Butter was on my highly anticipated list, too. I heard a few reviews and quickly took it off my list. Thank you for your honest review. I really appreciate it!
I think what is wrong with Butter is that a lot of people including me thought it was going to be a thriller. It was presented that way. Once I dived in I understood this book is not what I thought it was but despite its slow pace and unnecessary descriptions I stuck with it. At the end I would give this book 4 stars out of 5. I understood what author is trying to do. It was a social commentary in context to Japan but I found it relevant universally. What made me stick to the book and really liking it was it has so many layers, often it happens someone easily can manipulates us or sometimes we can get mesmerized by strangers in strange ways, like Kaji mesmerized her victims who in absence of her was ashamed of her and called her lazy. Book was fascinating to me cause things like these happens all the time.
I agree that it is quite lengthy but I think it’s realistic in a way because we got driven into the narrative of Rika’s life. As a fan of Mieko Kawakami, Butter never really gets to the ‘point’ but it could be seen as a point too. Overall I enjoyed it. It’s nice to hear a counter perspective.
I completely agree. I have never felt that a book is stalling more than I did with this one. All of the internet seems to adore this book so thanks for making me feel less alone. 😊
Hello Willow ! I wanted to let you know, I enjoy your reviews immensely and your thoughts have helped me to start reading again. I heard you have been going through tough times (you mentioned in prior videos) Please hang in there, you are a very talented reviewer of literature and have a full spectrum of interesting view points. Please continue and take care of yourself. -Greetings from Arizona.
I'm intrigued by this book, the premise is interesting, but I was also put off by the length when I saw it's 400 plus pages. I'm usually not a thriller/mystery reader either, but since it is Japanese I figure "why not give it a try?" IDK...I feel hesitant now. I'm still intrigued but a plodding book with poor editing also usually grinds my gears. I think I'll purchase this still, but I think I'll wait for later in the year instead of my next haul. Thanks for the honest review Willow!
I read it without any prior knowledge or expectation and I quite enjoyed it. It certainly did feel longer than it could have been. The original Japanese version is well over 500 pages, which is very long for your standard Japanese novel, I'd say.
Agree with everything you say Butter an what you say about the length. You weren't overly harsh in your critique, everything you say is spot on. I didn't know anything about Polly Barton but guessed she is British since she uses "knob" to describe a chunk of butter, "stogy" to describe the turkey meal- didn't know stogy could be used like that, ,and "hob" for the cooking service. I see you've also reviewed Japanese mysteries and am off the view that video as I love Japanese mystery books.
I feel so differently. This book got me out of a reading slump. I loved it despite its flaws. On a side note though I wouldn't have found it without your reccomendation so thank you. Your channel is my go to for translated fiction recs.
That’s really cool, and I’m honestly jealous! This was one of my most anticipated books of this year. I really didn’t want to feel negatively about it, so I’m very glad that you didn’t :)
100% agree with you. It was so extremely slow paced, I had to force myself to finish the book. And so many paragraphs did not serve any purpose whatsoever! The ideas are great. It would make a cool mini series if the right director got their hands on it. Thanks for the review!
I agree wholeheartedly with this review. Usually, I wait until I've finished a book before I look at reviews, but at about 1/3 of the way through I am losing momentum, and I wanted to see if it was just me being too impatient! I'm really having trouble connecting to the characters and the self-indulgent writing is absolutely the cause of that. It's such a shame, as like you, I was so pumped to get my hands on this book. I was expecting to be gripped... but here I am. Thanks for the review!
I dealt with a horrible coworker (racist, a karen, narcissistic made going to work hell) and not to spoil anything in the book but how the protagonist dealt with circumstances at the end was therapeutic and really helped me process the trauma. The book is bloated and poorly edited for sure but it did help me think and medidate and process. I find, Japanese books to have that insular quality. Thank you for the video.
polly barton is indeed incredible - as a bilingual person, one page is all it took for me to realise just how different translating a book would be from translating casually in conversation
This book is on an Amazon delivery car as I type this. I wonder if it will feel like Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 , the lengthy 1300 page but at the end , you feel sad parting with an interesting yet boring at the same time type of a friend, the mundane descriptions of lengthy recipes or daily tasks brings a character closer to reality.
