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La casa de verano
Una premiada novela que ofrece un singular retrato del Japón moderno a partir de la apasionante historia de un estudio de arquitectura.
Premio Yomiuri.
Toru Sakanishi es un joven arquitecto recién graduado que se acabade incorporar a Murai, un prestigioso y pequeño estudio de arquitectura fundado por Shunsuke Murai, antiguo discípulo de Frank Lloyd Wright. Sakanishi se siente profundamente cautivado por la sensibilidad artística y el cuidado que el estudio Murai demuestra en cada uno de sus diseños. Cuando llega el caluroso verano, el estudio se traslada de Tokio a la casa de verano de Shunsuke Murai situada en un pueblo de montaña en las faldas del monte Asama. Allí, este pequeño equipo de arquitectos, incluidas las dos mujeres por las que Sakanishi se siente torpemente atraído, se propondrá diseñar la nueva Biblioteca Nacional de Tokio y competir con la famosa firma rival que habitualmente gana todos los concursos públicos.
Una novela originalísima y fascinante que, a través de los entresijos del mundo de la arquitectura contemporánea y la intensa colaboración y competición de sus miembros, explora las intrincadas dinámicas de las relaciones humanas y retrata el Japón actual, con su constante fricción entre modernidad y tradición.
Premio Yomiuri.
Toru Sakanishi es un joven arquitecto recién graduado que se acabade incorporar a Murai, un prestigioso y pequeño estudio de arquitectura fundado por Shunsuke Murai, antiguo discípulo de Frank Lloyd Wright. Sakanishi se siente profundamente cautivado por la sensibilidad artística y el cuidado que el estudio Murai demuestra en cada uno de sus diseños. Cuando llega el caluroso verano, el estudio se traslada de Tokio a la casa de verano de Shunsuke Murai situada en un pueblo de montaña en las faldas del monte Asama. Allí, este pequeño equipo de arquitectos, incluidas las dos mujeres por las que Sakanishi se siente torpemente atraído, se propondrá diseñar la nueva Biblioteca Nacional de Tokio y competir con la famosa firma rival que habitualmente gana todos los concursos públicos.
Una novela originalísima y fascinante que, a través de los entresijos del mundo de la arquitectura contemporánea y la intensa colaboración y competición de sus miembros, explora las intrincadas dinámicas de las relaciones humanas y retrata el Japón actual, con su constante fricción entre modernidad y tradición.
381 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2012
189 people are currently reading
2889 people want to read
About the author
Masashi Matsuie
7 books26 followersMasashi Matsuie (Tokio, 1958) estudió en la Universidad de Waseda, en Tokio, y trabajó como editor de ficción en el grupo editorial Shinchôsha, donde fue responsable de publicar autores como Haruki Murakami y lanzó Shincho Crest Books, un sello especializado en literatura de otros idiomas. Dirigió también varias de las revistas del mismo grupo como Kangaeru hito y Geijutsu shincho, antes de dejar la compañía en 2010. Su primera novela, La casa de verano (Kazan no fumoto de, 2012; Libros del Asteroide, 2024) recibió el Premio Yomiuri de Literatura, pese a que es un galardón que suele recaer en autores con una larga trayectoria literaria. Además ha publicado las obras Shizumu Furanshisu (2013), Yûga-na no ka dô ka, wakaranai (2014), Hikari no inu (2018) y Awa (2021).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
August 5, 2025
The Summer House is an ode to architecture the way The Great Passage is an ode to words. I absolutely loved The Great Passage and I felt the same about The Summer House.
There is an array of characters, distinct and memorable in their own way. Each has their own unique role and relationship with the other characters. Sensei was my favorite followed by the two old women, the flower farmer and the novelist. The narrator is an expert on birds and they are referenced throughout the novel. What I loved most about the novel is the communal living.
The contest to design a new library drives the story. Loved every aspect of dissecting and creating the optimal library. A reoccurring theme is architecture is meant to be functional in a way that the user is seamlessly unaware of it. There are discussions of the relationship between wood and books, ideal alignment of bookcases, and how air flow increases the life of books while decreasing dust, mold, and insect damage.
I absolutely loved this novel and the audio narration. The Summer House is a wonderful escape with a beautiful setting.
There is an array of characters, distinct and memorable in their own way. Each has their own unique role and relationship with the other characters. Sensei was my favorite followed by the two old women, the flower farmer and the novelist. The narrator is an expert on birds and they are referenced throughout the novel. What I loved most about the novel is the communal living.
The contest to design a new library drives the story. Loved every aspect of dissecting and creating the optimal library. A reoccurring theme is architecture is meant to be functional in a way that the user is seamlessly unaware of it. There are discussions of the relationship between wood and books, ideal alignment of bookcases, and how air flow increases the life of books while decreasing dust, mold, and insect damage.
