Convenience Store Woman
Paperback Published on: 02/05/2019
Price: £9.99
Bookseller Reviews
View all
Darkyly funny and eccentric!
I just read Convenience Store Woman in one sitting... and it’s amazing.
Sayaka Murata has raised the bar when it comes to Japanese fiction.
A deadpan, come... READ MORE
It's ok to be you!
I read this lovely little book in one three hour train journey and was left absolutely charmed.
For anyone who had ever felt at odds with the world, read ... READ MORE
Irresistibly Eccentric
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.
What a unique reading experience this was! Keiko's perspective is fascinating ... READ MORE
The Japanese Eleanor Oliphant
I absolutely loved this strange little book. The protagonist is a cold, logically thinking convenience worker who has had the same job for 18 years. But sh... READ MORE
Quirky
A deadpan, comedic story about a woman and lives and breathes her part time job in a Japanese convenience store.
Keiko Furukura is different. She always ... READ MORE
What an absolutely wonderful read!
I am so thrilled with this book! It's quirky, funny and in parts quite heart warming. I really fell in love with Keiko and her way of viewing the world, wh... READ MORE
Funny, quirky and heartfelt
This is a beautifully told story of a woman that is trying to find her feet in a society that tells her she is everything but normal.
A funny, quirky and ... READ MORE
Quirky and Heartfelt
Keiko is quite happy with her simple life working in a convenience store. However the people around her feel like she should aim for more. This is the stor... READ MORE
Quirky and Poignant Japanese Goodness
Keiko is delightfully odd – very literal and rational to the point where social niceties completely evade her comprehension. She is, however, very self-awa... READ MORE
A quick, enjoyable alternative summer read!
I've been stuck in a bit of a reading rut for a wee while so decided to take something light with me on holiday to hopefully break the cycle of getting abo... READ MORE
Absolutely stunning!
Convenience Store Woman may be my favourite fiction book of 2018, and it is certainly the first one the comes to mind when I am asked for a recommendation.... READ MORE
A short, strange and memorable treat
Lots of people described this as the Japanese _Eleanor Oliphant _ and i think that's a good way to start thinking of it, but stylistically it's completely... READ MORE
Perfection!
I read this in one sitting, and I absolutely loved it!
Probably the Japanese answer to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, this is a quirky, bittersweet ... READ MORE
Searingly powerful and astoundingly funny in a most deliciously dark way
Keiko is a 36 year old convenience store worker with no prospect of promotion, no love life, and a very unique view of how people interact with one another... READ MORE
a humorous and unsettling read
Written in deadpan prose, this offbeat novel is a humorous and unsettling read. Constantly mystified by human behaviour, Keiko’s job provides her with purp... READ MORE
Dark and peculiar
This book was hilarious... until it wasn't. I have no idea how to rate Convenience Store Woman. It's not an uplifting read. It's dark and peculiar and Keik... READ MORE
Quirky and thought-provoking
This book has brought me out of a reading slump. Everything I was picking up seemed similar and bland but this book is unlike anything I have read before. ... READ MORE
A wonderfully quirky read.
I completely devoured this book in less than an afternoon, frustratingly short but wonderfully sweet and unusual.
The main character is as endearing as she... READ MORE
An unsatisfying read
A strange little book that completely embeds you in the life of its main protagonist, Keiko. Overall I felt that it was slightly lacking in its narrative s... READ MORE
Wow, just wow!
Drawn from her own experiences as a part time convenience store worker, Murata's short tale a of a woman who finds solace and security in her part time job... READ MORE
Charmingly Weird and Confidently Different
This is a slim, quirky book, with a simple premise: a 36 year old woman who works in a convenience store cannot conceive herself beyond her job. But this i... READ MORE
Stellar Short Read!
This book was a pleasure to read! The characters I loved reading and spending time with, as well as the vibes of working in a convenience store were spot o... READ MORE
Superbly Dark and Entertaining, While teaching Important Lessons about Humanity and Normality.
This short novel grabbed my attention from the start. Keiko is at once completely relatable and totally alien. Her story makes you question your own percep... READ MORE
Darkly whimsical and offbeat
Keiko is thirty-six and has been working at the same convenience store for eighteen years. Everyone wants her to change: her parents want her to have a bet... READ MORE
Charming and unique
A slight read (done in a sitting for me) that will linger with you long afterwards. The main character is unique, adorable but not sugary, and the plot (or... READ MORE
A quirky, read-in-one-afternoon book.
Keiko isn’t ‘normal’ and Keiko is just fine about it. It’s everyone around her who insists she wants more from her life than her part time convenience stor... READ MORE
wacky, quirky - really enjoyable read
Really the blurbs and reviews say it all. Wacky. Funny. Quirky. She starts literally declaring her undivided commitment and sense of purpose to the univers... READ MORE
Quirky...
Read this on the recommendation of a couple of work colleagues who have positively raved about this. It contains all the elements of quirky Japanese fictio... READ MORE
**Foyles Fiction Book of the Year 2018**
Offbeat and quirky, this gem of a novel is a treasure to anyone who has ever felt a little odd. Sayaka Murata manages to perfectly balance light humour with a quiet poignancy.
