"What If " Shari Low

＊時間に追われて、読む＊

紙の本が好きだが、昨年末たまたまKindleUnlimited に読みたい本があって、ブラックフライデー3ヶ月間99円！を購入し、お得感で読みまくっている…。

Unlimitedの本は買ってもすごく安いし、なんだか追い立てられるように読んでしまうので、多分3ヶ月で辞めるとは思うけど、知らない本とかも薦めてくれるから、1年に数ヶ月なら入ってもいいかなーと思う。

紙の本が好きだが、本棚がいっぱいだ。e-booksはいいけど、途中で「この人さっき出てきた人だっけ？」とか「あの時なんて言ってたっけ？」とか思った時にぱらぱらっと探せないのが不便だ。軽いかと思いきや紙の本1冊分くらいはある。また、仰向けに寝転んで読んでたら（よいこは真似しないでください！)居眠りした時顔面に落ちてきて痛かった。これらの点が改善されることを願う。自己改善も必要か!?

この本もそんなKindleさんに薦められておもしろそうだったので読んでみました。

ざっくり言うと、「ブリジット・ジョーンズの日記」みたいな本です。

そういう、30歳位の女性が主人公で恋に仕事に友情に家族関係に悩んだり人生の転機を迎えたりする小説を「chick lit」っていうらしいです。(「洋書ベスト500」という本で知ったのですが、あらゆるジャンルの洋書が網羅してある素晴らしい本なので、もし洋書読みたいけど何読めばいいかわからない人におすすめします。この本を書いた渡辺由佳里さんの「洋書ファンクラブ」も！)この言葉を知った時、「あ、私がすきなのってchick litなんだ」としっくリ来ました。

まさに30歳位の主人公が、今頃結婚して子供もいて幸せになってたはずなのになぜそうじゃないの!?とある日突然思う。私のミスター・ライトはどこなの？もしかしてもう出会っていたのに気づかなかったのかもと考えた挙句、仕事を辞めてお金もないけど元彼行脚の旅に出る…イカれてる…おまけに6人の元彼の中にはろくでもない別れ方をした男もいて…よく会いに行けるよな～と感心しました。っていうか笑えました。

設定は20世紀末ロンドン。この本はスマホを傍らに読むことをおすすめします。時代の風俗的固有名詞(テレビ番組名とかバンドの名前とか曲名とか)沢山でてくるし、各章事に当時流行ったブリットポップの曲名が書いてあって、その曲を聴きながら読んだり…そういう楽しみ方もできる。便利な世の中です。

個人的には、主人公と年齢が近く20世紀末ロンドンに住んでいたこともあって、懐かしく楽しめました…。続編もあり、(今度は今のロンドンが舞台)、数十年の時を経た主人公が活躍？するらしいので、読んでみたいと思っています。3月までに読めるでしょうか…？

＊Pressed for time＊

I like paper books, but late last year I happened to find a book I wanted to read on Kindle Unlimited, which service was provided 99 yen for 3 months on Black Friday Sale!

I bought and am reading it all the time, feeling like it's a good deal...

I know Unlimited's books are very cheap to buy. Also I find myself reading them as if I'm being chased away. Those are the reasons why I’m thinking of quitting doing this after 3 months.

Still, they recommend books that I don't know about, so I could join it a few month later again.

I like paper books, but my bookshelf is full.

Though E-books are OK, it's inconvenient because you can't just flip through pages that you have already read to make sure when you wonder, "Isn't this the person who has come out yet？" or "What did he say at that time?"

Futhermore, Kindles may be lightweight, but it's almost as heavy as paper books.

The problem is that I have a bad habit to read lying on my back (I sould never recommend doing this for good children!) Then I often fell asleep while I’m reading and my Kindle fell on my face. It hurts, actually.

I hope these aspects of e-books will be improved. Or, is it my way of reading which should be improved?

This book was recommended to me by Kindle and seemed interesting, so I decided to read it.