I absolutely loved this novel and the audio narration. The Summer House is a wonderful escape with a beautiful setting.
May 9, 2025
No puedo negar que lo adquirí buscando cierto exotismo, pero lo que me encontré fue que el Taliesin particular que describe lo mismo podía estar en una colina de Soria que en Japón. Realmente no hay apenas chicha que contar sobre el funcionamiento de un estudio de arquitectura. Tan solo aporta una visión idealizada de la profesión, repleta de mentorazgo Miyagi para neófitos y de jerarquías obsoletas, y por si fuera poco, a falta de la adrenalina propia de una historia de médicos o policías, oh dios mío, recurre al romance. Bah.
January 31, 2026
A regényírás bizonyos értelemben az építészet rokona: mindkettő belakható tereket kíván alkotni. Ilyen értelemben Maszasi olyan építész, aki egy monumentális koncerttermet vagy templomot tervez épp, ami kizárja a világ zaját. Itt az akusztika a kulcsfogalom, egy olyan belső tér létrehozása, ahol minden kimondott csendes szó a leghátsó padsorokban is tisztán és világosan érthető. A jó akusztika egyik feltétele a csend megteremtése – ez regénytechnikai értelemben annyit tesz, hogy az alap egy visszafogott alig-cselekmény, egy olyan történet, ami szinte nincs is, és amiben aztán a szereplők minden apró gesztusa mintegy visszhangot ver és többletjelentéssel töltődik meg.
A Nyári Lakban vagyunk, az Aszama hegy oldalában, ahová egy építészkollektíva vonul vissza egyrészt rekreáció céljából, másrészt hogy egy sorsdöntő pályázatra elkészítsék a monumentális Kortárs Nemzeti Könyvtár tervrajzait. Maszusi nem veszi félvállról szereplői foglalkozását, az építészet itt nem csak futtában odaskiccelt háttér, hanem a szöveg masszív és részletesen tárgyalt eleme – olyan gonddal ábrázolja például a leendő könyvtár felépítését, a polcsorok és olvasóbarát zugok kialakítását, hogy az olvasó ott érzi magát az ívesen hajlított tölgyfa bútorok és vakolt falak között, és minden további nélkül el tudja képzelni, ahogy egy kiváló könyvvel (mondjuk ezzel) leereszkedik a felhasználóbarát fotelbe az „Életrajzok” szekció végén. Miközben pedig a karakterek szakmájuk gyakorlatáról és filozófiájáról elmélkednek, körbeveszi őket a csend megteremtésének másik nagyszerűen interpretált eszköze, a természeti környezet. A törpeharkályok, a zöldborsfák, a szentjánosbogarak éppúgy részei az atmoszférának, mint a Guggenheim Múzeum és a Svéd Nemzeti Könyvtár emlegetése, illetve a japán és nyugati hagyományok egybeolvadásának finom érzékeltetése – mind arról hordoz üzenetet, hogyan létezik az ember a világban, világ az emberben, és milyen módon hatnak egymásra.
(Az építészet mint meditációs segédeszköz - a belső tér spirálja a New York-i Guggenheim Múzeumban.)
A csend megteremtésének másik eszköze az introvertált elbeszélő. Tóru, az építésztanonc olyan figura, aki „mindig megvárja, hogy a másik lépjen először”, ilyen értelemben pedig tulajdonképpen lemond arról, hogy befolyása legyen a cselekmény változására. Csak elfogadja, amit adnak neki – az idősebb építészek tanácsait éppúgy, mint a nők érintését. Ebben azonban valahogy nem az önalávetés irritáló aktusát fedezni fel, hanem egyfajta meditatív alázatot. Ritka erős regény a sodródásról – az embernek szinte kedve támad leheverni valami puha gyepre, és hagyni, hogy elmenjen mellette az idő. De sajnos a puha gyepig legalább tavaszig várni kell.
Amit most kivételesen nem politikai utalásnak szánok.
