The Full Moon Coffee Shop: A Novel
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Translated from the Japanese bestseller, a charming and magical novel that reminds us it’s never too late to follow our stars.
“Mochizuki dazzles in her beautifully crafted contemporary fantasy debut. . . . This gentle fantasy is not to be missed.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review (Best Books of the Year)
In Japan, cats are a symbol of good luck. As the myth goes, if you are kind to them, they’ll one day return the favor. And if you are kind to the right cat, you might just find yourself invited to a mysterious coffee shop under a glittering Kyoto moon.
This particular coffee shop is like no other. It has no fixed location, no fixed hours, and it seemingly appears at random.
It’s also run by talking cats.
While customers at the Full Moon Coffee Shop partake in cakes and coffees and teas, the cats also consult their star charts, offering cryptic wisdom, and letting them know where their lives veered off course.
Every person who visits the shop has been feeling more than a little lost. For a down-on-her-luck screenwriter, a romantically stuck movie director, a hopeful hairstylist, and a technologically challenged website designer, the coffee shop’s feline guides will set them back on their fated paths. For there is a very special reason the shop appeared to each of them . . .
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Community Reviews
I received this DRC from NetGalley.
This is a cozy short story; the resolutions were sweet, and I liked the connections between the stories. Maybe it's because this is a translation, but some of the dialogue felt too simple and stilted. The exposition also was too simple in some places, and also could overexplain certain things. Since this was a short story, it didn't affect my reading as much as it would have otherwise, though.
This is a cozy short story; the resolutions were sweet, and I liked the connections between the stories. Maybe it's because this is a translation, but some of the dialogue felt too simple and stilted. The exposition also was too simple in some places, and also could overexplain certain things. Since this was a short story, it didn't affect my reading as much as it would have otherwise, though.
3.5
I've never read a Japanese Fiction novel before and I really don't read a lot of magical realism novels either. So this was a couple of new things for me. I saw cats and coffee and said yup I'm going to read this. It was a pretty fun and cozy read. It follows four different characters, each one seeking something different in life. They are lost in despair or facing a hardship and the full moon coffee shop pops up. The coffee shop is run by talking cats who use astrology and a treat to guide the characters through their problems in life and help reach a revelation.
I've never read a Japanese Fiction novel before and I really don't read a lot of magical realism novels either. So this was a couple of new things for me. I saw cats and coffee and said yup I'm going to read this. It was a pretty fun and cozy read. It follows four different characters, each one seeking something different in life. They are lost in despair or facing a hardship and the full moon coffee shop pops up. The coffee shop is run by talking cats who use astrology and a treat to guide the characters through their problems in life and help reach a revelation.
In Japanese culture there is a belief that if you are kind to cats their spirit will protect and help you. The Full Moon Cafe is staffed with talking cats who offer you treats to warm your soul and read your stars to help you find your way in life. Short, quirky, light, good for lifting rain-sodden spirits.
I feel like I just got taught astrology by a Studio Ghibli movie in book format. Seriously though, this is a really cute book about good deeds and how it's never too late to change your fate, ask for help, or tell someone how you feel about them. Especially if you're getting advice and treats from the magical staff of the Full Moon Coffee Shop!