-provoking questions and ideas. I still think the characters are a little unnatural, and the writing can get repetitive and bog down the reader, but overall I think this is a beautiful narrative about choice through time-travel.
When I first started reading it, I felt extremely frustrated by the characters. It seemed they were all simply plot devices and that their character descriptions didn’t match their actions, especially Fumiko. The writing toward the beginning was also very clunky and unnatural.
The last two sections, however, really changed my opinion. It tugged at my heartstrings, and it made me engage with such thought-provoking questions and ideas. I still think the characters are a little unnatural, and the writing can get repetitive and bog down the reader, but overall I think this is a beautiful narrative about choice through time-travel.