All the Lovers in the Night

This book hooked me in emotionally. It’s about loneliness but happier, as the main character pulls herself out of her head and out of her self-created isolation. Though I usually like a good plot driven novel, this one is not that. I kept going because the content is relatable and the mood writing is just that good. The writing so precisely captures exactly the right feelings.

The prose is smooth, and the journey of the protagonist is captivating. The author depicts emotions, mundane chores, and the little difficulties of life well. The book came in used, with corners scraped, slightly peeling off, and shown sign of previous use, even though the item is bought as new.

I have read some outstanding works by Japanese writers and this one does not measure up. It is my first by this author. In a first-person story one expects to get some of the most intimate complex thoughts even from people that seem plain on the outside. The main protagonists in this book does not seem to have much depth. She works, drinks and goes to bed. She agrees to whatever the only people she communicates with tell her. We can tell she is not happy, but she also does nothing to change that. When she finally meets a man who shows some interest in her, she does make an effort to get close to him. So it is hard to understand that after many meetings with him she did not even have his address. Overall, the story is well written and keeps the reader engaged, but ultimately, it is disappointing.

It’s so well written (I have the English and Japanese editions)!! Great story and great for nuanced language learning as a formidable example of excellent writing. Deeply evocative of modern Japan.

I am engaged by the style-- even in translation, Kawakami's understatedness, her powerful imagery, and the way she has of honing in on the point of view of a marginalized woman makes for an engrossing read. One thing I will add, which hasn't been mentioned in any reviews, is I am certain that Irie, the quirky protagonist in this novel, is on the spectrum. I usually don't like these kinds of labels; they are reductive, whether applied to a person or a character in life, but since I am now familiar with the world of LDs, it's impossible for me to see Irie in any other way. She doesn't know how to talk to people and doesn't seem to have opinions about anything, but she is a very skilled proofreader, so good at her work that whenever she reads, she sees the errors that need correcting and absorbs none of the content. She experiences sensory overload when she goes to the mall, signs up for a culture class on tragedy randomly (she doesn't know what her interests or hobbies are), and drinks as a coping mechanism to deal with her anxiety in social situations. I have not finished reading yet; since it is a short work, and I have a lot of my own work to do, I am reading slowly. I am up to the part where she has fallen in love with a physics professor and doesn't know how to process it. She reads a book he has given her about light. Later, in a cafe, she asks him what happens to all the light we don't see, their colors absorbed by objects; does it disappear? I leave it to you to figure out what light is a metaphor for.

Beautiful , rich description of the reality of an lonely, diss functional personality

I picked up this book at the Strand outpost in LaGuardia Airport in NYC and started reading on the plane. Finished it 5 hours later on the descent into Aspen, CO. Thoroughly enjoyable. Not as striking as Breasts and Eggs but hey I read it in one sitting. Can't remember the last book that I did that with.

Do not let the title fool you, all the lovers in the night follows a 34 year old woman Fuyuko Irie who sees herself one day and realizes she has been drifting through life, never taking real initiative of her own to do anything. After an old colleague reaches out and tells her to quit working and become an independent contractor for her company. Fuyuko Irie is heavily dependent on alcohol to get through her days, and shows an honest portrayal of alcoholism and depression. ‘All the lovers in the night’ provides a glimpse into her life, questioning her sense of self, trauma (TW sa) , and forming relationships.I enjoyed this story but I can’t say I loved it. There was substance to the story but in a way the events taking place were very toned down and quiet. This doesn’t mean I wanted a big ‘loud’ event to happen but mabye a little bit more. There were times reading felt a little sluggish but also times where I was super invested.All in all, I will always read a new Meiko Kawakami book no matter what. And her way of articulating words puts me in a trance.

Yo no lo he leido , sin embargo mi sobrina esta encantada 🤷🏻‍♀️

This book is not one I would have chosen for myself. It was a book club choice and I decided to try it, wanted to like it, but I just could not see how the character was developing at such a late age — the story covers age 34 to 37– with significant events but immature responses. I don’t want to give spoilers but I found myself wondering at her lack of self-awareness although I think the story is supposed to be about her breakthrough in expressing herself finally. But the reader doesn’t get to know her new understanding , if that’s what happens. Some of the storytelling is beautifully told in terms of romantic longing, but it’s more about refusing to tolerate more pain and loss than it is about how to move on and what her most important friendships meant to shaping the new woman at the end.

Beau livre, j'ai adoré Heaven, hate de decouvrir celui-là

An interesting piece. Would definitely recommend

Bought from uRead-Store and they did not disappoint. Original copy and did not get damaged in the delivery process at all. I haven’t read the book but I am sure this will be another great read just like Heaven and Breast and eggs by the same author.