Disclaimer: I did not finish this book. One of my goals for this year is reading more Spanish and Latin American women writers. I asked a few friends to suggest some names at the end of last year and Almudena Grandes was one of the writers that almost everyone recommended. As to why I decided to go with her longest novel (700+ pages!), I don’t really know but I wish I hadn’t. My issue is not with her writing, Grandes is clearly talented and can […]
Yes, but what’s the name of the translator?
Right from the very first lines this felt wrong. After struggling with the style for almost 15% of the novel, I decided to check the name of the translator and it’s not the same one who did all the other Keigo Higashino novels I have read in English. I understand that it isn’t always possible to work with the same translator but a good translation is supposed to make the reader forget she’s not reading the original work and that is simply not the case […]
Watch out boy she’ll chew you up!
Junko Mizuno is a Japanese artist whose style is usually described as “Gothic kawaii”. Her illustrations are cute and childish but also erotic and grotesque. After Cinderalla and Hansel and Gretel, Princess Mermaid is her third and darkest retelling of a classic fairytale, and the one that differs the most from the original version (I’m referring to the Hans Christian Andersen story, not the sanitized Disney version). Princess Mermaid tells the story of three mermaid sisters who have sworn to avenge the death of their […]
“If you remember me, I don’t care if everyone else forgets.”
Kafka on the Shore is a strange book, even by Murakami standards. This is my second reading but sadly I don’t remember what I thought about it the fist time I read it 12 years ago because back then I didn’t take notes or write reviews. All I know is that I thought it was a four-star book. Haruki Murakami has been one of my favorite writers ever since I “discovered” him almost 17 years ago. I read a review of The Elephant Vanishes in […]