At the End of the Matinee
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- Create Date：2021-04-24 08:31:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Keiichirō Hirano
- ISBN：B08LDXQJ2C
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Trona
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WedTh uni uh oh but I bet m！I com in I I I I I I g k I John。
Uk2795
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Vggfar received f d d。 F f d d d d d d d d d d d g g f
Roxana Chirilă
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Whether you like or dislike "At the End of the Matinee" is probably going to depend on your expectations coming into it， and on your stance on destiny。It starts like a romance: after one of the concerts given when he's 38 and celebrating 20 years of professional musical activity， Satoshi Makino， an exceptional classical guitarist， is introduced to Yoko Komine， a highly educated half-Japanese， half-Croatian journalist。 They find a deep， life-changing connection right away。But this isn't， really， Whether you like or dislike "At the End of the Matinee" is probably going to depend on your expectations coming into it， and on your stance on destiny。It starts like a romance: after one of the concerts given when he's 38 and celebrating 20 years of professional musical activity， Satoshi Makino， an exceptional classical guitarist， is introduced to Yoko Komine， a highly educated half-Japanese， half-Croatian journalist。 They find a deep， life-changing connection right away。But this isn't， really， a romance。 It's a book pondering on the ripple effect of small events， on coincidences， on how the future rewrites our perception of the past， on destiny versus choice。 It's mostly a thoughtful book， filled with longing and overt questions of how to handle those small， nagging "what ifs" in life， as well as subtextual questions regarding what it means to be "mature"。 A couple of events are on the edge of believability and one really wishes that the main characters would just。。。 talk。 And be more clear with each other， avoiding consequences。 But then again， perhaps they cannot be more clear， and their circumstances and personalities have set them up for just that situation they're in。 In a way almost akin to a Greek tragedy， you cannot help but wish things played out differently and be frustrated that they don't （for the want of a detail）， while watching them unfold in perhaps the only way they can。As the book is about a classical guitarist， I didn't expect to understand many musical references， but Keiichirō Hirano is quite adept at describing music in such a way as to make readers feel it and understand the charm of concerts and the work of a performer。It's a charming novel， though perhaps not everyone's cup of tea。Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for offering a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
JDK1962
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Hard to describe。 Things happen， characters react and their lives change， but often without the full （or any） story， and they end up re-interpreting their past when the truth emerges。 These are very introspective characters。。。 The act of betrayal （the cell phone incident） almost made me stop reading， because it was such an incredibly cruel and selfish thing to do， but I'm glad I continued on。It was also nice to see a book with a working classical artist as a main character。 As someone working on Hard to describe。 Things happen， characters react and their lives change， but often without the full （or any） story， and they end up re-interpreting their past when the truth emerges。 These are very introspective characters。。。 The act of betrayal （the cell phone incident） almost made me stop reading， because it was such an incredibly cruel and selfish thing to do， but I'm glad I continued on。It was also nice to see a book with a working classical artist as a main character。 As someone working on my guitar skills， I always enjoy books that don't gloss over the role that practice plays in building and keeping skills。A thanks to Amazon for the free copy as a promo for World Book Day。 I don't think I would have encountered this otherwise。 。。。more
Jennifer Redmond
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Brilliant and poetic and realHow to summarize or recommend such a novel as this？ I can only say that the characters were incredibly real。 They lived and breathed in my mind and my heart。 I was profoundly moved by the writing; I must give a nod to the translator， since the book seemed at once to be crafted in another language and completely fluent。
Alex
