Before the Coffee Gets Cold / Tales from the Café / Before Your Memory Fades / Before We Say Goodbye

コーヒーが冷めないうちに #1-4

by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Geoffrey Trousselot (Translator)

From the author of the international bestseller Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series By Toshikazu Kawaguchi 4 Books Collection Before The Coffee Gets Cold, Tales From The Cafe, Before Your Memory Fades & Before We Say Goodbye

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism

1100 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2023

About the author

Toshikazu Kawaguchi (in Japanese: 川口 俊 和) was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song, and Family Time. The novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold is adapted from a 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize.

Reviews

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

TITLE: Before We Say Goodbye (Book 4)
AUTHOR: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
PUB DATE: 11.14.2023 Now Available

In the first book, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we are introduced to a cafe in the back alleys of Tokyo where more than coffee is served but also a chance to travel back in time.

In Book 2, Tales From the Cafe, we get a glimpse of café Funiculi Funicula's time-traveling offer and revisit moments with family, friends and lovers.

Book 3 takes us to northern Japan in Cafe Donna Donna where we meet old and new friends that travel through time to move forward in their grief and loss.

Before We Say Goodbye is the final book in the series and fans of Toshikazu Kawaguchi will have a hard time saying goodbye. All good things must come to an end, and these stories will always stay as we reminisce those who have passed and remember whom we have lost and could not let go. Incredible story telling. I highly recommend.

[Sotiria Lazaridou · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite series ever💓

[Evelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this but not as much as I’d hoped. Lots of names to confuse but a helpful org chart of the characters at the front of the book. I won’t read any follow up books, probably.

[Ira VP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and mystic

[Nicola Forster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book but I did think I was going to like it more. I got a bit confused with names a few times. The book is split into four chapters. I don’t like breaking off in the middle of a chapter but I had to sometimes because it was so long. I’m definitely interested enough to read the sequel. I found the end to be very moving.

[Aisha Kabeer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing books🫶🏻🥹❣️

[Hannah Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a type of book I’d normally read. Was a bit confusing but I did like the premise of it

[Leesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say…

These books are yet to NOT hit the mark. What else is there to say. These books are heart wrenching and exactly what every person needs to read once in their life.

This book followed a son who couldn’t attend his mother’s funeral, a man who raised a daughter that was not his, a detective that returns to give his wife a birthday present and a man who goes to visit his fiancé he could not marry.

All of them, even giving the description provided, shocked and surprised any reader as you never really knew how the story would go or end and had me in tears multiple times.

I am very scared for the next book as I’m anticipating all the stories to be gut wrenching.

[Dylan Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! It gives an intriguing spin on time travel. Its thought provoking and after years of wishing i could turn back the clock and change things in the past, it has left me wondering why i would want to. No big twists or plot, but a fantastic book with a variety of emotional themes running through it

[Fitri Aprilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completed all four books within three weeks. While I didn't anticipate shedding tears, the novels provide a comfortable yet emotionally impactful experience. They are easy to read and offer a heartwarming touch, especially in certain chapters like " the daughters" " married couple" . Love itt!!! 💖💖

[Aya Adel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great storytelling with some very colourful descriptions

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can keep all the names straight. Which I did not manage from page to page- there were many good messages in the book and interestingly presented.

[Mmmmmm Clxnb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book that made me cry. REMINDS ME OF HER. (Granny❤️🙁)

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is such a beautiful story and easy read. In this book they have created a relationship map of all the characters which helped a lot.

[Samantha Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was adorable. I’m excited for the rest of the series!

[Mrudula Shinde · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book series is a tale built around a cafe in Tokyo that offers customers a chance to visit their past by travelling back in time. But the time travel comes with a twist i.e. they have to follow some strict rules. The most crucial rule is that the customer must return back to the present before the coffee gets cold.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold and all the other 3 parts, I instantly fell in love with the storyline the author Toshikazu Kawaguchi had to offer. A magical cafe called Funiculi Funicula- is just a place any person would love to visit. A little enclosed and with a lot of clocks it is filled with mysteries one could only wonder about. This cafe is located in the narrow back alleys of Tokyo. This cafe is quite famous for a lot of rumours. But to everyone’s surprise, they have been serving brewed coffee for more than 100 years.

There are a few characters who stay constant throughout the book series Kazu Tokita, and Nagare Tokita. They are two unique characters who are different in their own ways. Kazu is the calmest person in the whole series. She is the waitress at the cafe and plays a special role in the whole series. Her character can be seen developing very slowly yet we can see the difference that her character holds. She is very difficult to read yet we can make out that she has a past that has made her who she is. P.S.: this is not a spoiler. Then comes Nagare Tokita, a cousin of Kazu. he is the owner of the Funiculi Funicula cafe. He is a giant man and a complete softie from the heart. Both these characters have a development in the further story.

All these books are divided into short stories which makes it quite easy to read them, the language is also quite simple to understand. The part that I liked about this book is that each story contains a lot of hidden emotions. I've cried a lot of times throughout all the four books. All these books contain life lessons when it comes to life, family, friends, career, and everything. I’m so happy that I randomly bought the first three books without considering anything. Ultimately speaking these books had me go through a rollercoaster ride, from making me smile to making me cry it has taught me to think about the life choices we make. I would love to know your thoughts if you read these books. I would 100% recommend all the four books to everyone.

[Luna ୨୧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me tomo dos semanas leer todos los libros por que la verdad pensé que todos eran libros diferentes. Son libros muy buenos todos pero yo me confundí bastante con los nombres y hubo un punto en el que me aburrí. Aun así, me encanta la reflexión y todas las historias que nos cuentan, y también me gusta el detalle de que todas conectan entre ellas.

[Terrell Tinsley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolutely awful. I wish it would’ve been better. I really thought the theme of the book would’ve been great. The delivery was just awful.

The person who recommended this book is banned fromthe book club!

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting time travel premise. Kind of sweet

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I read of this series the less I understand what is going on !

[Lilyofthevalleey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book is full of sorrows and regrets which deeply leave a scar to me, but overall it's good! I can't wait to buy the new one released this year if I'm not mistaken

[Karen Silk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sweet and I cried hard at one point. Nothing changes except you. It’s beautiful in its simplicity.
I felt bonded to the characters.
I suggest looking past how its translation is clunky.

[Kaie Eha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed every book, goofy characters and interesting premises.

[liv!! · Rating 4 out of 5]

sad but so so good ^^

[Lilja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Einfach fast genau das gleiche wie im ersten Buch. Hat mich nicht so berührt. :( hatte höhere Erwartungen

[Nathan Cannell · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good read, but can seem a bit repetitive at times.
the name map at the beginning of the book is a big help if you're not used to Japanese names, I did find myself having to go back to it.

[Rashmi Harish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book with heartfelt characters. However, I noticed that the flow of conversation may seem strange to someone not familiar with Asian culture, not a comment on the book but on the perception of people in different cultures.