Roughly speaking, it's a book similar to "Bridget Jones's Diary."

Novels in which the main character is a woman at thirty-something who concerned over her love, work, friendships, family relationships, and her life is at it's turning point, are called "chick lit."(I learned about the word from the book "500 Best English Books," and it's a great book that covers all genres of English books, so I recommend it to people who want to read books in English but don't know what to read. I also recommend Yukari Watanabe's   blog, "English Book Fan Club,"too!)

When I heard this word, the stories that I like came to be categorised and named. I thought, "What I like should be chick-lits！"

The main character is about 30 years old. One day she thinks,"I should have been married and had children by now and be happy," and wonders, "Why haven’t I become like that!? Where is my Mr. Right? " After thinking that she came to the conclusion she must have already met her Mr. Right but didn't realize it.

Then she decided to go on a trip to visit her ex-boyfriends after quitting her job even though she had no money. It's crazy.

And to top it all off, some of her 6 ex-boyfriends are assholes. There was even a man whom she abandoned in an unusual way.

I was impressed that she was brave enough to fase him. I mean, that is funny.

The setting is London at the end of the 20th century. I recommend reading this book with your smartphone by your side. There are a lot of proper nouns from the era (TV program names, band names, song titles, etc.), and each chapter has the title of a Britpop song that was popular at the time, so you can read it while listening to that song...that's fun. Modern technology is great!

Personally, I enjoyed it with a nostalgic feeling, as I was close to the main character's age and lived in London at the end of the 20th century...

There is a sequel (this time set in present-day London), in which the main character display lively performance several decades later.

I'd like to read it by March.

Do you think it's possible?

"The Borrowers" Mary Norton

＊楽しいばかりではなく＊

この本は、「借りぐらしのアリエッティ」というスタジオジブリの映画の原作で、図書館で借りて読みました。映画は見たことないけど。

Borrowersというのは、人間たちより縮尺の小さい種族で、アリエッティはお父さんとお母さんと3人で田舎のの屋敷の地下に人間に見つからないように隠れて住んでいる。Borrowersと呼ばれているのは、彼らの生活が人間たちから借りてきたものによってなりたっているからだ。「盗んだ」のではなく借りている。私たちが生活してていろいろなものがなくなったりする…例えばヘアピンとか、小さくなった鉛筆とか…それがBorrowersの仕業だったとしたら!?…そう考えるとかなり楽しい。

こういう、普通の生活の中にファンタジーの世界を紛れ込ませるっていうイギリス児童文学の伝統みたいな感じが好きです。クローゼットの奥に別の国があったり、電車のホームとホームの間にあるはずのないホームが現れたり…実際の自分の生活にあるものの中にフィクションが上手く混ぜられていたら、フィクションまで実在するかのように思えてくる…魔法ですね。

アリエッティが初めて地下から外の世界に出た時の喜ぶところがすごく印象に残った。眩しい光とか、庭の虫とか植物が生き生きとしてて…。

でも、この本はそんな楽しくかわいいことばかりの本かと思って読み始めたけど、そうでもなかった。戦後まもなく(1952年)書かれたせいもあるかもしれないけど、どこか物悲しいっていうか…この幸せは続かないよって繰り返し伝えてくる。それから、色々なテーマが隠されているような気がする。女性の解放とか、階級制度の崩壊とか…やっぱり戦後既存の価値観が壊れたせいだろうか!?かといってメッセージをガンガン伝えてくるってわけでもなくて微かにそうなのかなって思っただけ。深い霧の夜白いドレスの女に出会ったが、美しい人だったような気がする…みたいな感じで、逆に忘れられない印象が残った。

出てくる子供が、必ずしも可愛く素直で人懐っこくないところもいいと思います。

プリンセスもバトルもいいけど、世の中もっといろいろある。こんな児童書も子供達にもっと読まれてほしい。それが多様性というものではないでしょうか。

＊Not only fun ＊

A Studio Ghibli movie "Borrower Arrietty" is based on this story. I borrowed this book from the library and read it, though I haven't seen the movie.