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A professional guitar player and a reporter meet after a concert， and this account follows them for a period of several years as they love their lives。Okay， my summary isn’t the best， but this is a beautiful book。 If you’re looking for a fast-paced book， this isn’t for you; even though the book covers several years， it moves very slowly， which is part of the reason I took so long to finish。 However， if you’re willing to take a chance on a dialogue-driven book， this novel is totally worth it。Ther A professional guitar player and a reporter meet after a concert， and this account follows them for a period of several years as they love their lives。Okay， my summary isn’t the best， but this is a beautiful book。 If you’re looking for a fast-paced book， this isn’t for you; even though the book covers several years， it moves very slowly， which is part of the reason I took so long to finish。 However， if you’re willing to take a chance on a dialogue-driven book， this novel is totally worth it。There are a couple of descriptions that bothered me， like one character， though not maliciously， saying another character was a “half-breed”。 The main male character appears to be too obsessive at the beginning。 I have no problem with love-at-first sight tropes， but his behavior comes off very stalker-y or something at first。 And there’s another character that’s very frustrating that I can’t mention because it would spoil a whole lot。The writing， however， is wonderful。 Dialogue-focused novels are not really my thing， but this book made me forget that for a minute。 I hope you decide to give it a chance， too; I definitely don’t regret it。Thank you so much to NetGalleyand Amazon Crossing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Mandy
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I wasn’t at all convinced by this romance novel， and in fact became increasingly irritated as the narrative progressed。 It tells of the ill-fated relationship between a classical guitarist and a journalist， who， when they meet for the first time， connect immediately and profoundly – and for ever。 So far so saccharine。 But it seems they are destined to be kept apart - with a bit of help from a jealous personal assistant， in a plot twist that is just so unlikely that I nearly gave up at that point I wasn’t at all convinced by this romance novel， and in fact became increasingly irritated as the narrative progressed。 It tells of the ill-fated relationship between a classical guitarist and a journalist， who， when they meet for the first time， connect immediately and profoundly – and for ever。 So far so saccharine。 But it seems they are destined to be kept apart - with a bit of help from a jealous personal assistant， in a plot twist that is just so unlikely that I nearly gave up at that point。 I just couldn’t understand why this mature experienced couple couldn't simply talk it all through and get it together – instead of sacrificing their lives to some implausible misunderstanding。 Platitudes and clichés abound in this book， not least in the descriptions of the women – I thought we had got past the fainting feeble woman longing to melt into their lover’s arms。 The characters lack depth， the dialogue is overwritten and the emotions verge on the melodramatic。 So anything to like？ A few things， to be fair。 The protagonist’s musical career is quite well handled， and the journalist’s experiences in Baghdad add some interest。 But overall this is not one I can recommend。 。。。more
Mary
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Unique read
John
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There was a plot point right about in the middle that hinged way too much on a row of coincidences for my liking， but apart from these 20 pages or so I really， enjoyed spending time with this book。 Everything before and after that moment is just a very calmly written novel about two people falling in love。I've read two books by Keiichirō Hirano now and I'm looking forward to reading more。 There was a plot point right about in the middle that hinged way too much on a row of coincidences for my liking， but apart from these 20 pages or so I really， enjoyed spending time with this book。 Everything before and after that moment is just a very calmly written novel about two people falling in love。I've read two books by Keiichirō Hirano now and I'm looking forward to reading more。 。。。more
Maria
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 DNF at 50%Immediately after Sanae Mitani did the sabotage thing to Makino and Yoko， I threw up my hands and couldn't proceed any further。 This kind of stupid misunderstanding makes me wanna balk。 Please authors， don't tear apart your protagonist couples over simple misunderstanding。 The way the synopsis was phrased， I thought it was some ideological misunderstanding that tore them apart。 But it wasn't。Giving it a three star because the book was interesting until Sanae Mitani's sabotage dramarama DNF at 50%Immediately after Sanae Mitani did the sabotage thing to Makino and Yoko， I threw up my hands and couldn't proceed any further。 This kind of stupid misunderstanding makes me wanna balk。 Please authors， don't tear apart your protagonist couples over simple misunderstanding。 The way the synopsis was phrased， I thought it was some ideological misunderstanding that tore them apart。 But it wasn't。Giving it a three star because the book was interesting until Sanae Mitani's sabotage dramarama。 。。。more
Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell
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It's world book day and this book is FREE on Amazon！ （4/19） It's world book day and this book is FREE on Amazon！ （4/19） 。。。more
Mommysreads
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As someone that grew up playing a classical musical instrument， I was looking forward to this book！ I enjoyed the musical references very much and even more so what fascinated me were the characters age brackets。 In their 40's with obstacles standing in their way of love。 What happens above & beneath the surface is to be told。 The trial and error with so much on the line in their relationship was handled ever so delicately。 Now， as beautiful as the style of writing was at times， I also found mys As someone that grew up playing a classical musical instrument， I was looking forward to this book！ I enjoyed the musical references very much and even more so what fascinated me were the characters age brackets。 In their 40's with obstacles standing in their way of love。 What happens above & beneath the surface is to be told。 The trial and error with so much on the line in their relationship was handled ever so delicately。 Now， as beautiful as the style of writing was at times， I also found myself struggling。 I love getting to know the characters in a book and I felt like that never quite happened。 I can deal with the disconnection between characters and even between them and myself as a reader but it almost felt like it went a little beyond my grasping point。However， I do have to mention I am new to Japanese Literature and I am always looking for a new doorway to broaden my reading horizons。 I know many will enjoy this story entirely so I do recommend it！ I want to thank Megan Beatie / @mbc_books & @amazonpublishing for my copies in return for an honest review！ 。。。more
Bookoholiccafe
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This story focuses on a love story of a journalist and a musician。 They meet at a classical guitar concert。 Their relationship evolves as they come across obstacles along with their ways。 The writing is dry， and it might be a slow burn for some readers。 I really enjoyed the artistic way that the dialogues between these two were written。 The author did a great job discussing PTSD and the detail he provided about the refugee crisis。Many thanks to @mbc_books and @amazonpublishing for the #gifted co This story focuses on a love story of a journalist and a musician。 They meet at a classical guitar concert。 Their relationship evolves as they come across obstacles along with their ways。 The writing is dry， and it might be a slow burn for some readers。 I really enjoyed the artistic way that the dialogues between these two were written。 The author did a great job discussing PTSD and the detail he provided about the refugee crisis。Many thanks to @mbc_books and @amazonpublishing for the #gifted copy。 。。。more
Tamara
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Reflective and poignant study of two star crossed lovers following a brief but impactful meeting。 Written in the style of thoughtful and introspective streams of consciousness as they find their way through a life buffeted by chance encounters and external events。 Is our fate predetermined or are we masters of our destiny？ Immersive and beautifully written。Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC in return for my honest review。
Zasika
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Such a gorgeous book！It's been a while since I've read a contemporary romance/love story between people within my age range。 I wished more novels were written this way， equally gripping and heartbreaking。 And oh， so beautiful。The main characters are Satoshi and Yoko， and their story begins at a concert in Paris。 I love their deep conversations， the discovery that it's more than just a mutual attraction， and how they navigate through their own emotions as they deal with other people within their Such a gorgeous book！It's been a while since I've read a contemporary romance/love story between people within my age range。 I wished more novels were written this way， equally gripping and heartbreaking。 And oh， so beautiful。The main characters are Satoshi and Yoko， and their story begins at a concert in Paris。 I love their deep conversations， the discovery that it's more than just a mutual attraction， and how they navigate through their own emotions as they deal with other people within their environment。Of course， every epic love story does not always go as planned。 A major communication breakdown caused a massive rift between Satoshi and Yoko， and they spent many years apart without fully knowing what actually happened that fateful night。 But oh， that reunion！ Did I cry？ Of course I did！Have I mentioned that it's a gorgeous book？Highly recommended！Many thanks to the publisher， Amazon Crossing， and the author for this ARC。 Really， really loved it！ 。。。more
Mari LivTollefsonCarlson