The thumbnail for this video is perfect. 😂💯 Hopefully I manage to enjoy this whenever I get around to reading it. I really liked reading A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers and Maeve Fly by CJ Leede. 🔪☠️
I was so looking forward to this book and then I waded through it at an absolute snail’s pace. It became a running joke, month after month - “what you reading?” “Butter” x 6 months! Not a case of couldn’t put it down, more I just couldn’t pick it back up. I’m pleased I finished it. It was ok, but I completely agree with everything you have said in this review. Thank you!❤
Willow gives a brilliant explanation of why I felt fascinated by "Butter " at first, and then lost interest at p150! A couple of people saw me reading it and made similar comments. Great ideas and cultural insights are marred by laborious description and lack of narrative momentum.
Now, as far as this book, something about it reminded me of The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood. Have you read? I guess the similar element is there its a woman who is very charismatic and she lures men romantically but then these men are either killed or end up gravely injured. It might be a fun comparison novel.
If you crave the thriller aspect of one woman insinuating herself into the other woman's orbit to catch her out as a killer, I highly recommend the 1987 movie Black Widow with Debra Winger and Teresa Russell. Chef's kiss! Yes, I chose those words to segue to the book... Also, haha, you mentioned watered-down Butter, and I thought it needed to be more like Plugra (European-style butter with less water and more fat), which made me think about what you said about fat, and then how women are called cows and chattel -- really the themes are so rich that we don't even need access to the book to start ruminating (a cow word!) on it. I recently finished an over 700- page book, Covenant of Water, that was not only bloated but literally repetitive near the end when I was already exhausted. Wasting my precious reading time felt like a slap in the face. This mad cow was udderly enraged. So I'm very glad you are calling out the need to trim the fat here. It would be fun if readers digested the book as a challenge, see who comes up with the best edit. We all want unspoiled Butter. 😀💛
So glad to see this review and know I am not out of my mind! When Reiko took the reigns I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt, but my interest evaporated after that. Thanks for sharing!
Funnily enough, I found starting this book at lot harder than finishing it. Granted that's because I'm not much of a reader and found myself liking all the characters the book presented me with, but in hindsight yeah 450 pages is pretty bloated compared to how much ground the book itself covers. I will say about halfway through I became invested in it as a story about "a woman learning to have a good time with her friends" so the later chapters provided some catharsis, and if it did suddenly decide to become the thriller the cover suggests in the second half I'm not sure I would've stuck out for another 200 pages. Good review, loved the video :)
Ah nooo. I just got this and am really looking forward to it. Was just seeing if any vids were out before I started it. Pausing at 1 minute and going to come back once I’ve read it.
I really enjoyed it! But it was too long and no real resolution about kajii. But the message I got from it was not giving up, enjoying your life and looking after yourself and your loved ones. It was wholesome in the end 😌
Another interesting thought, I wonder if a book ha ever been released, then re-edited and released again. I can not think of an example. It would be fun if this book was pared down, and released. I wonder if the readership and impact would increase?
I read the book with no knowledge or expectations about it and I am so surprised to see these negative reviews! I was absolutely hooked from the first page and read it in one weekend. It made me eat my food more thoughtfully and reflect on the importance I place on female friendships in my life (a great, super relevant theme that not so many books discuss). I think the main character being likable and the ending being relatively happy is the true reason this review and others call it shallow. Also, I thought the translation was not the best. There were a number of typos and just poorly phrased sentences which made me doubt the quality of the translation as a whole and wonder what missed out on by not reading Japanese. I read a lot of Japanese literary fiction and this is one of the few times I have had such a thought. Ultimately, I think the main issue of the reception is that Butter was marketed as a murder mystery thriller in the US. To those who picked it up with that preconception this would be a huge disappointment.