Borrowers are species that are smaller than humans in scale, and Arrietty lives with her father and mother in the basement of an apartment building which used to be one big house in the countryside, hidden from humans. They are called "the borrowers" because their livelihood depends on things "borrowed" from humans. Those things are not "stolen"－They were "borrowed."

Sometimes, in our lives, we could lose many small stuff like stubby pencil or hair pins ... Were these small items borrowed by the borrowers? It's kind of interesting when you think about it this way.

By the way, I like the tradition of British children's literature that blur the line between fantasy worlds and everyday life. For example, you may find another kingdom in the closet, or a train may come to a station into the platform that doesn't exist ... Fiction is well mixed with reality, and it can made us feel as if every fiction were real. That’s magic！

Arrietty's first experience she encountered the outside world is fresh and impressive. Bright light, insects, and plants in the garden are vividly described.

I started reading this book thinking it must be a cute, lovely story , but it wasn't actually. It’s vaguely melancholic throughout the story, as if it were telling us ,”This happiness won’t last forever,” again and again. It might be because this book was written just after the war (1952).

Also, it seems to me there are various hidden themes, such as women’s liberation, or collapse of social hierarchy ... However, they are not protested directly in loud voices, just insinuated like a whisper into your ear.

One foggy night, you met a woman in a white dress and felt like she was beautiful ,but didn’t remember her very well. The vagueness strengthens all the more the impression of the woman.

I also like the children who appear in the story are somewhat honest and not friendly.

Stories about princesses and battles are great, but there's so much more in the world. I wish

children would read books like this more. And, that is a diversity, isn’t it?

"Snow Drift" Gergett Heyer

＊無人島に持って行く本？＊

ジェーン・オースティンが好きだと散々申し上げているが、ジェナイト(オースティンファン)の悩み…それは、完全した小説が6つしかないということです。同じ本を何度も読むことは可能ですが、何か、こう新しいものはないのか…と思った時、人はジョージェット・ヘイヤーへと向かうのです。

ということで、ジェーン・オースティンファンがジョージェット・ヘイヤーファンであるということはままあることなのです。彼女の素晴らしいところは、たくさん小説を書いているところ！それから推理小説も書いているところ！です。ヒストリカルロマンスの祖と言われていて、ジェーン・オースティンみたいに文学的ではないけれど、楽しくておしゃれな会話や魅力的なキャラクターが満載です。

結構翻訳されていますが、数はそう多くない…そして振り出しに戻る……しかし！英語が読めたら選択肢は夢のように広がるのです！英語勉強しててよかった(涙)。もっと翻訳してほしい。

英語で読むと、イギリス英語だし、昔の言葉がいっぱい出てくるし、階級名とか少し難しいけど…慣れれば大丈夫。恋愛小説だから、ストーリーも追いやすいです。

この本は短編集で同じ内容で"Pistol for Two"というタイトルになっているものもあります。ひとつの話が短めで、かわいくて、あらゆるヒストリカルロマンスの設定を網羅していると言っても過言ではありません。駆け落ちとか、仮面舞踏会とか…ずっと読んでいたいなー(完全現実逃避)と思いました。

無人島に持って行きたい本ってなんですかっていう質問よくあるけど、それってどういう意味でしょうね？多分これから先1冊しか本が読めないとしたら何にする？っていう話？

無人島に漂流する際に本は海水に濡れてしまうのではないか？とか無人島で食べ物を探したり、水を探したり、色々サバイバルな仕事が忙しく、電気もないから夜も暗くて、本なんか読んでられないのではとも思います。でも、どうせ自分にはサバイバル能力なんてないし、飢えながら本を読みながら死んでいくのかなーと、そう考えた時、持って行くのはこの本でもいいかなーと思います。おいしい空想が詰まった本です。フェミニズム的には全くアウトな本です。

＊What is your desert island book?＊

I've often said that I love Jane Austen, but the problem that all Janeites (Austen fans) have is that there are only six complete novels. It's possible to read the same book over and over again, but when we wonder if there's something like Jane Austen’s stories out there or not, we tend to find out there is Georgette Heyer.