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In this probing love story， together， a musician and a journalist navigate personal and international traumas in the first years of the 21st century。 tYoko meets Makino at one of his classical guitar concerts。 Makino is immediately smitten with Yoko’s articulateness， grace and beauty。 She admires his music and his easy-going charm。 They begin a 3 years long conversation over Skype， e-mail and a few in-person encounters。 Although they talk about most everything， they withhold their struggles: Yok In this probing love story， together， a musician and a journalist navigate personal and international traumas in the first years of the 21st century。 tYoko meets Makino at one of his classical guitar concerts。 Makino is immediately smitten with Yoko’s articulateness， grace and beauty。 She admires his music and his easy-going charm。 They begin a 3 years long conversation over Skype， e-mail and a few in-person encounters。 Although they talk about most everything， they withhold their struggles: Yoko experiences PTSD after her near escape from a 2003 hotel bombing in Baghdad， where she worked as a reporter。 Makino goes through an unprecedented and mysterious lapse in his playing。 Despite these gaps in their knowledge of one another， the two declare their love and make plans to continue as a committed couple， until a miscommunication ends their contact - forever？tConversations form the backbone of this novel。 The seminal dialogues between Yoko and Makino， an equitable back-and-forth， are fed by internal conversations they have with themselves。 They think separately and together about how past， present and future relate。 Traveling to destinations around the globe， they muse about diplomacy and social responsibility。 Yoko unpacks her estrangement from her father and attraction to war-ravaged places。 Makino thinks about his relationship to silence as a musician。 He often fills uncomfortable social silences with funny anecdotes。 One provides a metaphor for the novel’s conceit。 Makino tells of following the alluring scent of perfume， hoping to meet the woman wearing it， only to discover the person is a man and the perfume is cologne！ Like his disappointing discovery， the side conversations， philosophical discussions， and Yoko and Makino’s other relationships， can seem like disappointing diversions from the love story。 But， like the cologne leads Makino to recalibrate his biases， Yoko and Makino’s private affairs profoundly affect their unexpected and enduring connection。 This contemporary story provides hope that love and individuality can exist hand-in-hand。 。。。more
Federica
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I love Japanese literature and this book is no exception。 It is certainly not an easy genre if you are not used to it， but extremely refined and poetic。 This book will make people argue， I think it will be in that category that either you love or hate， like marmite。 I loved the story， so delicate， I loved the intellectual and cultured characters， both as individuals and as a couple， I loved the music references。 What I was less keen on is the problem of incommunicability between the two main cha I love Japanese literature and this book is no exception。 It is certainly not an easy genre if you are not used to it， but extremely refined and poetic。 This book will make people argue， I think it will be in that category that either you love or hate， like marmite。 I loved the story， so delicate， I loved the intellectual and cultured characters， both as individuals and as a couple， I loved the music references。 What I was less keen on is the problem of incommunicability between the two main characters which leads them on completely different paths from those foreseen at the beginning of the novel。Without spoilers I just want to say that my eyes welled up when Makino recognizes Yoko in the crowd。 Overall a really good book that leaves me wanting to read the previous one by the same author。Recommended for Murakami and Yoshimoto lovers。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ana
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3 stars *may changeTrigger warnings: suicide （off-page）， death， depression， PTSD， war， Islamophobia“People think that only the future can be changed， but in fact， the future is continually changing the past。 The past can and does change。 It’s exquisitely sensitive and delicately balanced。” Serving as a semi-fictional memoir of the love story between classical guitarist Satoshi Makino and journalist Yoko Komine， At the End of the Matinee is both excruciatingly long and incredibly short。 I'm not ve 3 stars *may changeTrigger warnings: suicide （off-page）， death， depression， PTSD， war， Islamophobia“People think that only the future can be changed， but in fact， the future is continually changing the past。 The past can and does change。 It’s exquisitely sensitive and delicately balanced。” Serving as a semi-fictional memoir of the love story between classical guitarist Satoshi Makino and journalist Yoko Komine， At the End of the Matinee is both excruciatingly long and incredibly short。 I'm not very privy to the history behind music and film， so I was expecting that there would be quite a bit in this story I just didn't get。 