I really wanted to love this one as I have such a huge interest in Japan and this one just sounded so perfect.

However I don't know if it's my current frame of mind but I just really struggled to get into this one and found it quite slow.

I may pick this one up again in the future but for now it's a dnf for me. I'm gutted.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a lovely story, beautifully written.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

This book was exactly what I needed in my life right now. It is such a beautifully written and told story. It is a story within a story that invites you in to the lives of the characters and you get to know them for a year of their lives. It also gives you a glimpse into modern life in Japan and the contrasts between city and rural communities. This book really has so much to offer and will stay with me for sometime.

Beautifully told story ... Highly recommended.

Absolutely love the concept of finding a random book on a Subway and have it lead me on a journey full of mystery and self discovery.

Flo is a translator, her life is a mess and the only things that are keeping her going are her cat, Lily, and the book she found on a train which she is translating. However, there is a problem, she can’t find the author of the book and therefore can’t get the english version published, much to the irritation of her boss.
Four Seasons in Japan snuck up on me. I wasn’t really sure about it for the first few chapters, but once the book within the book started it completely drew me in. The story of Kyo, who is sent to stay with his grandmother in a small town while he retakes his medical school entry exams, is just gorgeous. Kyo really wants to be an artist and he begins to find his place in the world as he gets to know the little town, its inhabitants and its cats. His grandmother is an abrasive character and it takes a while for him to understand the difficult life she has led. To be honest, I don’t know if the wrap around story about Flo is really necessary - maybe it’s there to give the book a more contemporary and anglicised edge? I found the story of Flo and Ayako, his grandmother more than enough as a stand alone piece.

oh dear - although there were times when i felt I could be invested int his book in the end it felt utterly pointless.

A translator( and i use this word int he widest sense) comes across a work that she wants to translate. She starts to do this and the realises she should get permissions and sets off to do thiis As far as the book goes she seems to fil in this endeavour but continues to translate this almost meaningless biographical book. utterly pointless

3.5/5
Flo, a translator living in Japan is in a rut. She has just broken up with her girlfriend, work isn’t going well and she can’t see much hope. All of this changes when she finds a mysterious book called ‘Sound of Water‘ on the Tokyo subway and immediately feels connected to the story, she is determined to find the author of the book and complete its English translation.

Four seasons in Japan is a book within a book, and the majority of the story is that of the mysterious book ‘Sound of Water’ which follows Kyo, who has just failed his exams to study medicine as he goes to live with his strict grandmother in a rural Japanese town in an attempt to find his way in life.

This is a beautifully written book, there are a lot of Japanese words and phrases which added to the culture and authenticity of the story. Kyo’s grandmother, Ayako has had a very difficult past and Kyo is currently battling his own struggles, as is Flo but each character in the book has their own journey of self development.

The idea of a story within a story gave this book its uniqueness. However it was quite a slow read and I’d say was more character and narrative driven than plot driven.

I was intrigued by Nick Bradley holding a PhD focussing on the figure of the cat in Japanese literature and I loved Coltrane and Lily (the cats in the story) being signifiers of comfort, inspiration and support to the characters. Real places such as ‘Cat Alley’ in Onomichi are also woven into the story and add to the magic of Kyo and Ayako’s surroundings.

A comforting and escapist read with a gentle, heartfelt message.

“the Japanese word for ‘cat' is 'neko', which is thought to be derived from the words 'sleeping child'.”

“Bijin hakumei - beautiful thing, short life”

Flo is an American living in Tokyo, she’s just broken up up with her girlfriend, she’s stuck in a bit of a rut and she's not sure if she should move back to Oregon. One day, she finds a book on the train, it’s written in Japanese and Flo desperately wants to find the author Hibiki.

Kyo failed his university entrance exams, and he goes to live with his strict grandmother Ayako in her humble house in Onomichi and she runs a small coffee shop. Kyo's mother is a doctor, so doing well at cram school is extremely important and so he can resist the exams to get into medical school. Kyo likes to draw, he’s a manga artist and a very talented one.

Kyo is to spend a whole year with his grandmother, four seasons and he’s not impressed. At first he resents living with Ayako, she’s clever and makes a lazy Kyo accompany her on her daily walks, gets him away from his phone they start to talk and he meets other residents of Onomichi.

I received a copy of Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley from NetGalley and Random House UK in exchange for an honest review. Mr. Bradley’s novel is wonderful, it’s a story within a story, and it’s about family, one that's experienced a lot of tragedy, becoming part of a community, and self-discovery and you’re taken on a journey. Kyo learns a valuable lesson, his life is his own and he needs to do what he wants and it might mean disappointing his busy mother.

At first I wasn’t sure if I would like the narrative, it’s very different to what I would normally read and often I struggle to make sense of this type of "quirky" book. I enjoyed reading about Japan, it’s culture, traditions, life in a small village, how Ayako wore a kimono, I was really engrossed in the tale and wanted to know what was going to happen next between Kyo, Ayako, in the cat alley and with Coltrane aka Mick Jagger. Four stars from me, I struggled to connect with Flo’s character, maybe this was deliberate to tie everything together and a brilliant debut.

In this magnificent book, we meet Flo, an American translator in Tokyo, looking for her next book translation project. With her personal life not going so well, she knows she needs something great to translate, but no books are hitting the mark until she finds a little-known book left on a subway train.

