I loved this, it was such a perfect book to cosy up with and read on a chilly evening! I've always wanted to go to Japan and this has made me want to go even more. Plus, cats! Whats not to love

There are some great touches in here and though it took me a while to get round to reading this I am glad I did it was a brilliant read and I will be looking out for future books.

Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley is a beautifully crafted novel that intertwines themes of creativity, loss, and self-discovery. The story follows Flo, an American translator living in Tokyo, who feels lost and uninspired. Her life takes a turn when she stumbles upon a mysterious book on the subway, leading her to the small town of Onomichi. There, she becomes engrossed in translating the book and finds unexpected connections with its characters and themes.

Bradley’s writing vividly captures the essence of Japan through its changing seasons, and the novel-within-a-novel structure is both clever and engaging. The characters, particularly Flo, Ayako, and Kyo, are well-developed and relatable, each dealing with their own struggles and growth. The book’s gentle, contemplative pace complements its themes of finding purpose and belonging, making it a heartwarming read .

If you enjoy stories that delve into the beauty of everyday moments and the transformative power of literature, Four Seasons in Japan is a must-read. Its blend of cultural insights and personal journeys makes it a poignant and uplifting novel.

I love books that are about books so this was a hit for me. Flo is a translator who translates books from Japanese in to English and becomes transfixed by an old book. Translating the book changes her life. I loved the details about Japan and found the writing beautiful. Highly recommend this book.
Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a beautiful book, with a powerful message. This was not at all my usual genre and I put off reading it for far longer than I cared to admit. But it was just wonderful. Thank you, netgalley, for letting me read and reivw this title.

Slow to get going. Dual pov chapters. I was really looking forward to this book but it fell short to where I wanted to skip out certain chapters due to a character I couldn’t warm to.x
Good description of world building though, I just think I had too high hopes for this book

An insight into Japan.
This was so beautifully written. The characters are very serious and earnest.
Story starts with Flo a Translator who does not have much faith in herself. She has good friends but when her relationship ends she does not confide in them. She starts translating a book which she finds and is fascinated by "The sound of water".
The sound of water is about a boy Kyo who lives with his widowed Mother in Tokyo, he is sent to ,live with his Grandmother is the small town of Onomichi, he does not want to leave his home or friends, he takes his time reaching the town and falls out with his strict, traditional Grandmother. His Grandmother is Ayako, she runs a small, popular café in her abrupt way. Kyo is attending a cramming school as he is studying to be a Doctor, he draws Magna and depicts people he meets in his cartoons. Kyo and Ayako eventually learn to tolerate each other and go on walks up the local mountain, Ayako eventually opens up to Kyo about the suicide of his Father and her love of mountain climbing. They take trips together to see Hiroshima and the Torii gate, both leading to more openness between them. Kyo makes a friend in Ayumi who works at another café, she encourages him in his art work.
Meanwhile Flo is looking for Hibiki the author of "The sound of water" as she needs his permission to publish her translation.
Deeply and intricately layered, a real joy to read.
Thank you NetGalley and Nick for this ARC.

was so excited to get this book as it sounded right up my street!
It took me quite some time to get into, as there are several characters and I did get them confused a few times.
I didn't find the plot as engaging as I had hoped.

Oh man, I wanted to love this so badly but I just could not get into it.
Normally, I love books with dual POVs but, in this case, I struggled with Flo's chapters. I didn't like her character or story which meant that I immediately lost interest every time the POV switched to her. The pacing was very up and down with some parts of the book being super dull. I did like how the story was separated into four parts which represented the seasons, as I loved how the descriptions of the weather and scenery changed with each season. A very clever way of formatting!
Generally speaking, I love books that are set in Japan but this could have been so much better. Maybe I'm in the minority here but it just didn't work for me.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Although Four Seasons in Japan was an interesting read, I did not enjoy it as much as I expected to, compared to The Cat and the City by the same author. This is partly to do with the structure of the narrative where Flo Dunthorpe, a young American translator living in Japan, discovers a manuscript on a train and is so impressed she wishes to translate it. Unfortunately, she cannot find any trace of the author or publisher so her efforts might be in vain. The book is called Sound of Water and tells the story of Ayako who runs a café in Onomichi in Hiroshima Province, and her grandson Kyo who comes to live with her while he works to resit his university entrance exams to study medicine. The book is split into four sections, one covering each of the four seasons. I much preferred these sections as Ayako and Kyo got to know each other, to the strand featuring Flo and her daily life.
The story was very slow to get going, and the dual focus made it more difficult to understand what was going on. I took several attempts to get into Four Seasons in Japan and almost gave up completely. Once I became invested in the ‘book within the book’, I read the rest in a single sitting. Once again, the reader is given a fascinating glimpse into Japanese life and customs, and there are cats – I particularly liked the feral cat that was called Coltrane or Mick as he was a real character. Despite the slow start, I was engrossed in Ayako and Kyo’s story, and look forward to Nick Bradley’s next slice of life in Japan. Thanks to Transworld digital and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

I am afraid that I found this book rather slow and I struggled to get into it. I am afraid that as I did not really enjoy it I find it difficult to recommend to others.

Beautifully written. I loved how the stories intertwined with one another. Engaging characters and vividly depicted scenery.

A wonderful insight into life in a far away land. Flo, Ayako are quite lovely characters. The writing is fluid and keeps the reader interested. A wonderful read.

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”