Still， I could not have predicted the paragraphs on paragraphs explaining and giving context behind certain things。 It would have made more sense had the fact that this was a memoir been more obvious。 Yes， the events are mostly true according to the author （besides obvious changes for privacy）， but it only sometimes really read like it。 I /know/ memoirs， and I /know/ non-fiction， and this seemed to me like a writing style that could not bear to pick either a conversational memoir-style or a story-telling fictional style。 So it did both。 It would read to me like any other book and then break off to give the long context behind the Iraq war or the history behind how a fictional movie was made （I think it was fictional， since giving an actual film would expose who this book is about）。 I'm gonna gear off into metaphorical territory here， sorry。 This book felt like a Thursday。 Like 3pm on a Thursday afternoon after having come back from the beach and showered but you can still smell the ocean。 Like it's raining outside and you can barely hear the raindrops tapping at your window。 Like you're on the verge of falling asleep because all the lights are turned off and you're watching TV。 Does that make any sense？This book felt like forever and like a minute all at the same time。 I feel like I flew through it every time I sat down to read — as if events happened in the blink of an eye and we moved on to the next。 But then it also felt like an eternity。 Finishing it was like running laps for hours and finally being done。 It's hard to really describe it。I find it hard to criticize the characters considering that this is literally about real people。 Wouldn't that be weird？ They were very。。。well， human。 I can't necessarily blame an author for writing real life exactly how it was， although I must admit that sometimes real life is a bit boring。 I wanted a bit more drama in this book — specifically in the last bit。 A big end-all show to top it off。 I think the genre of "obsessed artist" is so interesting。 Watching someone wholly immerse themselves in a passion as they tear themselves apart。 This was certainly not that。 It's a much more realistic， if dull， showing of what the average artist is。 Passionate in what they do but not self-destructive。 An accurate retelling， but at what cost？This was not mind-blowingly amazing。 It didn't stop my world nor did it outshine the other books I've read this month。 It was good。 Definitely not bad。 It had charisma and heart behind it but lacked a certain amount of pizzazz。 Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Bagus
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I have mixed feelings about this book， with so much miscommunication that finally led to endless drama between the main characters， 38 years old Satoshi Makino and 40 years old Yoko Komine。 Makino， a classical music guitarist encountered by chance Yoko who works as a journalist for the French media outlet RFP。 Soon their relationship begins to take shape into more intense online communication through email as Yoko was assigned the job of reporting from Iraq the year of the execution of Saddam Hu I have mixed feelings about this book， with so much miscommunication that finally led to endless drama between the main characters， 38 years old Satoshi Makino and 40 years old Yoko Komine。 Makino， a classical music guitarist encountered by chance Yoko who works as a journalist for the French media outlet RFP。 Soon their relationship begins to take shape into more intense online communication through email as Yoko was assigned the job of reporting from Iraq the year of the execution of Saddam Hussein。 But it was only the start of the story， as Keichiro Hirano will guide us to see the various miscommunications which hinder the possibility of happiness between Makino and Yoko。The setting for this novel is quite ambitious， unlike many contemporary Japanese novels which I have read in the past few years。 There are scenes that take place in Japan， as the story begins to tell the chance encounter between Makino and Yoko in Tokyo after one of his concerts。 It also depicts some scenes during Yoko’s time of reporting from Baghdad when she was assigned the job to report for RFP news， which I should praise for the clarity of factual information and the rendering of post-traumatic stress disorder （PTSD） that affected many foreign journalists and military staff after their postings there。 In some other parts of the story， we are also taken into Paris and New York as the viewpoints change between Yoko and Makino。Even though the story is being told from the third-person point of view， I get a sense of reading something of a story that was initially rendered in first-person， then get changed into third-person halfway。 As though the narrators are actually Makino and Yoko themselves， but it was then modified to third-person narrative to give a more intense sense of miscommunication between the two。 But overall， miscommunication is the main strength of this story。 