Tales from the Cafe
Ratings82
Average rating3.9
It has been a few months since I read the previous book in the series, so I was glad when the author made any needed recaps for events that have a follow up in this one. The theatrical feeling of the writing keeps being present and one of the best features of the series.
The main idea of the short stories in this book is death related regret. Regret of not having done or said something before or after someone is no longer in our life. It hit me particularly hard because recently I experienced some of this.
I left it having a bit more hope.
“It’s a part of life, and carrying out acts of mourning allows us not to forget.”
Originally posted at www.instagram.com.
"We can never truly see into the hearts of others.
When people get lost in their worries, they can
be blind to the feelings of those more important
to them."
Beautiful, introspective, and just as wonderful as the first book, Before the Coffee Gets Cold.
I get that it was meant to be sweet and thoughtful, but it just didn't work for me. It felt stiff and heavyhanded; the characters flat and unrelatable, shoehorned to fit into the narrative. All of them are “troubled” in some way, and the author made sure to reiterate their one woe (“felt guilty because XYZ”) in case we missed it the first or second time. The time-travel rules are arbitrary to the point of being annoying, and often interfered with the flow.
This book is beautifully written with an equally beautiful message. Kawaguchi's characters feel so real and relatable. Their personal growth feels organic and true, not having forced a happily-ever-after upon them. The resolutions seem simple when reading them, but there is a lot that happens in one's soul to get there. Kawaguchi's characters display this brilliantly, showing a respect for the person and their personal thoughts while communicating the personal journey to the reader. I love this book as much as the first.
Revisitamos la misma cafetería algunos años después del primer libro y nos encontramos algunos personajes que ya conocíamos y otros nuevos.
Aunque pasen los años, la cafetería se mantiene igual, tanto de aspecto como de ambiente.
Sigue la misma estructura que el libro anterior. Relata 4 historias de 4 personas diferentes que visitan la cafetería para tener una última oportunidad de ver a su ser querido cada una por motivos distintos.
Además, una de esas 4 personas no viaja al pasado sino al futuro, algo que aún no vimos en el primer libro.
También conocemos más sobre la vida de Kazu, una de los protagonistas de la historia que llevan la cafetería.
Mi historia favorita ha sido la tercera, la del hombre que viaja al futuro para ver a su pareja.
Aunque se puede leer sin haber leído el anterior, recomiendo que se empiece desde el primero.
4.5
I enjoyed this book even more than the first one. Getting to know the characters and their stories and what they get from travelling back in time or to the future was just lovely and such a comfort and a little sad.
As sweet and emotional as the first book, though some repetition for the sake of being able to be read as a stand-alone piece. It was fun to hear updates from characters in the first book. Overall I loved it as much as the first one.
Another tear-jerker... One that took about an hour to get through but will leave an imprint in your heart.