The inaugural book of the Brinkmann Book Reading Club will be The Village Beyond the Mist by Sachiko Kasiwaba. There seems to be some debate on the internet about how much Spirited Away was based on / inspired by this book. Certainly the edition we have plays up the connection. I guess we will soon find out.
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Well, I finished it today. I liked it a lot. It felt like the missing link between Phantom Tollbooth and Spirited Away (it hadn't occurred to me that these were related till now). More review later.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely saw the spirited away connection as well. Also saw some howl’s in people arriving from all over to the same street. Very whimsical! Especially loved the bookseller and boat shop characters. The full circle of Lina becoming a teacher to the prince and caregiver to the family felt like a perfect moral conclusion, while finding the umbrella was a great feel good rewarding ending.
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ReplyDeleteI also liked the characters. They definitely weren't fully-fleshed people, but they all had their own personalities (or at least quirks). It was very fairy-tale like (which I love).
DeleteI was worried that the relationship between Lina and the prince was going to become romantic, and that would have been awful and regressive. Thankfully, it didn't happen.
I liked the ending, though I'm not exactly sure I'd call it "feel good" ... "wistful" maybe?
If any of that sounds negative, be sure that I really did like the book.