We as the readers are led into thinking that we know what will happen next， only to be told otherwise。Reading this novel in some ways gives me a similar vibe to reading news or any texts of journalism。 There is much factual information that sometimes overrides the main story。 In some parts of the story， conversations may dominate the passage， but there are times when the author explains some historical facts or literary criticism in a matter-of-fact way that is far from natural in the way that is commonly used for literary text， such as the way the author portrays the situation of the American invasion of Iraq before Yoko’s posting there or explaining how Bach music was influenced by the Thirty Years War。 It is as though the author is afraid that the readers will lose the context， that he begins explaining even though it might come out as unnatural。 This is， after all， a rather ambitious novel incorporating many different aspects beyond cultural barriers which render it worth noting as Weltliteratur。To readers who are unfamiliar with classical music， it might bore them a bit since they will not understand the references。 Classical music is central to our characters and forms conversations and bond between Makino and Yoko， that in some ways make me think more that music is a universal language that could transcend across cultural boundaries。 That is why I think many people across cultures would undoubtedly feel at home reading this novel， on the condition that they could take the references。 The love between Makino and Yoko is a tragic one， since they live in distance with frequent miscommunication caused by the imperfect online bridgings， and it pained me more to discover some parts of myself inside the brief relationship between those two。 Overall， I appreciate the carefully curated information that enriched my knowledge through this novel and countless drama that stirred up my emotion， however， I still think there might be something missing in translation from this book， that I’ll reserve my final judgment after watching the film adaptation。Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Crossings for providing the e-ARC。 。。。more
Nicki Markus
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At the End of the Matinee by Hirano Keiichiro is a character-drive contemporary tale of a relationship that has potential， but which struggles to commence due to various misunderstandings and twists of fate。 Both Yoko and Makino came across well， and I engaged in their story right from the start。 As an amateur musician myself， I enjoyed all the music references and discussions throughout the book， and the translation was deftly handled， the prose flowing beautifully。 At the End of the Matinee is At the End of the Matinee by Hirano Keiichiro is a character-drive contemporary tale of a relationship that has potential， but which struggles to commence due to various misunderstandings and twists of fate。 Both Yoko and Makino came across well， and I engaged in their story right from the start。 As an amateur musician myself， I enjoyed all the music references and discussions throughout the book， and the translation was deftly handled， the prose flowing beautifully。 At the End of the Matinee is a deceptively simple story at first glance， but it has many hidden depths， and I would be glad to read more works by Hirano Keiichiro in the future。I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
AnnaLuce
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/ / / Read more reviews on my blog / /Although At the End of the Matinee shares stylistic and thematic similarities with Keiichirō Hirano's A Man， it makes for a far less intriguing read。 At the End of the Matinee lacks the psychological edge that made A Man into such a compelling read。 The story and characters of At the End of the Matinee have little depth， and， as the narrative progresses and the storyline veers into melodrama， I found myself growing increasingly frustrated by what I was readi / / / Read more reviews on my blog / /Although At the End of the Matinee shares stylistic and thematic similarities with Keiichirō Hirano's A Man， it makes for a far less intriguing read。 At the End of the Matinee lacks the psychological edge that made A Man into such a compelling read。 The story and characters of At the End of the Matinee have little depth， and， as the narrative progresses and the storyline veers into melodrama， I found myself growing increasingly frustrated by what I was reading （and disappointed too， considering that—abrupt ending aside—I found A Man to be a well-written and engaging read）。 The opening pages of At the End of the Matinee are very reminiscent of the ones from A Man。 Readers are informed that the story they are about to read is real and that to "protected their privacy" this unnamed author has "altered" certain details （such as their names）。 Yet， whereas this 'fiction posing as true story' device fitted A Man （given that the novel adopts a story within a story structure） here it just seemed a half-hearted attempt to make Satoshi and Yoko's story more interesting to the reader。 