So it's common for Jane Austen fans to also be Georgette Heyer fans. The great thing about Georgette Heyer is that she wrote a lot of novels! She also wrote mysteries. She is said to be the founder of historical romance. Though her works are not as highly literalily evaluated as Jane Austen, but they entertain us with fashionable dialogues, and charming characters.

Heyer's books have been translated into Japanese quite a bit, but not that many...and we end up with the same predicament as Jane Austen's case. That is story shortages. However, if only you can read English, your options will expand like a dream! Thank goodness! I’m studying English (tears). Still I wish I could have more translated books of hers.

Reading Georgette Hayer’s books in English means reading old British English. There are a lot of ancient words, and the names of ranks in the society are a bit difficult, but once you get used to them, that'll be fine. Since they are romance novels the stories are easy to follow.

This book is a collection of short stories with the same content as the book titled "Pistol for Two". Each story is short, cute, and covers every historical romance setting. Elopement, masquerade balls, and etc. I didn't want to stop reading them (a complete form of escapism from reality).

People often ask each other what kind of book they'd like to take with them to a deserted island, but what on earth the question means? If you could only read one book from now on, what would it be? Is that what it means?

Won't their books get soaked with seawater when they're adrift on a deserted island? I don't think I would be able to read a book because I would be busy with all kinds of survival tasks, such as looking for food and water on a deserted island, and there would be no electricity, so it would be dark at night. However, when I think that I don't have the skills to survive anyway, and that I'm going to starve to death while reading a book, this would be the best choice of book I should take with me, because it is full of delicious fantasies.

Sometimes I feel a sort of guilty when I'm reading such romance novels like this,for they seems not to be appropriate in terms of feminism or gender issue.

"the Cockroach" Ian McEwan

＊とにかくすごい。あらゆる意味で＊

ある日図書館の新着本コーナーにこの本はあった…。表紙にゴキブリ！(以下G)

もともとこのイアン・マキューアンという作家のことを変態に違いないと思っていたのだが、期待を裏切らない本だった。変態って文豪の証なのか!?だって川端康成とかとてつもない変態だから…。

この本はカフカの「変身」へのオマージュという事だったのでてっきりある男がある朝目覚めると虫になっていたんだろうなと思って読み始めたんだけど、なんだかさっぱりわからない。それでネットで調べたところ、全く逆だということがわかった。つまり、あるGがある朝目覚めると人間になっていたという話だったのです。作者のインタビューも読むことができて、それからは楽しく読めました。めでたしめでたし。時にはネタバレも必要かもと思います。

薄い本です。結構読みにくいから薄くてよかった。Amazonの書評に「空港で買って飛行機で読み終えた」と書いてあって、自分の英語力の無さを痛感するも、日本人だもん！と開きなおる。

イアン・マキューアンの本は日本でも人気なのかほとんどが翻訳されているが、この本はどうもまだらしいのは、タイトルのせいか？表紙のせいか？わからんが、そもそも売る気はあるのか？

作者が自国のEU脱退の憂さを晴らすために書いたらしいので、あまり売る気はないのかも。

Gが鏡を見て「うぇ！気持ち悪！」って思うのが笑えます。でもそういうものかも…美の基準って。

表紙の絵がほんと気持ち悪いので、ブックカバーがマストです。あと、家族からも嫌がられて、一切この小説の話は聞いてもらえなかったのも辛かったです。誰か読んでください。

＊Extraordinary. In every sense.＊

One day, I found this book in the new books section of the library... Cockroaches on the cover! (hereinafter referred to as C)

I originally thought that this author, Ian McEwan, must be a pervert, and this book did not disappoint me. Is being a pervert a prerequisite of being a great auther?  For example,Yasunari Kawabata is an incredible pervert...