A Nyári Lakban vagyunk, az Aszama hegy oldalában, ahová egy építészkollektíva vonul vissza egyrészt rekreáció céljából, másrészt hogy egy sorsdöntő pályázatra elkészítsék a monumentális Kortárs Nemzeti Könyvtár tervrajzait. Maszusi nem veszi félvállról szereplői foglalkozását, az építészet itt nem csak futtában odaskiccelt háttér, hanem a szöveg masszív és részletesen tárgyalt eleme – olyan gonddal ábrázolja például a leendő könyvtár felépítését, a polcsorok és olvasóbarát zugok kialakítását, hogy az olvasó ott érzi magát az ívesen hajlított tölgyfa bútorok és vakolt falak között, és minden további nélkül el tudja képzelni, ahogy egy kiváló könyvvel (mondjuk ezzel) leereszkedik a felhasználóbarát fotelbe az „Életrajzok” szekció végén. Miközben pedig a karakterek szakmájuk gyakorlatáról és filozófiájáról elmélkednek, körbeveszi őket a csend megteremtésének másik nagyszerűen interpretált eszköze, a természeti környezet. A törpeharkályok, a zöldborsfák, a szentjánosbogarak éppúgy részei az atmoszférának, mint a Guggenheim Múzeum és a Svéd Nemzeti Könyvtár emlegetése, illetve a japán és nyugati hagyományok egybeolvadásának finom érzékeltetése – mind arról hordoz üzenetet, hogyan létezik az ember a világban, világ az emberben, és milyen módon hatnak egymásra.
(Az építészet mint meditációs segédeszköz - a belső tér spirálja a New York-i Guggenheim Múzeumban.)
A csend megteremtésének másik eszköze az introvertált elbeszélő. Tóru, az építésztanonc olyan figura, aki „mindig megvárja, hogy a másik lépjen először”, ilyen értelemben pedig tulajdonképpen lemond arról, hogy befolyása legyen a cselekmény változására. Csak elfogadja, amit adnak neki – az idősebb építészek tanácsait éppúgy, mint a nők érintését. Ebben azonban valahogy nem az önalávetés irritáló aktusát fedezni fel, hanem egyfajta meditatív alázatot. Ritka erős regény a sodródásról – az embernek szinte kedve támad leheverni valami puha gyepre, és hagyni, hogy elmenjen mellette az idő. De sajnos a puha gyepig legalább tavaszig várni kell.
Amit most kivételesen nem politikai utalásnak szánok.
February 28, 2025
"Que las vacaciones sucedan en verano es tanto una cuestión práctica como un homenaje a la vida. Ocurre lo mismo con la mejor arquitectura: lo funcional va de la mano de la emoción. Ni siquiera la ambición casi estrictamente comercial que impera hoy en el planeta, y por lo tanto en la arquitectura, ha con-seguido desvirtuar esa dicotomía que condena a la convivencia de lo pragmático con lo sensorial.
Es difícil concentrałse y desplazarse sin fatigarse es decir: ser en verano. El calor marca un ritmo pausado vida. Sin embargo, más allá de la falta de aire, son esos días largos los que permiten el ocio, la calma y el aburrimiento. Sucede como si el calendario nos diera una clave sobre el funcionamiento de nuestra existencia, dejando una estación para ralentizar la marcha de los días y detenerse a pensar. Por eso, una casa definida para la estación del descanso habla de un lugar suspendido, casi al margen del tiempo. De un refugio donde se puede dudar" (del prólogo de Anatxu Zabalbeascoa)
Es difícil concentrałse y desplazarse sin fatigarse es decir: ser en verano. El calor marca un ritmo pausado vida. Sin embargo, más allá de la falta de aire, son esos días largos los que permiten el ocio, la calma y el aburrimiento. Sucede como si el calendario nos diera una clave sobre el funcionamiento de nuestra existencia, dejando una estación para ralentizar la marcha de los días y detenerse a pensar. Por eso, una casa definida para la estación del descanso habla de un lugar suspendido, casi al margen del tiempo. De un refugio donde se puede dudar" (del prólogo de Anatxu Zabalbeascoa)
July 1, 2025
Un coñazo precioso, pero coñazo al fin y al cabo.
June 23, 2025
The calming brilliance of the world of design, aesthetics, and landscapes of the mind and heart (Central Japan, fictional village by Mt. Asama; 1980s mostly): The Summer House is an exquisite example of why a quieter, softer touch can be as or more affecting than harsher, darker, or more explicit novels.
“There’s something mysterious about the human voice,” says the coming-of-age narrator, Tōru, whose soothing voice conveys the intricacies of a sensuous novel with its own subtleties.
Centered on the multifaceted considerations in architecture in engaging prose that digs into how a group of fictional architects think as well as historical ones at a well-respected architectural firm based in Tokyo – the Murai Office of Architectural Design, founded by Shunsuke Murai, referred to as Murai Sensei or Sensei.
Sensei in Japanese means teacher. Murai is a guru who “left his mark on postwar Japanese modernism.” His values and teachings designing buildings with simplicity, practicality, and enduring beauty, fusing the ancient/old with newness, expand to other aspects of life that make the novel soar. “Variations in human emotion were what his architecture was based on,” echoes the range of human emotions of a writer who comes across as a sensei too.
