All She Was Worth
by Miyuki Miyabe

List Price: $13.95
Our Price: $7.49
You Save: $6.46 (46%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.51 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Book Reviews of All She Was Worth

Book Review: "I just wanted to be happy ..."
Summary: 5 Stars

I was definitely not disappointed. At its core, Miyabe's tale has a very real lesson about the dangers of credit card debt. But what makes the story a real gem is the way that Miyabe tells the story of Shinjo Kyoko and the way she manipulates the way that Honma (and thus the reader) looks at her: as a mysterious petty criminal, a heinous murderer, a dreamer, a star-crossed victim; shallow, desperate, superstitious, heartless, ugly, and beautiful. The ending (it would be hard to call it a "resolution") was fitting: there is no end to this tale yet, as Kyoko is still fleeing, even after being found. Still, it's frustrating not to know what they all talked about in the restaurant at the end. Miyabe leaves it up to the imagination: What would Tamotsu say to the person who killed his childhood friend? What does Kimura Kozue say to the woman that came to kill her in cold-blood? As Honma says, perhaps the best thing would be to just listen to the story that Kyoko has lived but has yet to tell to another. But that's easy for him to say: unlike the others who had the misfortune to run across Kyoko, Honma did not have to pay in blood or heartbreak.

I did not read the English translation, but I hope the translator was able to capture the subtlety and fluidity of Miyabe's prose. I'd be interested to know how the accents and dialects were translated into English.

This book was a beauty ... I hope more of her work is translated soon so a wider audience can enjoy her books! A must-read.

Literature & Fiction Books

• Books > Subjects
• Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery