The Dallergut Dream Department Store: A Novel

Could not finish it. I found the characters flat. There was no real conflict that I could find. Interesting premise and good world-building but what was the story? I read at least half of it and still have no idea what the main character wanted other than a job. It read like a story my former creative writing students would write. There was a lot of telling in addition to showing, which to me insults the reader. Don't need to explain so much. Perhaps an issue with the translation but really lacked a clear conflict.

Maybe it’s the translation, but this didn’t do it for me as a book. I agree with the other two reviewers: a movie-version sounds lovely.

Nice easy read and made me feel good while reading. I can see this as an animated movie

If you want the calm, magical beauty of a studio Ghibli film in a book then read this. It's a delightful escape from reality.