Personally, I didn't find it too long because, in a way, I felt like I was weaving back and forth between two books-one a mystery and the other, 'Last Chance to Eat.' However, I felt let down by the conclusion; it didn't come together in a way that was very satisfying. Yes, I understand that, as she made peace with herself, she became the catalyst for happy endings among many friends. But there were too many loose ends. Overall, it was a great read, and I particularly enjoyed the twists and turns through misogyny and misandry. Perhaps it could be way shorter, but it is still worth the time.
Heya! I'm listening to the audiobook of this novel. I enjoy how jammed packed it is with rich themes and, as you say, a really clever and original take on feminist writing. But the length REALLY bogs things down and sometimes I'm looking at how many chapters are left and I'm like "ughhhhh".
Great review - thank you so much 😊. I do think your review could also have been shorter, funnily enough (listenback and spot the repetition).. But not such a problem in a short review as in a long novel..
I loved this book when I read it a couple years ago, however I do agree with you that it could use less pages to say the same and it would probably be a better book if it did. I personally didn't mind the change of narrator but it is true that if I think about it now the author doesnt seem to have a clear reason for it.
Yes, you are right, the US cover is lame. Actually, a great cover would have been a minimalist yellow/creme pad of butter with the title and the author's name stamped into the pad of butter. Also, I wonder if these publishers are not hiring quality editors. Maybe they do not want to delay the release of the book. If the current version of the book is okay, they just put it out.@@WillowTalksBooks
Yes, I'm reading North Woods right now after having told my librarian that it had a gorgeous cover. But it turns out that the one I saw displayed by a Booktuber was probably from the UK, nothing like what I eventually received from the library. Hope she didn't think I thought the sucky US cover was gorgeous, how embarrassing! Why do US covers have to be so ugly? 😢
I’m currently reading this book. I’m not a huge fan of feminist writing (don’t attack me, people lol it’s just that a lot of the ones I’ve read have been a little too heavy handed/on the nose), but I was so intrigued by the premise! I’m about half way through, and while it’s not bad… you’re not wrong in that it’s very bloated! It’s kind of a slog, and I feel like nothing is really happening on the thriller aspect? I’ll probably still finish it, because I don’t hate it enough to DNF, but it’s def a book I can easily put down. Lol
OK, so butter is not really a basic for Japanese cuisine, it’s something that came from outside the culture, yet feminism is also an outside force from Japanese culture. So, is there tension and metaphor there about what is accepted and what is rejected? There is a spare and conciseness I expect from Japanese literature and it feels like this runs up against that expectation.
your honesty is so refreshing
even when personally offended
you sound respectful and funny. 😊
Thanks! New to your channel and loving it. Reading one of your recommendations right now. ❤
Thank you!
I had to comment kudos purely for the title and thumbnail. Bravo, bravo 👏 🧈 🐄
So witty lol
Happy to see that an excellent commercial has not been forgotten. It lives on! 😂
Butter was on my highly anticipated list, too. I heard a few reviews and quickly took it off my list. Thank you for your honest review. I really appreciate it!
I think what is wrong with Butter is that a lot of people including me thought it was going to be a thriller. It was presented that way. Once I dived in I understood this book is not what I thought it was but despite its slow pace and unnecessary descriptions I stuck with it. At the end I would give this book 4 stars out of 5. I understood what author is trying to do. It was a social commentary in context to Japan but I found it relevant universally. What made me stick to the book and really liking it was it has so many layers, often it happens someone easily can manipulates us or sometimes we can get mesmerized by strangers in strange ways, like Kaji mesmerized her victims who in absence of her was ashamed of her and called her lazy. Book was fascinating to me cause things like these happens all the time.
I agree that it is quite lengthy but I think it’s realistic in a way because we got driven into the narrative of Rika’s life. As a fan of Mieko Kawakami, Butter never really gets to the ‘point’ but it could be seen as a point too. Overall I enjoyed it. It’s nice to hear a counter perspective.
