Tales from the Café (Before the Coffee Gets Cold) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi is set in a quaint café in Tokyo where guests can travel through time, but must follow strict rules. The book continues the enchanting premise of its predecessor, inviting readers to revisit beloved characters and meet new ones who seek to resolve past regrets or gain clarity about their futures. Despite the limitations of not altering past events, the journeys become opportunities for reflection and meaningful discoveries.
The writing style is engaging and heartfelt, emphasizing emotional depth and human connections. Each story unfolds like a poignant reminder of compassion in a sometimes harsh world. The characters face their personal dilemmas, and their choices resonate universally. Kawaguchi’s skillful storytelling keeps readers hooked, making the book a captivating exploration of life and its intricate relationships.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Themes of grief and loss may be triggering for some readers.
From The Publisher:
From the author of the international bestseller Before the Coffee Gets Cold , this book follows four new customers who hope to travel back in time in a little Japanese café.
In a back alley in Tokyo, there is a café that has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. Local legend says that this shop offers something else besides coffee-the chance to travel back in time.
With faces both familiar and new, Tales from the Cafe follows the story of four patrons who visit to take advantage of café Funiculi Funicula's time-traveling offer and revisit moments with family, friends and lovers. Each one must face up to the past to move on with their lives.
Kawaguchi's wistful and heartwarming new novel once again invites the reader to ask themselves, "What would you do if you could travel back in time?"
Meet more wonderful characters in the rest of the captivating Before the Coffee Gets Cold series:
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Before Your Memory Fades
Before We Say Goodbye
Before We Forget Kindness
Ratings (8)
Incredible (1) | |
Loved It (3) | |
Liked It (1) | |
It Was OK (2) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (12):
Read It (9) | |
Want To Read (3) |
4 comment(s)
-“I have lived my life unable to tell the truth for risk of losing my own happiness.”
-“In order to become top class you need to be in touch with top class.”
Review: This book made me realize that this series isn’t about returning to the past before the coffee gets cold. It’s about a certain character and their journey. This one was about Kazu. The last one was about Nagare. What will be the next one? These books are about happiness and sadness. This one particular book was so sad. I loved it.
2.5/5⭐️
These stories were hard to follow along. There were so many characters crammed into such few pages it was difficult to understand and keep track of who was who.
It was cool to see how characters from the first book reappeared and connected to this one though. And Kazu’s sorry is just beginning i’m excited for that!
4.5 Stars
The writing is just as beautiful as I remember. The peace it brings, the warmth and closure almost feels like I'm the one growing as a person. Truly beautiful book. Same goes for the first book (I was conflicted when I read the first one but now I've made up my mind - these books are amazing). Even in a slump I can read this book. The book may be considered a "short book" but it never feels incomplete or rushed. It's a full story and everything's always connected. This book embodies the word "Peace".
It's not an overly exciting book with a lot going out. Quite literally just people having coffee getting the last goodbye. However the character study in this and the very complex and fleshed out characters made this a very intriguing and fascinating book to listen to. Was a perfect book to listen to when I my brain had an hissy fit
What can you read after
Tales from the Café?
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