This book was supposed to be an homage to Kafka's ``The Metamorphosis,'' so I started reading it thinking that a man woke up one morning and found out that he had turned into a bug, but it seemed to me that everything written there made no sense at all. However, after looking it up on the internet I realized that it was quite the opposite of what I had originally thought. In other words, the story was that C woke up one morning and found out it had become a human. Surging the web also yielded an interview with the author about the book and how it helped him process BREXIT. This insight enabled me to  enjoy the book more deeply. Congratulations! I think sometimes spoilers are necessary.

It's a thin book. I'm glad it's thin because it's pretty hard to read. On Amazon sight someone says, ``I bought it at the airport and finished reading it on the plane,'' which made me keenly aware of my lack of English skills, but I'm Japanese after all! I stay positive.

Ian McEwan's books are popular in Japan as well, and most of them have been translated, but this one seems to have not been published yet, perhaps because of the title? Is it because of the cover? I don't know, but with a cover like this, do they have any intention of selling it from the start?

The author seems to have written it to relieve his worries about his country's withdrawal from the EU, so he may not have much intention of selling it.

It's funny to see “former” C look in the mirror and think, "Wow! That's disgusting!" But maybe that's what beauty standards are like.

The picture on the cover is really creepy, so the book should be covered somehow when you read it in front of others. It made me feel sad that my family disiked C so much that they wouldn't listen to me talk about this novel at all.

Someone please read it.

"People We Meet on Vacation" Emily Henry

＊どこかで出会ったような＊

この本は図書館の新着コーナーにあったので借りて来て一気読みしてしまった。図書館の人がどうしてこの本を購入したのかは不明だけど…2021年出版の本です。新しい！スマホもブログも存在する世の中です。

大学で地元が近くの男女が出会って、同じ車に乗って帰省する。全く話が会わず共通点もない二人だけど何だか友達になって、それから親友になって、本当はお互いに好きなんだけど言えない…みたいな話です。ん？どっかで聞いた事あるような…？

後書きにも書いてあるけど、「恋人たちの予感」(原題: When Harry met Sally)という映画が作者も大好きだそうです。

私もこのタイプの話に弱いらしく、それがたぶん一気読みの理由と思われる。 「恋人たちの…」に似てると言われている「プリティ・イン・ニューヨーク」(原題:You stupid man)っていう映画もよかったし、「ワン·ディ」っていう映画も悲しいけどよかったし、それから「理想の恋人を見つけるための7つのジンクス」(原題:Boys and Girls)っていう映画に至っては、それほど人気のある映画でないにもかかわらず何度もみてしまった。…しかし、邦題もう少しなんとかならんのか。

「赤毛のアン」のアンとギルバートとかもそうでしょ。だから、もし、そういうのが好きな人がいたら、この小説も好きだと思います。

でも、いくらなんでも10年以上も恋愛に発展しないってことありますかね…。

＊Haven't we met?＊

I found this book on the "NEWLY ARRIVED" shelf in the library, and binge read it. I don't know the reason why they added this book to the library. 

It was published in 2021. That's quite new! Both smartphones and blogs exist in the story.

A girl meets a boy on campus. They happen to come from the same area and go back home taking a car ride together on every school holidays. They have nothing in common, they think they are not compatible each other. They become friends, then best friends. In fact, they come to love each other, but neither of them says it. That's the story.

Um? Haven't we met the story before?

In Author's note, she says she loves the movie," When Harry met Sally."

I must be a sucker for this kind of story. That's the reason of my binge reading. I like the movies such as "You stupid Man"( it is saiid to be alike to "When Harry met Sally), "One Day"( so sad, but I like it), and " Boys and Girls"(this one is not so popular , but I liked it so much that I saw it several times...).

Anne and Gilbert, are obviously the ones.