The Summer House may be Matsuie’s debut, but it reads like a masterwork, winning an esteemed Japan’s literary prize (Yomiuri Prize for Literature), “an award that normally goes to seasoned authors who are well along in their careers” (book jacket). Matsuie isn’t new to the literary world, though, as he’s the longtime editor of some of Japan’s big names in Japanese contemporary literature – Haruki Murakami among them.
Authenticity of the setting and characters is one of the novel’s noteworthy characteristics. Sensei feels amazingly real having apprenticed with Frank Lloyd Wright when he came to America in 1939 (including much insight and unknown information about the iconic American architect), and reference to a Museum of Modern Art exhibition that featured his work. Both sent me googling in disbelief that he wasn’t a real architect lost to history. The deftness of Matsuie’s literary skills in mixing fiction with historical fiction also plays out in the best weaving together of an ending I can recall.
Set during the summer months when the office moves into a house outside of Tokyo to a once vibrant, fictional village at the base of a real active volcano, Mt. Asama, which had attracted academics and creative types, such as writers, is beautifully characterized by a cherished, wise, elderly one: Harue Nomiya exudes calm, a life built around books, a strong sense of community in a culture that prioritizes harmony of the whole over the individual, and offers lessons on how to live life fully without regrets. She’s also one of the secrets of the heart you’ll discover.
Tōru’s appealing voice reaches out to us from the first line to the last. Soothing, natural, flowing as if he’s sitting beside you sharing his reflective story of a special time and place when he was utterly surprised to be invited to join a talented, dedicated team at the prestigious architectural firm straight out of the university without any practical experience. His development is carried out exceptionally well over the 400 pages. Sensei, now well into his seventies, liked him from the day he interviewed him, from the thoughtful answers he gave to a question he asked. Sensei’s affection for him grows considerably and meaningfully impacting Tōru’s professional confidence but not romantically as shy, unsure Tōru unexpectedly finds himself in. You’ll like him too, for his candor about his insecurities, respectfulness, impressions. He’s immediately relatable when he starts the new job feeling “like an ill-fitting rain shutter, but as I got used to things, I gradually settled in the grove and started working more smoothly.”
Tōru’s mentor (besides the great man himself) isn’t much older than he, in his thirties, Iguchi, the office manager. He does an excellent job of teaching him the ropes and the norms. An emotional one Tōru takes to heart and is a source of inner tension: “An office romance is forbidden.” An example of a moral issue the novel delicately handles as we watch how this young man navigates two relationships with women around his age he’s attracted to and they to him, one more directly than the other though both are tentative and reserved like he is.
Tōru’s sense of awe of the summer house’s natural beauty fits our appreciation for the strength of the atmospheric prose. The summer house was ‘in the forest, over a thousand meters above sea level” where “the first to break the silence were the birds” (he’s a bird watcher in a place with “80 birds”), who also pays close attention to the fantastic diversity of the country’s trees such that Nature feels like a character beyond the thirteen member team. He speaks of a native katsura tree that embraced the “two wings” of the summer house as a “privilege.” It’s considered a symbol of the country’s beauty, survival, and spirituality.
Creating a narrator in tune with the famous architect who shunned “flashy,” Matsuie sets the tone for a simpler, aesthetic approach for telling this contemplative tale. Like the homes and other buildings Sensei chose to design with an “old-fashioned, comforting feeling,” the prose evokes those qualities.
“Nothing is as persuasive than design itself,” Sensei says. A church he designed affirmed that when Tōru tells us entering it he felt, “The sanctity it embodied would calm, or encourage, or move people who gathered here.” Visiting it is tied to the firm’s current occupying endeavor.
A competition to design a National Museum of Modern Literature, a huge deal as it’s the first for the office in ten years (you’ll wonder and sense why Sensei is so determined to enter and win it now). The project provides a smart and effective jumping off point for book lovers. As various characters weigh in on the library’s design, we’re treated to the kinds of creative and functional considerations books generate, starting with fundamentals like “books need to breathe” and libraries need a “silently inviting sort of atmosphere.” All sorts of questioning and decision-making fill the pages. Two examples: “How would people move, make their way around the building?” and “visual and tactile” elements. Furniture handcrafted by another of the architects is forward-thinking.
“Books carry you away – from your family, from the society you live in. Alone but not lonely,” is seen as a “freedom,” offsetting a melancholy/nostalgic tone of loneliness. The novel’s grand finale more than makes up for the sadness you might feel. Other than realizing this wondrous time and place can’t last forever. Except in the memories, hearts, and minds of the design team – and readers.
“There’s something mysterious about the human voice,” says the coming-of-age narrator, Tōru, whose soothing voice conveys the intricacies of a sensuous novel with its own subtleties.