I did enjoy it too. Yes it was unnecessarily long but I liked the characters so it was fine.
I completely agree. I have never felt that a book is stalling more than I did with this one. All of the internet seems to adore this book so thanks for making me feel less alone. 😊
Hello Willow ! I wanted to let you know, I enjoy your reviews immensely and your thoughts have helped me to start reading again.
I heard you have been going through tough times (you mentioned in prior videos) Please hang in there, you are a very talented reviewer of literature and have a full spectrum of interesting view points. Please continue and take care of yourself.
-Greetings from Arizona.
I'm intrigued by this book, the premise is interesting, but I was also put off by the length when I saw it's 400 plus pages. I'm usually not a thriller/mystery reader either, but since it is Japanese I figure "why not give it a try?" IDK...I feel hesitant now. I'm still intrigued but a plodding book with poor editing also usually grinds my gears. I think I'll purchase this still, but I think I'll wait for later in the year instead of my next haul. Thanks for the honest review Willow!
I read it without any prior knowledge or expectation and I quite enjoyed it. It certainly did feel longer than it could have been. The original Japanese version is well over 500 pages, which is very long for your standard Japanese novel, I'd say.
Agree with everything you say Butter an what you say about the length. You weren't overly harsh in your critique, everything you say is spot on. I didn't know anything about Polly Barton but guessed she is British since she uses "knob" to describe a chunk of butter, "stogy" to describe the turkey meal- didn't know stogy could be used like that, ,and "hob" for the cooking service. I see you've also reviewed Japanese mysteries and am off the view that video as I love Japanese mystery books.
I feel so differently. This book got me out of a reading slump. I loved it despite its flaws. On a side note though I wouldn't have found it without your reccomendation so thank you. Your channel is my go to for translated fiction recs.
That’s really cool, and I’m honestly jealous! This was one of my most anticipated books of this year. I really didn’t want to feel negatively about it, so I’m very glad that you didn’t :)
The thumbnail SENT me, well played.
The description of the story you gave sounds so good
Now I want to read the nonexisting short version of this...
100% agree with you. It was so extremely slow paced, I had to force myself to finish the book. And so many paragraphs did not serve any purpose whatsoever! The ideas are great. It would make a cool mini series if the right director got their hands on it.
Thanks for the review!
I’m still intrigued enough by this book to give it a read. ❤
I’m glad to hear it!
I agree wholeheartedly with this review. Usually, I wait until I've finished a book before I look at reviews, but at about 1/3 of the way through I am losing momentum, and I wanted to see if it was just me being too impatient! I'm really having trouble connecting to the characters and the self-indulgent writing is absolutely the cause of that. It's such a shame, as like you, I was so pumped to get my hands on this book. I was expecting to be gripped... but here I am. Thanks for the review!
The title and thumbnail were hilarious.
I dealt with a horrible coworker (racist, a karen, narcissistic made going to work hell) and not to spoil anything in the book but how the protagonist dealt with circumstances at the end was therapeutic and really helped me process the trauma. The book is bloated and poorly edited for sure but it did help me think and medidate and process. I find, Japanese books to have that insular quality. Thank you for the video.
polly barton is indeed incredible - as a bilingual person, one page is all it took for me to realise just how different translating a book would be from translating casually in conversation
This book is on an Amazon delivery car as I type this. I wonder if it will feel like Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 , the lengthy 1300 page but at the end , you feel sad parting with an interesting yet boring at the same time type of a friend, the mundane descriptions of lengthy recipes or daily tasks brings a character closer to reality.