Therefore, if you like such kind of story, you will difinitely like this.

Although, it's unlikely that it takes more than 10 years to become friends to lovers....

"Winesburg Ohio" Sherwood Anderson

＊タイトル及び地理的知識の重要性＊

名前は聞いた事があっても読もうとは思わない本ってある。この本もそうだったんだけど…タイトルのせいかな。

2、3年前に"Olive Kitteridge"という本を読んだ。その本はアメリカのある架空の町に住む人々について書かれた短編集なのだが、ひとつひとつの物語が違う人物を主人公にしていて、本を読み終えるとOlive Kitteridgeという人物のことがよくわかる様な気がする…というような感じの話だった。これまでそんな本は読んだことがなかったので、新鮮ですごいと思った。でも書評を読むと、"Winesburg Ohio"のような本だって書いてる人がいて、それで読んでみたいなとなんとなく思っていた。で、そのままになっていたわけです。何となく…タイトルのせいかな。

先日、新聞に載っていた片岡義男の記事を読んだのだが、この小説を何度も読んだと書かれていて…そうか、そんならますます読んでみようかなと思って図書館で借りて読みました。片岡義男の本は読んだことがないです…たぶん。すみません。

そういうことってある。本に呼ばれる時がある、というか。

図書館で借りた本は赤い表紙で紙の断面が金色、カラーの挿絵が入った美しい本だった。本棚にはなかったので、車庫から出してもらう必要があった。いい本は大体書庫納。ダニエル・スティールの本は山のように並んでいるのに。人気があるんだろうけど。図書館の本って誰が選んでるんだろうと時々思う。

たぶんあまり借りる人がいないのだろうが、この本いいよ。スマホもない、自動車すらない社会でも（1919年に発表されている）人は本質的には変わらない。多少荒削りな感じはするけど。あと、みんな子育てがテキトー過ぎる…気はするけど。

読んで行くうちに、やっぱり一見バラバラに見える短編集なんだけど、この本には一人の主人公がいるということがわかってくるのだった…。そういう意味では確かに"Olive…"に似てるかも。こんな斬新なからくり(？)の本を思いつくなんてすごい。それもそんな昔に。

最近読んだ他の本にもOhioが出てきて、思わず地図でどこにあるのか調べた。…北の方…なんですね。そのせいか黒人は全く出てこない。全然バックグラウンドとかわからないから、わかったらもっと面白いんだろうな。勉強が必要だなと思う。

＊The importance of titles and geography＊

There are some books whose titles we have heard of but which we have never thought of reading, like this one. Is it because of the title?

I read "OLIVE KITTERIDGE" a few years ago. The book consists of short stories written about people living in a fictional town in United States. Every story of the book has each protagonist not only Olive , the person who has the same name as the title, but after reading the whole book, I felt like to have understood who Olive Kitteridge is, at least I had such impression. It was the first time I have ever read a book like that, and I thought it groundbreaking. In it's book reviews, some people say that it's a book like "WINESBURG OHIO." Then I came to be curious about this book, but still I didn't read it. I don't know why.... Is it owe to the title?

Recently, I read a newspaper article about Kataoka Yoshio , a Japanese novelist. He says he likes this "WINESBURG OHIO" and read it over and over. 

'Well, I'll try it,' I thought, and finally read it, though  I have probably never read Kataoka's book.

Something like this sometimes happens. Books call us.

A book I borrowed from the library is a beautiful book with red cover and golden edge, and colour illustration. It wasn't on the shelf. It was in a stack room. So I need to ask them to fetch it. In the library, most of good books are always in the stack room, though dozens of Daniel Steel  books on the shelf.  Of course, they are popular and not bad, but sometimes I wonder who select the books in the library.

Anyway, few people would likely to borrow it, but I enjoyed reading this book. The society with no smartphone, even no cars (published in 1919), people are basically the same. They may be a little rougher. Plus, everyone seems to be a sloppy about parenting...