This prologue， after all， has no real impact on the remainder of the narrative。Set in the mid to late 2000s At the End of the Matinee recounts the love story between Makino， a classic guitarist who as of late has become a wee bit disillusioned by his playing and performances， and Yoko， a journalist daughter of a Japanese mother and a Croatian father， who happens to be a renowned film director。 The two are introduced after one of Makino's performances through a friend of Yoko and immediately hit it off。 Yoko is however engaged to a generic American man。Despite the distance between them—Makino is in Japan or on tours that take him all over the world while Yoko， who is based in France， is for a period reporting from Iraq— the two begin an email correspondence。 Their connection to and feelings for one another are intensified by their virtual exchanges。 Makino believes they are meant to be together so decides to visit Yoko once she is back in France。 Their reunion is 'complicated' by Jalila， who was forced to leave Baghdad and is now staying with Yoko。 Yoko， who is also dealing with PTSD from her experiences in Iraq， is unwilling to leave Jalila by herself so her relationship with Makino is postponed。 It became quite clear that Yoko cared very little for her American fiancée， and he merely functions as a plot device to make Yoko 'unavailable。 Makino is also going through a musical crisis of sorts， he feels like he is no longer a musical prodigy and that he does not compare to up-and-coming young musicians。 The guy was bland， he is the kind of male protagonist you could expect in a work by Murakami。 Yoko， instead， is the kind of female character that was clearly written by a man。 Her love for Makino makes her all the "more beautiful" and she "ached to give herself to [him] with total abandon， to dissolve in his arms"。 After Makino declares himself to her she immediately wants "to marry him and have his child"。 And we are supposed to believe that a female journalist in the 2000s has never been confronted by an arrogant and or condescending man。 Yeah， two days ago a British man， who knew full well that I am Italian， felt the need to tell me about how the rest of Italy views Rome。Half-way through the novel reaches sky-high levels of miscommunication and I hated how things unfolded。 I just did not buy into any of it。 It also seemed far too easy to make certain characters into 'bad' eggs make Yoko and Makino's behaviour seem just。 And， I am so sick of this kind of clichéd portrayal of women （Yoko with her "unself-conscious beauty"， the 'other woman' is vapid and big breasted—a trollop clearly—and the 'jealous' woman whose jealousy knows no bounds）。 The story is brimming with platitudes （"Happiness was having someone with whom to share all the everyday experiences"） and spirals into soap-opera levels of melodrama。 There are attempts to make Makino and Yoko Not Like Other People™ because they talk extensively of literature but I found their comparison to Death In Venice to be both contrived and ill-fitting （also， they do not seem to feel the need to point out that Aschenbach's obsession with Tadzio is。。。problematic to say the least）。At the End of the Matinee was a vexing read。 The story is clichéd， the characters lack depth， the obstacles that keep Yoko and Makino apart were overdone， and I found myself annoyed by almost every single thing I was reading （like having Yoko and Makino be Jalila's 'saviours'。。。。bah！）。 If you have not read anything by this author I suggest you pick up A Man instead。ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kate
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This book is a contemplative look at the gradually evolving relationship between two people in love and the obstacles they face in their path。 I thought it was a nice read with some lovely descriptions at points， but also I sometimes found Makino and Yoko came across with an air of intellectual snobbery which I found frustrating。 I found the writing overall quite dry， and that meant this was quite a slow read for me， although writing style is obviously a matter of personal taste。 It felt as if I This book is a contemplative look at the gradually evolving relationship between two people in love and the obstacles they face in their path。 I thought it was a nice read with some lovely descriptions at points， but also I sometimes found Makino and Yoko came across with an air of intellectual snobbery which I found frustrating。 I found the writing overall quite dry， and that meant this was quite a slow read for me， although writing style is obviously a matter of personal taste。 It felt as if I never truly got to know the characters， and this distance was uncomfortable to me。 I was also frustrated by how the second half of the plot hinges on a miscommunication， and unfortunately I didn't find the resolution particularly satisfying。I enjoyed reading a story about people in their 40s since I don’t frequently come across love stories of people in this age bracket。 I also enjoyed reading about Yoko’s career as a journalist， and thought the discussion of PTSD and the refugee crisis was important and well-handled。CW: PTSD， terrorism， bombsThanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Alison Fincher