The thumbnail for this video is perfect. 😂💯 Hopefully I manage to enjoy this whenever I get around to reading it. I really liked reading A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers and Maeve Fly by CJ Leede. 🔪☠️
I still need to get myself a copy of Maeve Fly
I was so looking forward to this book and then I waded through it at an absolute snail’s pace. It became a running joke, month after month - “what you reading?” “Butter” x 6 months! Not a case of couldn’t put it down, more I just couldn’t pick it back up. I’m pleased I finished it. It was ok, but I completely agree with everything you have said in this review. Thank you!❤
Willow gives a brilliant explanation of why I felt fascinated by "Butter " at first, and then lost interest at p150! A couple of people saw me reading it and made similar comments. Great ideas and cultural insights are marred by laborious description and lack of narrative momentum.
Now, as far as this book, something about it reminded me of The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood. Have you read? I guess the similar element is there its a woman who is very charismatic and she lures men romantically but then these men are either killed or end up gravely injured. It might be a fun comparison novel.
I’m actually in the mood for some more Atwood, so I might give that a go! I’ve been thinking about reading Alias Grace as well
If you crave the thriller aspect of one woman insinuating herself into the other woman's orbit to catch her out as a killer, I highly recommend the 1987 movie Black Widow with Debra Winger and Teresa Russell. Chef's kiss! Yes, I chose those words to segue to the book...
Also, haha, you mentioned watered-down Butter, and I thought it needed to be more like Plugra (European-style butter with less water and more fat), which made me think about what you said about fat, and then how women are called cows and chattel -- really the themes are so rich that we don't even need access to the book to start ruminating (a cow word!) on it.
I recently finished an over 700- page book, Covenant of Water, that was not only bloated but literally repetitive near the end when I was already exhausted. Wasting my precious reading time felt like a slap in the face. This mad cow was udderly enraged. So I'm very glad you are calling out the need to trim the fat here. It would be fun if readers digested the book as a challenge, see who comes up with the best edit. We all want unspoiled Butter. 😀💛
So glad to see this review and know I am not out of my mind! When Reiko took the reigns I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt, but my interest evaporated after that. Thanks for sharing!
Funnily enough, I found starting this book at lot harder than finishing it. Granted that's because I'm not much of a reader and found myself liking all the characters the book presented me with, but in hindsight yeah 450 pages is pretty bloated compared to how much ground the book itself covers. I will say about halfway through I became invested in it as a story about "a woman learning to have a good time with her friends" so the later chapters provided some catharsis, and if it did suddenly decide to become the thriller the cover suggests in the second half I'm not sure I would've stuck out for another 200 pages. Good review, loved the video :)
Ah nooo. I just got this and am really looking forward to it. Was just seeing if any vids were out before I started it. Pausing at 1 minute and going to come back once I’ve read it.
I just got my reservation from the library on Saturday, now I'm not sure if I want to give it a try.
I really enjoyed it! But it was too long and no real resolution about kajii. But the message I got from it was not giving up, enjoying your life and looking after yourself and your loved ones. It was wholesome in the end 😌
Your reviews are so consistently high quality. I was really looking forward to this book and trying to figure out why it didn't deliver.
Loved the way you present your thoughts around it❤
Love this!
Another interesting thought, I wonder if a book ha ever been released, then re-edited and released again. I can not think of an example. It would be fun if this book was pared down, and released. I wonder if the readership and impact would increase?
I read the book with no knowledge or expectations about it and I am so surprised to see these negative reviews! I was absolutely hooked from the first page and read it in one weekend. It made me eat my food more thoughtfully and reflect on the importance I place on female friendships in my life (a great, super relevant theme that not so many books discuss). I think the main character being likable and the ending being relatively happy is the true reason this review and others call it shallow.
Also, I thought the translation was not the best. There were a number of typos and just poorly phrased sentences which made me doubt the quality of the translation as a whole and wonder what missed out on by not reading Japanese. I read a lot of Japanese literary fiction and this is one of the few times I have had such a thought.
Ultimately, I think the main issue of the reception is that Butter was marketed as a murder mystery thriller in the US. To those who picked it up with that preconception this would be a huge disappointment.