As I read, this book, appearing to be a group of unrelated short stories located in Winesburg Ohio, turns to have a one certain main character. In this aspect, it may similar to "OLIVE... .  It's amazing to have written a book in such a fresh construction like this long time ago.

Currently, I am reading another book located also in Ohio, I checked where it is on the map. 

It's in the north. I wondered that's the reason why there are no African American characters in the story.

I have no background knowledge. If I know more, the story will get more interesting, I guess. I need to study more.

″the perks of being a wall flower″ Stephen Chbosky

＊共通点と相違点＊

この文章を書こうと思って本を開いたら、また最初から最後まで読んでしまった…。すごい魔力。

この小説は次世代の″the catcher in the rye″と言われているらしい。共通点がいくつかある。繊細な思春期の少年が主人公であること。よく知らないけど知っている誰かに向かって語りかける形で物語が語られていること。主人公が精神的に一時病んでしまうこと、など。違う点は、「ライ麦…」は他の人物があまり登場しないが、この主人公には家族も友達も近くにいること、それからこの物語は一方通行の手紙という形式で書かれているところだ。そう！「あしながおじさん」の形式です！

従って、「ライ麦…」と「あしながおじさん」が好きな人はこの小説がたぶん好きになるんじゃないかな…。何を隠そう、それはわたしじゃん！(いかん。つい熱弁をふるってしまった…。)

そういう訳で、該当する人はぜひ読んで見てください。いいニュースとしては、薄い本で読む気が起きやすい。それから、知らないスラングは出てくるけど、わかりやすい読みやすい文章です。あと、主人公の英語の先生が主人公にいろいろ課題として読む本を貸してくれるんだけど、面白そうな本ばかりなので、一種のブックガイドとしても読むことが出来そうです。「ライ麦…」も出てくるよ。

映画化もされています。原作者自信が監督、脚本なので、原作を読んでから見ても違和感がないと思います。

この本における「wall flower」っていうのは、舞踏会の壁の花ではなく、みんなが話してる輪の外からよく観察している人みたいな感じで使われているようです。悪い意味じゃなく。本好きの人は多かれ少なかれこういう傾向があるのでは!?人の人生や自分の人生をどことなく他人事として見てしまう時があるというか…。それだけじゃなく関わって行きたいというのが、この主人公の頑張っているところで、そういう主人公になんとなく元気づけられました。「ライ麦…」よりハッピーです。

＊Their similarities and differences＊

Having opened this book to write these sentences, I read it from cover to cover again. What a magical power this book has!

Some people say this novel is a next generation "THE CATCHER IN THE RYE". They have a few things in common. Their protagonists are sensitive boys at the age of puberty. They are written in the forms that the boys are speaking to someone they know but doesn't know well. Their protagonists have been suffered from mental disorder temporarily. Also, these two stories are different on some aspects. " THE CATHER..." has few characters except for the main character, but this story has many other characters as families and friends around the boy. Besides, this book is written as one-way letters from the main character...yes, just like "DADDY-LONG-LEGS"!

Therefore, people who like both "THE CATCHER..." and "DADDY-..." would likely to love this book. In fact, it's me! Sorry to have talked enthusiastically...

So, if you satisfy these requirements, try this story. Sentences are easy, though have a lot of slungs. The protagonist's school English teacher lends him some books to read, which seem interesting, then this book can be read as a kind of book guide. "THE CACHER..." is also included in the book list.

This book has already been made into a movie. The writer himself is a director and script writer, and you won't find a big gap between them if you read the book after watching the movie.

In this book, the word "wall flower" means not that wall flowers in ball rooms but like someone who is observing people from outside of a circle of friends, not in a bad way. Bookish people seem to have such tendency, don't we? We sometimes look upon ourselves somehow from the other people's point of view not us. But the boy in this book keeps on trying to participate, that encourages me with no reason.

This is happier than "THE CATCHER IN THE RYE".