Synopsis
Keiko has never really fitted in. At school and university people find her odd and her family worries she'll never be normal. To appease them, Keiko takes a job at a newly opened convenience store. Here, she finds peace and purpose in the simple, daily tasks and routine interactions.
She is, she comes to understand, happiest as a convenience store worker. But in Keiko's social circle it just won't do for an unmarried woman to spend all her time stacking shelves and re-ordering green tea. As pressure mounts on Keiko to find either a new job, or worse, a husband, she is forced to take desperate action...
A best-seller in Japan, and the winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, Convenience Store Woman marks the English-language debut of a writer who has been hailed as the most exciting voice of her generation.
Cover design may vary. Convenience Store Woman comes in three different colours.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Granta Books
- ISBN: 9781846276842
- Number of pages: 176
- Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 10 mm
- Weight: 130g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allI absolutely loved it
Keiko Furukura does not require much outside of the rhythms and structures of working part-time in a convenience store, but her few social acquaintances sa... READ MORE
A REFRESHING READ
What a refreshing novel!!
I knew I was going to love this book from the first page - the description of all the noises you hear in a store that we take for... READ MORE
What is Life About?
This was a enjoyable novella translated from Japanese.
I really liked Keiko and could empathise with her desire to be in a job where everything ran like cl... READ MORE
A quirky, realistic outlook on life outside your personal bubble.
Keiko has low social skills and an apathetic personality, coupled with her disinterest in romance and sexual relationships with others, she is misunderstoo... READ MORE
What is normal?
For such a slim little book there is A LOT to unpack! Have you ever professed tolerance/acceptance of those with lifestyles that are different from yours o... READ MORE
For anyone who has worked in a store.
This was an excellent little read which I think if you have worked in any kind of retail you will understand how Keiko feels about her life. The convenienc... READ MORE
Japan set- a look at life from the inside out
A quirky read this one.
Not a book for locations but the setting is Japan. What the novel does well in its short 163 pages is to focus itself on the micro... READ MORE
Convenience Store Woman
Irasshaimasé!
Keiko Furukura knows that she isn’t normal and she’s comfortable with that fact. Unfortunately, other people, particularly her family but al... READ MORE
Short, poignant novel set in JAPAN
4.5*
Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2019 – Fiction, with a sense of place
Keiko Furukura has clocked up 18 years working part-... READ MORE
Japanese life in store.
A fascinating insight into Japanese life and culture. Like all good reads it shows rather than tells.
4/5
Really enjoyed reading this, I personally relate to this book due to my current work environment and current relationship status.
Worth the hype!
This book is a really wonderful read. Although it is on the shorter end, it still manages to be incredibly thought-provoking and insightful into societal r... READ MORE
Nothing new, but quite a bit more boring than most
Wouldn’t reccomend. Felt like a 300 pages more than it was. Don’t buy it expecting it to be funny and groundbreaking, it will disappoint you.
Irasshaimase!
This brief but beautiful little book contains such a big heart that I just couldn’t put it down until I finished it.
I absolutely fell in love with Keiko, ... READ MORE
Not sure why this gets such high praise
I read this book because of all the high praise surrounding it. It is a slim book and can probably be read in a day. Maybe I was expecting too much but I l... READ MORE
Fast paced book
I like how she was just focused on her job of 18 years but I genuinely didn’t like the male character he would belittle her insult her. In the end I just l... READ MORE
Unique and Refreshing!
I didn't really know what to expect with this book but I did enjoy this book. Unique characters and refreshing dialogue.
Simplicity made fascinating
Convince Store Woman tells what at first glance may seem like a simple, relatable story of an introverted woman; misunderstood by her family and society, ... READ MORE
Sayaka Murata has done it again.
I have never physically hated a fictional character much like Shihara, but all I think is 'protect Keiko with the world' - she knows her happiness and it's... READ MORE
original and weird
i love the author's style of writing and i've read both her books, i'd start with this one it's beautifully captivating about communism and the world we li... READ MORE
A Beautiful Short Story
Convenience Store Woman is a fantastic book by Sayaka Murata, and an excellent read and introduction to her work! I loved this book and the way she made Sh... READ MORE
Less is more! A funny short story!
I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It’s simple and doesn’t have a whole lot of depth in terms of character complexity or plot but I think that this just rela... READ MORE
Quirky
kind of quirky, rather lovely, a quick read but left me feeling thoughtful
Love!
This was a book I loved! Not only is it a book I would read again but I’d tell everyone I know to read this book. The author Sayaka Murata has done an amaz... READ MORE
A short, beautiful, but heartbreaking story.
Keiko has difficulty fitting in. She doesn’t inherently know which emotions to express, or how to express them - taking her cues off the ‘normal people’ a... READ MORE
Why didn't I love this?
I really liked the concept - socially awkward woman gets a job at a convenience store; the work and routine clicks for her, and helps her “fit in,” but sh... READ MORE
‘’No. It’s not a matter of whether they permit it or not. It’s what I am.’’
‘’It is the start of another day, the time when the world wakes up and the cogs of society begin to move. I am one of those cogs, going round and round. I ... READ MORE
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