I know nothing about Japan so this was a lovely book to read and some insight into japanese culture. The book relates a story within a story but it is well divided so you are clear about what is happening. It is well written with good characterisation and I felt engaged with the characters. Highly recommend this lovely book

A slow gentle read which I read but did not hold my attention.
The story of Kyo and Ayoka was interesting and it was this part of the book which kept me reading.
Not for me , but still an unusual book which should appeal to other readers.

A lovely gently novel that makes you think about life. It tells the story of a girl working in Japan as a translator reaching a crossroads in her life. She finds a book, also about an artist at a crossroads. So we get two books really, a book in a book. On both stories we follow the journey of each character and how they consider their next steps in life. There is not a huge amount going on, and at times I would’ve liked a bit more story, but that is the beauty of the novel, the simplicity of life and power each of us have to control it. I would’ve enjoyed a bit more detail on Kyo’s story at the end, and how he found his pathway. I really enjoyed the look at Japanese life and places, and it brought back plenty of memories of a holiday in Japan for me, so this did add a lot to my enjoyment of the novel. I do think you need to be in the right frame of mind to read the book, else you might get annoyed at the slow pace, and lack of things happening. But I’m glad it hit me at a nice time, and I could enjoy it to it’s fullest. With thanks to Transworld, Penguin Random House for the advance copy via @netgalley. @penguinukbooks

I really enjoyed how the fictional world of Ayako/Onomichi was weaved into Flos real life, and this was written beautifully by the author. A story within a story which is a win win for me. I felt transported to Japan and loved how the story moved through the seasons. I found the characters compelling, the setting immersive and vibrant, and the story was so interesting. It felt a peaceful read despite the themes of loss and pain. I found it heartwarming and a reminder of the importance of connection, and following your dreams. And there were lots of lovely cats 🐈‍⬛ 😂

I’ve always enjoyed books by Japanese authors The fact that Nick Bradley is clearly not Japanese is no barrier to his fantastically evocative new novel. Slow paced and gentle this is a lovely story within a story. Flo translates a tale about a young man and his grandmother who learn from each other and in turn Flo learns about herself.

I’m a sucker for a Japanese themed book (I’m a sucker for Japan to be honest). They’re always so loving and gentle, like a big pillow! This one is no exception (though not a Japanese writer, he clearly “feels it”.

A beautiful story, two stories really cleverly intertwined, really beautifully written. We have Flo - a translator who has lost herself a little, and Ayako who runs a cafe and who unexpectedly has to look after her grandson who is used to the fast pace of Tokyo.

An absolute joy to read, and it was wonderful to touch base again with some of the places I have been, reliving it again.

My thanks to Netgalley and Transworld, Penguin Random House for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Flo has found a book on a train and has started to translate it. The storyline moves between her life and the book she's found.

The story she translates is so beautifully written and shows the true essence of a grandmother and grandsons relationship. Of different generations but still able to live together despite their differences and reluctance to share much.

One of the many journeys they went together, either physically or verbally, was to the Peace Gardens at Hiroshima. This was the site of the atomic bomb. A constant reminder of what one human can do to another. Very moving.

I found this such an enchanting and captivating read that showed life in Japan. It's a slow, sweeping read, but it kept my interest throughout, and I enjoyed it very much

Beautiful, gentle, soul searching, soothing, kind, educational and one of the most fabulous stories I have read in a long time! Nick Bradley lives the essence of Japan, it’s culture, it’s integrity, it’s simplicity and it’s soul! Flo is an American literary translator living in Tokyo but is having trouble with her latest book and also her love life! She is looking for answers and then unexpectedly comes across a book left on the passenger seat of a train. The book is Sound of Water by Hibiki and so begins her story and that of Ayako and Kyo, grandmother and grandson.
Ayako has a coffee shop in Onamichi and Kyo, having failed his university entrance exam, comes to live with her to go to Cram School there. Their relationship is never easy but their respect for each other grows as does Kyo’s talent as a manga cartoonist! It is a magical tale told so beautifully and so gently, I absolutely loved it. It will be bought immediately and read again and again! I envy all first time readers!

Finding and building a future in Japan outside the mega city.