I love this thumbnail 😂
I was intrigued by this book and I think I still am but I I'll need to see if the library has a copy
Personally, I didn't find it too long because, in a way, I felt like I was weaving back and forth between two books-one a mystery and the other, 'Last Chance to Eat.' However, I felt let down by the conclusion; it didn't come together in a way that was very satisfying. Yes, I understand that, as she made peace with herself, she became the catalyst for happy endings among many friends. But there were too many loose ends. Overall, it was a great read, and I particularly enjoyed the twists and turns through misogyny and misandry. Perhaps it could be way shorter, but it is still worth the time.
Heya! I'm listening to the audiobook of this novel. I enjoy how jammed packed it is with rich themes and, as you say, a really clever and original take on feminist writing. But the length REALLY bogs things down and sometimes I'm looking at how many chapters are left and I'm like "ughhhhh".
Great review - thank you so much 😊. I do think your review could also have been shorter, funnily enough (listenback and spot the repetition).. But not such a problem in a short review as in a long novel..
Well written ,,one of those books that it’s not all about the end ,,found it a good read 3.8 out of 5
I loved this book when I read it a couple years ago, however I do agree with you that it could use less pages to say the same and it would probably be a better book if it did. I personally didn't mind the change of narrator but it is true that if I think about it now the author doesnt seem to have a clear reason for it.
Great review! I enjoyed this review and appreciate this honesty so much. I trust your opinionon translated books. Thank you so much!
I’m sad to hear this, I was looking forward to this as well but got a case of the hesitations now.
What an amazing thumbnail 😄
Someday, I'd like you to read and review my book. You're such an amazing critic.
I'm reading Butter. Absolutely agree it's way too long.
why does the US always get such awful covers??? im OBSESSED w your cover, but the US version is so UGH
I try not to bring this up much because it makes me look arrogant but yeah, US covers are so often so much worse than UK ones 😬
i wish it was easier to buy other countries editions!! @@WillowTalksBooks
Yes, you are right, the US cover is lame. Actually, a great cover would have been a minimalist yellow/creme pad of butter with the title and the author's name stamped into the pad of butter.
Also, I wonder if these publishers are not hiring quality editors. Maybe they do not want to delay the release of the book. If the current version of the book is okay, they just put it out.@@WillowTalksBooks
Yes, I'm reading North Woods right now after having told my librarian that it had a gorgeous cover. But it turns out that the one I saw displayed by a Booktuber was probably from the UK, nothing like what I eventually received from the library. Hope she didn't think I thought the sucky US cover was gorgeous, how embarrassing! Why do US covers have to be so ugly? 😢
I’m currently reading this book. I’m not a huge fan of feminist writing (don’t attack me, people lol it’s just that a lot of the ones I’ve read have been a little too heavy handed/on the nose), but I was so intrigued by the premise!
I’m about half way through, and while it’s not bad… you’re not wrong in that it’s very bloated! It’s kind of a slog, and I feel like nothing is really happening on the thriller aspect? I’ll probably still finish it, because I don’t hate it enough to DNF, but it’s def a book I can easily put down. Lol
I totally agree with you. Interesting material but dull and long plot as you mentioned nicely “ watered down and bloated”.
Hi Willow! Please add a “Thanks” button to your RUclips channel so I can send a little “coffee money” as appreciation. ❤
You’re very sweet! I’ll look into it immediately!
All turned on! That was easier than I thought it’d be :)
OK, so butter is not really a basic for Japanese cuisine, it’s something that came from outside the culture, yet feminism is also an outside force from Japanese culture. So, is there tension and metaphor there about what is accepted and what is rejected?
There is a spare and conciseness I expect from Japanese literature and it feels like this runs up against that expectation.
Your comment is very interesting.
You are 100% right. It was quite dull.
Japanese food and serial killer is a combination of the must-read to me! Sadly your review and others made me less excited about it…
It was a must-read for me as well! One of my most anticipated books of this year. I was heartbroken 😭
📖
I’m reading 🧈 right now and it’s so easy to read and so far I’m loving it. I didn’t hear about it before picking it up so I had zero expectations.