What we then have is the “book within a book”, where we follow that story of Ayako, a café owner, and her grandson Kyo, who goes to live with Ayako to study after failing to make the grades required to study medicine at university. This part of the book was my favourite, and I loved both main characters here. Both are so loving, but afraid to show or express who they truly are to those around them. The supporting cast of characters is also wonderful and endearing and I loved seeing their interactions. And the cats… I adored the cats…

The part of the novel with Flo was less engaging for me, but I still enjoyed it very much. I would certainly like to read more by this author.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

Bradley takes his readers to Japan and introduces them to the country's history, customs, culture, cuisine, and traditions. It was a wonderful experience visualising the changing seasons.  

His writing is highly visceral, and it is impossible to not feel the emotions of the characters. I loved knowing Flo, Kyo, and Ayako from such close quarters. 

In the book, the author covers several themes, including mental health, parental control, generational differences, societal pressure on children, and suicide.. The friendship and community strength portrayed in Kyo's story is heartwarming. 

I didn’t enjoy Flo’s story as much as I enjoyed Kyo’s. I found it much easier to relate to Kyo rather than Flo, whose constant dissatisfaction was slightly nagging. Flo’s struggles feel forced at times.

In my opinion, the resolution could have been handled better. Ayako’s story ended abruptly, while the ending of Flo's story was not as appealing as the story itself.

Beautifully written, this gentle read takes the reader through the story of Flo, entwined with the stories of Ayako and Kyo, a grandmother and her grandson in rural Japan. It’s a story of family, of loss and of following your dreams. There’s lots of interesting details about Japanese life and tradition which I really enjoyed learning too.

I love The Cat and The City, an original and intriguing book. I had high expectations for this one and I wasn't disappointed.
Another story with a brilliant plot, very original and well done, and an excellent storytelling that kept me hooked.
This is a fascinating book and I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is a gentle story - or rather two stories - which I loved partly because of my interest in Japan and visit to Hiroshima, prefecture and Miyajima, both of which are brought to life in the book.
Of the two narrative strands, I prefer to the story of Ayako and Kyo- I found it harder to relate to Flo and her struggle, and became slightly irritated by her interruptions to what I felt were the main characters.

This book is interesting as I’ve been to Japan and there were many moments that took me right back there. However I did find it quite hard to get into and a bit slow.

I Immersed myself in this book in a book story that goes through Japanese beautiful seasons.

Flo is a translator living in Japan, but she feels lost in her life, dispassionate towards her work, moreover, her girlfriend is moving to America. Then she found a book about Kyo who failed an entrance exam for uni and started living with his long lost grandma, Ayako in a countryside town called Onomichi. 

I really enjoyed these two storylines. Flo and Kyo both feel lost in their life, Flo doesn't know what she wants to do and Kyo feels he is a failure. It was gripping to read, Flo slowly gets her passion to translate and Kyo finding about his lost father and seeing an opportunity of his talent. 

Ayako is a stubborn woman who cares about Kyo but doesn't show it. I wasn't fond of her but I liked how she changes and opens up to Kyo. 

The story goes through Japanese seasons. The description is very beautiful and the illustrations for each season are mesmerising. 

Also there are, of course, cats involved🐱I love the mysterious cat, Coltrane💕

Highly recommend it to Japanese literature fans and also those who want to visit Japan.

The description of Japanese life was fascinating. The differences of the generational customs, food and behaviour intriguing. However, the landscape really was so beautifully scripted.
Moving from the modern buzz of Tokyo to the rural small town of Onomichi showed how far from city life people lived happily and fulfilled while they went about their everyday lives. Two complete contrasts.
It was also very much a story of heartbreak, deep love, loss and grief whilst overcoming the obstacles in their own very different ways.
Beautiful.

Flo is American and working as a translator in Japan.

This book was a lovely read with a great look in to Japanese culture which I enjoyed and was a nice change.

The book is well written with a lovely story a bit of a slow burner but really enjoyable

Four Seasons in Japan starts by introducing us to Flo  an American translater living in Japan, who is having a hard time following the breakup with her Japanese girlfriend and is at a crossroads in her career. When she finds a paperback by an unknown independent author on the underground she is intrigued and becomes immersed in the story. Hoping to make it her next translation project she goes in search of the author, Hibiki, in a rural Japanese town.

This is a fascinating glimpse into Japanese  culture,  past and present, and the description is almost poetic at times. I was a little unsure about the book within a  book concept - to be honest I would have enjoyed the story of Kyo and Ayako by itself. A beautiful read.

A true gem of a book. I've seen it described as a love affair with Japan and I put it down wondering exactly when I might take a trip and follow the footsteps of the characters.
When Flo, an American living in Tokyo who earns her living by doing translations, finds a novel on a train that is worthy of translating to English a journey begins to track down the author. There is an element of a novel within a novel as the story of Kyo, having failed his university entrance exams, goes to live with his grandmother Ayako in an effort to get into medicine school. However his passion is manga drawing, for which he has an extraordinary talent. There are so many underlying themes here, family tragedy, finding your passion, the power of the community, all woven together naturally.
If I have a fault then for me it was Flo herself. I just didn't want to know about all her problems and issues and found myself impatient to get back to Kyo and his grandmother. For that reason I will have no knock of half a star. This is a 4 and a half for me really.
I'm searching out the author's other books and would love to hear more from Kyo. A wholesome recommendation.

Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk and the publishers for this ARC.

I was kindly sent a physical copy of this alongside the Netgalley arc!

I honestly loved this, it was so different to anything I normally read but have non stop recommended this to everyone!