(This review is based on a free review copy from the publisher via Net Galley UK)

Kyo’s life ends at nineteen, when he fails his university entrance exams and his deported from Tokyo by his Doctor Mother to live with his formidable and somewhat austere grandmother in a small coastal town near Hiroshima, which contains absolutely none of the things he sees as essential to normal life. His mission is to study at a cramming school for a year and get his predetermined medical career back on track.

On arrival, he is shocked to find that people speak to him in passing on the street! Gradually, he comes to realise that they actually care about each other and even about him, the new stranger in their midst. And the community is more impressed by his artistic talents than his medical ambitions.

Interwoven with this is the story of a young American woman, living and working in Tokyo as a translator, who tries to rebuild her own life around translating a book she has found on a train, telling Kyo’s story. She must track down the author and get his permission to publish, whilst fighting her own crisis of confidence in her own talents.

By struggling with the impossible choice between pursuing his medical ambitions or his artistic talents, Kyo finds that the real choice is between Tokyo, where he must choose one career or the other, or the community which will support him whichever he chooses, or even if he makes no choice at all.

This novel, bordering on fable, quietly addresses a very important but seldom discussed issue in the modern world, which is that the whole basis for the “mega city” planning concept behind Tokyo and Shanghai, and turning the whole of England into an extension of London, is to create a situation where every employer can easily find someone with the skills they need who has no option other than to render those skills for no reward beyond the barest necessities of life. Supposedly, there is a critical population mass of 100 million, at which point all but the 0.001% magically become compliant wage slaves, forever. The author shows us, without beating us over the head with the idea, that more traditional caring values offer an alternative to dystopia.

This is an absolutely delightful book!

The main story is on Kyo and his grandmother. This is a wonderful, story with such depth of character. I love the development of the relationship between the two and the funny and sad elements along the way.

Around this story is something of the story of the translator, this story is not so well rounded but has a nice balance to the main event.

I was intrigued by this book which is like an onion being built up in layers, first with the author’s story and then with the translator’s. I have not come across another book like it.

A wonderful, beautiful story of growing up, finding your path, of love, loss and family. It will stay with me for a long time.

This book within a book is just lovely. A slow paced book about Flo, a translator of Japanese to English, and a book she starts to translate. Flo has a few issues in her own life and gets completely embroiled in the story of Ayako and Tyo. The two different stories run seamlessly alongside each other and the writing is almost like poetry. It is a wonderful book which tells us of a few Japanese traditions and I love reading a book which teaches me something. A fabulous read.

This is such a considered and gentle story about finding yourself when you feel lost. As a book-within-a-book, it follows the story of Flo, an American translator living in Japan, who is feeling a bit directionless after fulfilling her professional aim and a break up. She finds a book on the train - the story of Kyo and Ayako - and begins to translate it.

I absolutely loved the story of Kyo and Ayako, and while I was more invested in these chapters, they were interwoven and reflected seamlessly by the Flo storyline. In many ways, this is a love-letter to Japan - and I really enjoyed reading it. A good book for the summer - it deals with themes of loss and familial frustration in a thoughtful and sensitive way.

CW: Death of parent, suicidal ideation, complicated familial relationships

The book is melancholic, evocative, and compelling. There are heart to heart conversation between friends. Where failure, resentment and devastation engulfed Flo, Kyoko and Makoto were always there for her. Flo’s odyssey has encapsulated the life of a translator. When something she was passionate about turns into her biggest grief not only she detach herself from the world but also from the person she loves the most. And revelation of her relationship and some truth she kept with herself shook me.

While Kyo’s story encapsulated emotions, family expectations and a lot more. Kyo and Ayako got connected due to long buried family tragedy as they both have been through loss, likemindedness and the invisible emotional chord that held them. There was also truth of Kyo’s grandfather that his grandmother holds close to her heart. But fear and uncertainty of life has gripped her. The characters were so emotional and closed Af.

There were some traditions, deep conversations about relationships, literature, role of a translator, emotions, responsibilities towards family, making a choice, and differentiating between fiction and non-fiction. I liked the comparison between life and literature as well. Author has shared about so many places and traditions in book.

Reading the book felt like an emotional chaos and tangled between heart and mind, life and literature and inevitable expectations filling life with devastation and innumerable feelings. The author keenly observes those around them as it has reflected in their writing and characters.

