Mini - Comments

These are the last books I've read in April. Nothing in common between them, but since I don't have much to say about them, I've decided to group both in a smaller post.

The Postman by Antonio Skarmeta is a well known short story featuring Pablo Neruda and a man who is his postman for a while, Mario. The story isn't developed much and the social and political allusions to the situation in Chile in the 1970s quite superficial. I suppose a short book would not contain much anyway, but I did expect a bit more setting and sequence to what was being said. 

The focus is on the postman who, by getting to know the poet, sees Neruda for who he is and not for his fame. Mario was a likable character but he is also quite distracted by his feelings for Beatriz. This relationship didn't convince me, but it was also a way for Mario and Neruda to talk and the best part of the book was certainly the supposed meaningful short conversations they shared. 

This short book was one of those that I think have a special value but don't leave a big mark on the reader, at least not for me. Sadly, it's very likely I'll forget about it easily.
Grade: 6/10

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki is also a short story (less than 200 pages, just like Skarmeta's book) about a set of characters who connect somehow. The element they all have in common is the coffee shop which only seems to be open and available at certain times, and is managed by talking cats. In recent years, I have read several books by Japanese authors who have stories with cats and bookshops or coffee shops and in general all have been easy to appreciate. Of course, not all have been great for most include some sort of magical realism element too, and this can be tricky to do well.

In this book, sadly to me, I think the conjunction of things did not work out. I could not seem to connect with the characters, I had some difficulty recognizing the fun or the cuteness of the talking cats and although the book is short, it was also boring. There is also an element of astrology, which the author inserts in each character's life by having the cat providing advice and wisdom, but I was not convinced. I cannot say this bothered me as it did other readers but yes, it didn't help.
All in all, it just didn't make sense to me at any level, so I've decided to not finish.
Grade: DNF