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A Japanese classical guitarist and French journalist pursue a relationship via Skype。 In the face of trauma and existential anxiety， the two fall in love。 When a gut-wrenching miscommunication tears them apart， the reader is left wondering whether they can ever come back together。The first half of At the End of the Matinee is a lovely romance between two mature adults。 I kept waiting for the inevitable twist halfway
Meghan PageUs
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This is a beautifully written book， with some elegant sentences and at times phrases and statements that feeling intensely insightful and personal。 And yet for a story about a romance， and two wonderfully intellectual characters， the book for me felt flat and somehow distant， almost clinical。 The prologue somewhat sets up this tone and the writing feels restrained at times despite the prose。 The writing was strong， the development of each character had thoughtful depth and nuance， and the gentle This is a beautifully written book， with some elegant sentences and at times phrases and statements that feeling intensely insightful and personal。 And yet for a story about a romance， and two wonderfully intellectual characters， the book for me felt flat and somehow distant， almost clinical。 The prologue somewhat sets up this tone and the writing feels restrained at times despite the prose。 The writing was strong， the development of each character had thoughtful depth and nuance， and the gentle progression of the story was enjoyable and felt realistic for how the characters were written as both seemed like intentional， focused， and independent characters devoted to their work yet also perhaps realizing they sought meaning and connection in ways they had not realized they wanted until they connected and continued to connect over the years。 I just wished for less internal dialogue and more emotional connection （though I also understand my perceptions may be colored by cultural differences that should be worth considering in my comments）。There are strengths though for me despite my lack of engagement with the story; I appreciated a chance to learn， in depth， about the characters as intellectuals and professionals as I do not often encounter characters who live so much in their professional world as these characters do and I appreciated their passion for their work and their identities。 I also enjoyed that these were characters slowly entering midlife and， to use Erikson's lifespan theory， the writing managed to capture the unconscious conflict that is associated with midlife （generativity vs。 stagnation） and I have an appreciation for a writer who could capture this somewhat intangible but very real feeling that many experience in their personal and/or professional lives。 This was clear in their thoughts about starting a relationship in midlife or worrying that passion/infatuation and perhaps child rearing were lost opportunities， in the reflection on past mentors and the notion of how to give back to one's professional or personal community， and also the emergence of themes on mental health that emerge and worries about longevity in career/impact on a profession。 This was to me a notable strength of the book。I appreciated the chance to read this book as despite not being quite able to connect with the story overall， I did connect with the depth， detail， and thoughtfulness， even respect， the author appeared to have for the characters and their story。 。。。more
Sara
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I wanted to like this book more than I did， but unfortunately it fell flat for me。 There were many descriptions of action， but action itself was muted。 As a Japanese speaker， I'm guessing that this was a difficult book to translate and that English could not capture many of the nuances of the original。This is one of those books that may fare better as a film than a written work since seeing what is happening would enhance the story greatly。 The premise and story is interesting， but my guess is t I wanted to like this book more than I did， but unfortunately it fell flat for me。 There were many descriptions of action， but action itself was muted。 As a Japanese speaker， I'm guessing that this was a difficult book to translate and that English could not capture many of the nuances of the original。This is one of those books that may fare better as a film than a written work since seeing what is happening would enhance the story greatly。 The premise and story is interesting， but my guess is that it will only really appeal to musicians and those interested in every feeling involved in romance。 。。。more
Kaffeeklatsch and Books
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RTC
Wing
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Not my cup of tea。中段已經是有種狗血劇情的感覺就。。。。。。。嗯。
Yupa
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