Thank you Netgalley, Publisher, & Author

Flo sees herself ‘as a bridge between cultures. She becomes entranced by a book she reads and wants to find the author for permission to translate it into English. We are privy to this story within a story, and the characters feel just as real. The sparse poetry of the language shines through, in this clever thoughtful book. It reminds me of Kasuo Ishiguro in some respects. The ordinary mixes with the unlikely as fact and fiction are blurred lines, and the everyday can be seen on a much deeper level. It is relevant that this all takes place in the region of Hiroshima, with the devastating consequences of the atom bomb attack there in the 1940s, marking the clashing of a more traditional life with the new more western ways. The references to the seasons and the natural world have a distinctly Japanese feel, and I loved all the illustrations and explanations of meaning in the symbols and sayings, many very similar to the English.
This is definitely a book to read again. I will certainly be buying it as a gift. I loved it.

I very much enjoyed this book, it was the first I had read by Nick Bradley. I know very little about Japanese culture and thought it would be a different type of story for me. Flo, is an American living in Japan, translating Japanese to English. She was researching the lives of Kyo and Ayoka. They were well written. I particularly liked Kyo and felt sorry for him as he was sent to stay with his grandmother in a remote village. His mother remained in Tokyo. I found myself wanting to know more all the time and I liked the way the story tied in with the seasons . The ending almost finished to soon as I wanted to know which path Kyo took. I was in fact surprised by the epilogue as I was not expecting that outcome. I highly recommend this book to all.

Four Seasons in Japan is a gentle novel with a satisfying book-within-a-book vibe – a two for one of sorts.

Read it if: you like coming of age stories.

Don’t read it if: you hate cats.

This is the first Nick Bradley book I’ve read, although his debut, The Cat and the City was a BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick so I may have to try that next. It tells the story of Flo, a literary translator of Japanese novels who’s at a crossroads in her career and personal relationship. When she finds a novel on the train, she decides to translate it to try and overcome some of her creative blocks. As she translates, she “shows” the reader lengthy sections, inviting them to experience a wonderful coming of age story where a nineteen year old boy spends a year with his grandmother. The story resonates with Flo so much, she becomes hellbent on finding the author.

Some have said that there’s not enough of Flo in this novel and that the book-within-the-book takes over, but I disagree, I found it quite lovely to be passed back and forth between stories. As someone who hasn’t read much translated fiction, I also loved the insight into that process and the delicate balance of remaining true to the original whilst wanting to make it your own.

Thanks for Transworld and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the descriptions in this book were just lovely, and the writer showed a true appreciation for a nation and its people. The pacing was a little slow for me, but I think that's just based upon my own preference in books and not to do with the author especially.

Flo is struggling with a break up. She is a translator from America, living in Japan, translating from Japanese to English.
She finds a book ‘The sound of water’ and decides to translate it.
Four seasons in Japan is a book set in a book, we read about Flo’s challenges but also about Kyo who’s been sent from Tokyo to cram school because he didn’t get the grades to go to medical school, he’s staying with his grandmother, Ayako, in Onomichi.
The characters are well formed and I reached a point when I liked them all, both those in the story and those in the book in the book!
Very clever, I really enjoyed it. It brought Japan to life to me and has made me want to visit.

This is a bit different. A book within a fictional book. It develops slowly and it's peppered with characters who are frustrating in the extreme, Flo and Ayako, especially Ayako- she's an absolute monster. I've learnt a lot and I was invested in Kyo's welfare but I wouldn't say I was blown away by the whole thing.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for review!

Slight bias: I've spent a few years in Japan and miss it. I studied abroad in Tokyo and took a holiday to Onomichi and cycled over the famous cycle route there. It was a beautiful city and added to the story for me as I could picture it. This book feeds the part of me that enjoys the nostalgic feeling that Japanese fiction gives me.

At first, I expected to relate most to Flo, especially as the foreigner in the book. The opening scene of her feeling lost and dreamless in Tokyo is a familiar feeling. Despite this, I found myself more captured by Ayako and Kyo's story more. Ayako is a harsh Grandmother but honestly loves her grandson, and I enjoyed reading about her attempts to connect to him when his culture is different to her own. I loved her practical way of thinking and how she pulled him into her routine. Watching the different activities as the seasons passed worked wonderfully. I'm going to enjoy recommending this to my customers,