Centered on the multifaceted considerations in architecture in engaging prose that digs into how a group of fictional architects think as well as historical ones at a well-respected architectural firm based in Tokyo – the Murai Office of Architectural Design, founded by Shunsuke Murai, referred to as Murai Sensei or Sensei.
Sensei in Japanese means teacher. Murai is a guru who “left his mark on postwar Japanese modernism.” His values and teachings designing buildings with simplicity, practicality, and enduring beauty, fusing the ancient/old with newness, expand to other aspects of life that make the novel soar. “Variations in human emotion were what his architecture was based on,” echoes the range of human emotions of a writer who comes across as a sensei too.
The Summer House may be Matsuie’s debut, but it reads like a masterwork, winning an esteemed Japan’s literary prize (Yomiuri Prize for Literature), “an award that normally goes to seasoned authors who are well along in their careers” (book jacket). Matsuie isn’t new to the literary world, though, as he’s the longtime editor of some of Japan’s big names in Japanese contemporary literature – Haruki Murakami among them.
Authenticity of the setting and characters is one of the novel’s noteworthy characteristics. Sensei feels amazingly real having apprenticed with Frank Lloyd Wright when he came to America in 1939 (including much insight and unknown information about the iconic American architect), and reference to a Museum of Modern Art exhibition that featured his work. Both sent me googling in disbelief that he wasn’t a real architect lost to history. The deftness of Matsuie’s literary skills in mixing fiction with historical fiction also plays out in the best weaving together of an ending I can recall.
Set during the summer months when the office moves into a house outside of Tokyo to a once vibrant, fictional village at the base of a real active volcano, Mt. Asama, which had attracted academics and creative types, such as writers, is beautifully characterized by a cherished, wise, elderly one: Harue Nomiya exudes calm, a life built around books, a strong sense of community in a culture that prioritizes harmony of the whole over the individual, and offers lessons on how to live life fully without regrets. She’s also one of the secrets of the heart you’ll discover.
Tōru’s appealing voice reaches out to us from the first line to the last. Soothing, natural, flowing as if he’s sitting beside you sharing his reflective story of a special time and place when he was utterly surprised to be invited to join a talented, dedicated team at the prestigious architectural firm straight out of the university without any practical experience. His development is carried out exceptionally well over the 400 pages. Sensei, now well into his seventies, liked him from the day he interviewed him, from the thoughtful answers he gave to a question he asked. Sensei’s affection for him grows considerably and meaningfully impacting Tōru’s professional confidence but not romantically as shy, unsure Tōru unexpectedly finds himself in. You’ll like him too, for his candor about his insecurities, respectfulness, impressions. He’s immediately relatable when he starts the new job feeling “like an ill-fitting rain shutter, but as I got used to things, I gradually settled in the grove and started working more smoothly.”
Tōru’s mentor (besides the great man himself) isn’t much older than he, in his thirties, Iguchi, the office manager. He does an excellent job of teaching him the ropes and the norms. An emotional one Tōru takes to heart and is a source of inner tension: “An office romance is forbidden.” An example of a moral issue the novel delicately handles as we watch how this young man navigates two relationships with women around his age he’s attracted to and they to him, one more directly than the other though both are tentative and reserved like he is.
Tōru’s sense of awe of the summer house’s natural beauty fits our appreciation for the strength of the atmospheric prose. The summer house was ‘in the forest, over a thousand meters above sea level” where “the first to break the silence were the birds” (he’s a bird watcher in a place with “80 birds”), who also pays close attention to the fantastic diversity of the country’s trees such that Nature feels like a character beyond the thirteen member team. He speaks of a native katsura tree that embraced the “two wings” of the summer house as a “privilege.” It’s considered a symbol of the country’s beauty, survival, and spirituality.
Creating a narrator in tune with the famous architect who shunned “flashy,” Matsuie sets the tone for a simpler, aesthetic approach for telling this contemplative tale. Like the homes and other buildings Sensei chose to design with an “old-fashioned, comforting feeling,” the prose evokes those qualities.
“Nothing is as persuasive than design itself,” Sensei says. A church he designed affirmed that when Tōru tells us entering it he felt, “The sanctity it embodied would calm, or encourage, or move people who gathered here.” Visiting it is tied to the firm’s current occupying endeavor.
A competition to design a National Museum of Modern Literature, a huge deal as it’s the first for the office in ten years (you’ll wonder and sense why Sensei is so determined to enter and win it now). The project provides a smart and effective jumping off point for book lovers. As various characters weigh in on the library’s design, we’re treated to the kinds of creative and functional considerations books generate, starting with fundamentals like “books need to breathe” and libraries need a “silently inviting sort of atmosphere.” All sorts of questioning and decision-making fill the pages. Two examples: “How would people move, make their way around the building?” and “visual and tactile” elements. Furniture handcrafted by another of the architects is forward-thinking.
“Books carry you away – from your family, from the society you live in. Alone but not lonely,” is seen as a “freedom,” offsetting a melancholy/nostalgic tone of loneliness. The novel’s grand finale more than makes up for the sadness you might feel. Other than realizing this wondrous time and place can’t last forever. Except in the memories, hearts, and minds of the design team – and readers.
October 17, 2025
Me ha gustado mucho toda la parte de teoría de la Arquitectura, de la vida y desarrollo de la actividad profesional de un arquitecto japonés, de sus detalles personales aplicados a su arte. Y toda la historia de la convivencia en esa “casa de verano” de los componentes del Estudio de Arquitectura también me gusta. Lo que no veo tan pulido es el hilo narrativo de un protagonista que parece puesto únicamente para contar las diferentes fases de su maestro y pinceladas de su propia vida solo como presunto hilo conductor. Se podría haber desarrollado esa historia algo más, me queda como un poco corta, aunque, en conjunto, he disfrutado mucho de la atmósfera y todo el ambiente que tan bien describe aquí el autor.
May 17, 2025
Mi interés por este libro ha ido aumentando poco a poco según lo leía, con un final maravilloso. La calma que transmite, típico japonés, contrasta gratamente con los tiempos de cólera y ruido en que vivimos. Ademas, me gusta la manera delicada de abordar la arquitectura. Lo recomiendo a personas pacientes, que se dejen envolver poco a poco por un libro delicado con muchos matices, y ya si les gusta la arquitectura no tienen excusa para no leerlo.
July 27, 2025
wat een mooi boek, echt zo zo zo van genoten
ik ga dit boek een beetje missen denk ik
ik ga dit boek een beetje missen denk ik
July 18, 2025
Mica en mica li he anat trobant més i més el gust. Durant les primeres 100 pàgines no sabia ben bé cap on aniria res, que no és un problema de per si, però em feia por que fos una d'aquelles coses "cozies" sense més. I no és gens això, i no sé ben bé ni si el definiria com a cozy. He acabat gaudint molt de la història i de la manera detallada d'explicar-la.
July 19, 2025
A recent architectural student, Sakanishi, lands a job at a prestigious company led by founder Shunsuke Murai. The Murai Office is based in Tokyo, but when they prepare to participate in a design competition for a new library, the employees follow their sensei to Kita-Asama. There, the team will live and work side-by-side to streamline their tasks and focus on putting together the winning project. As Sakanishi learns about his sensei’s philosophy of architectural design, studying his previous works and learning from his teammates, office romances develop between Sakanishi and coworkers. The project comes to a head when Sensei, an older man close to the age of retirement, suffers from a stroke. When he is unable to return to work, the Murai Office dwindles, and Sakanishi starts his firm with the skills he picks up from Sensei.
The style of the writing is what I expected—a telling-heavy narration that will teach me about architecture. I enjoyed thinking about the intentional ways to use space and designing a building with its purpose and occupants or patrons in mind. However, the character-driven plot didn’t seem to fully invite me into Sakanishi’s life, and this made it harder for me to stay engaged. I realize this is not what I’m familiar with (in a character-driven story), but it could be a culturally stylistic phenomenon, and that is all great.
The style of the writing is what I expected—a telling-heavy narration that will teach me about architecture. I enjoyed thinking about the intentional ways to use space and designing a building with its purpose and occupants or patrons in mind. However, the character-driven plot didn’t seem to fully invite me into Sakanishi’s life, and this made it harder for me to stay engaged. I realize this is not what I’m familiar with (in a character-driven story), but it could be a culturally stylistic phenomenon, and that is all great.
April 16, 2025
En un ambiente idílico se debate la importancia de la pormenoridad en el buen hacer de cualquier oficio. La atención al detalle, a través de personajes muy bien caracterizados a través de pocas intervenciones, hace que sea una novela muy fácil y agradable de leer.
July 17, 2025
A slow, quiet book that seems to reflect the summer it describes. I enjoyed being in its company.
May 18, 2025
terminarlo fue como ver hojas secas arrastradas por el viento (el pico kizuki hace prr prr)
July 18, 2025
"La casa de verano" es un homenaje a la arquitectura como arte.
Antes de construir se dibuja,se afilan lápices, se planifica en función de las necesidades del cliente y finalmente se construye un espacio y un entorno que habitamos y modificamos,con nuestra presencia.
Está casa,está en Japón,en un pueblo de las afueras de Tokio.
Y la conócenos dirigidos por la mirada de un joven arquitecto que entra a trabajar y aprender como discípulo de un prestigioso arquitecto.
Me ha gustado especialmente el punto de vista que propone el autor ,dirigido a la relación entre los discípulos y el profesor ,la convivencia de todos ellos.
Es un poco, como el fuera de cámara en una película.Nosotros admiramos el resultado final ,pero desconocemos lo que hubo a su alrededor y propicio esa obra,ese hogar o edificio que contemplamos .
Cuando el estudio recibe la invitación para participar en un concurso para proyectar la Biblioteca Nacional de Literatura Contemporánea,Matsuie se gana a todos los lectores con distintas reflexiones,entre ellas, la importancia de elegir fondos que la gente realmente lea,que no se acumulen.
Una propuesta lectora que por el título puede parecer sugerente para esta época estacional ,pero que es atemporal.
Se lee despacio,se disfruta y sus paginas pasan como unas vacaciones.
📌 ❣️Como curiosidad lectora,Masashi Matsuie trabajo como editor de ficción en Shincôsha y fue responsable de publicar a Haruki Murakami.
Antes de construir se dibuja,se afilan lápices, se planifica en función de las necesidades del cliente y finalmente se construye un espacio y un entorno que habitamos y modificamos,con nuestra presencia.
Está casa,está en Japón,en un pueblo de las afueras de Tokio.
Y la conócenos dirigidos por la mirada de un joven arquitecto que entra a trabajar y aprender como discípulo de un prestigioso arquitecto.
Me ha gustado especialmente el punto de vista que propone el autor ,dirigido a la relación entre los discípulos y el profesor ,la convivencia de todos ellos.
Es un poco, como el fuera de cámara en una película.Nosotros admiramos el resultado final ,pero desconocemos lo que hubo a su alrededor y propicio esa obra,ese hogar o edificio que contemplamos .
Cuando el estudio recibe la invitación para participar en un concurso para proyectar la Biblioteca Nacional de Literatura Contemporánea,Matsuie se gana a todos los lectores con distintas reflexiones,entre ellas, la importancia de elegir fondos que la gente realmente lea,que no se acumulen.
Una propuesta lectora que por el título puede parecer sugerente para esta época estacional ,pero que es atemporal.
Se lee despacio,se disfruta y sus paginas pasan como unas vacaciones.
📌 ❣️Como curiosidad lectora,Masashi Matsuie trabajo como editor de ficción en Shincôsha y fue responsable de publicar a Haruki Murakami.
April 21, 2025
precioso… como la vida misma… tremendamente bonito pero tremendamente triste… además ahora quiero ser arquitecto
January 24, 2026
Esta bien es interesante de leer, la trama de arquitectura y del concurso esta guay, pero para mi gusto excesivas descripciones que cortan la trama y el final me da la sensación de no saber muy bien como acabarlo y dan solución rápida a muchos temas que han sido parte de la trama central a lo largo del libro.
January 16, 2026
Un libro pausado sobre la belleza, la creación, la arquitectura, las relaciones personales... Es un libro para sentirlo y dejarse llevar. No importa la trama como el viaje del protagonista desde que entra al estudio hasta que acaba el libro.
July 26, 2025
una gran lectura de verano
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May 4, 2025I've read Catriona Shine's Habitat, which explores post-human "insurrectional infrastructure," and Franziska Gänsler's Eternal Summer, which is haunted by empty hotels in the warming world, almost back-to-back. From this perspective, Matsuie's The Summer House is an interesting read in the sense that it depicts the production of the built environment, one of the major human activities driving the extinction of non-human species and planetary-scale environmental change. It does so, however, without any critical distance, fascinated by what architects do and what kind of image they project. Plenty to pick from critical environmental perspective.
May 22, 2025
Fui incapaz de llegar al final y eso que lo intenté. Me aburrió el ritmo lento y algo envejecido de la historia, asi como el hecho de que no había realmente una historia. La novela se me antoja como una de esas conversaciones con tus abuelos en las que realmente lo que hay es una revisión de anécdotas, espacios y personas que no existen más que en su experiencia vital y que por lo tanto son casi incomprensibles para los demás. Puede que sea muy buena si lo que se busca es una novela tranquila y sin acción, pero sin duda es mi mayor decepción literaria del año.
October 19, 2025
It’s one of those books where I am left pondering what is the point of this, and although I’m sure there is one, I never was able to find it. All I got out of it was learning about the profession of architects which was interesting sure but I would have been okay without it.
July 30, 2025
Tiene pasajes de gran belleza y reflexiones muy interesantes sobre la arquitectura, la cultura japonesa y la naturaleza, pero es demasiado largo, demasiado detallado y con demasiadas divagaciones. Tampoco ayuda que no haya fotos ni ilustraciones que ayuden a comprender algunos conceptos arquitectónicos o proporcionen una referencia visual a las descripciones que, muchas veces, no he logrado imaginar en la realidad. Un mapa de la región que se menciona también sería de agradecer para los lectores no japoneses, ya que las referencias geográficas abundan en el texto.
La parte sobre el no-romance del protagonista me ha dejado fría; ni él ni la mayoría de los personajes consiguen despertar mis simpatías, no he logrado siquiera que cobren vida en mi imaginación.
Al final me ha parecido como uno de esos partidos de fútbol interminables de Oliver y Benji, en los que una jugada duraba diecisiete episodios, llenos de divagaciones y flashbacks, para que al final el balón fuera al poste.
La parte sobre el no-romance del protagonista me ha dejado fría; ni él ni la mayoría de los personajes consiguen despertar mis simpatías, no he logrado siquiera que cobren vida en mi imaginación.
Al final me ha parecido como uno de esos partidos de fútbol interminables de Oliver y Benji, en los que una jugada duraba diecisiete episodios, llenos de divagaciones y flashbacks, para que al final el balón fuera al poste.
July 6, 2025
Chill architecture facts to study/relax to!
November 4, 2025
A beautiful written tribute to modern and traditional architecture. It highlights how architecture is about function, how it revolves around human emotions, and how it should exist in harmony with nature. There is no major love story in this book, as the biggest love story told throughout the book is the love these characters have towards architecture.
One of the best books that I’ve read this year 🙂
One of the best books that I’ve read this year 🙂
March 19, 2025
Le pondria 10 ⭐️
January 11, 2026
A poc a poc li he anat trobant el què. M’ha acabat agradant molt: mai havia llegit una novel·la en què l’arquitectura i la professió com a tal fossin el tema principal de la història. M’ha sorprès com de bé narra el dia a dia d’un estudi, les vicissituds de presentar-se a un concurs i la passió dels arquitectes per la feina i pel detall. La recomano a persones pacients a qui els agradin les descripcions llargues i detallades, i especialment als meus amics arquitectes.
July 11, 2025
I saw that this was a "prize-winning debut novel" but that was back in 2012 so I managed my expectations. I think this kind of novel would appeal only to a specific kind of reader, not a general audience. What I mean is that this is the kind of story that has very little plot, but not even in a psychological literary fiction way. There's just no plot, and I mean this in as neutral a way as possible. You can see what I mean in the screenshots. It's a quiet and meditative piece of work. The characters yap a lot but there are zero arguments or drama, there are long paragraphs dedicated to historical events, architecture, or past architects, and the narrator himself is largely an observer and ordinary employee. If you open this book accepting all that, you can enjoy the contemplative experience. But if you are the kind of reader who wants some kind of action or a 'proper' build-up to a romantic relationship, witty banter, something to sweep you away, this won't be it.
The narrator is an architecture graduate who decides to shoot his shot and apply for a job at the firm of an architect he admires, Murai. To his surprise, he's offered a provisional role for the season. The office moves to a summer house in a mountain village to work on a design competition for a new library. The office has literally only two women and guess what? He likes them both. Lol. One of the women is Murai's niece so he was wary of starting workplace romance, but then he is told that Murai wants to arrange a marriage for them. Can employers do that?? I'm not sure I would marry my employer's relative after just two months after starting work. Anyway, they do date a little but it's more of a situationship or fling, I feel. And throughout, he's still attracted to the other woman colleague. In the end, Murai collapses from health problems, he loses his job, and he does not marry the niece, but he does marry the other ex-colleague and they buy the house to bask in memories.
The narrator is an architecture graduate who decides to shoot his shot and apply for a job at the firm of an architect he admires, Murai. To his surprise, he's offered a provisional role for the season. The office moves to a summer house in a mountain village to work on a design competition for a new library. The office has literally only two women and guess what? He likes them both. Lol. One of the women is Murai's niece so he was wary of starting workplace romance, but then he is told that Murai wants to arrange a marriage for them. Can employers do that?? I'm not sure I would marry my employer's relative after just two months after starting work. Anyway, they do date a little but it's more of a situationship or fling, I feel. And throughout, he's still attracted to the other woman colleague. In the end, Murai collapses from health problems, he loses his job, and he does not marry the niece, but he does marry the other ex-colleague and they buy the house to bask in memories.
October 22, 2025
surprised at how fast i finished and enjoyed this read. the thing i enjoyed most about it were the characters, especially the employees of sensei’s firm. they each added a dynamic fun to read about. i also loved how descriptive this book was, painting a good picture on the japanese countryside and architecture. i left this book with a deeper appreciation for architecture and the effective utilization of space.
the last few chapters were perfect, nailing the feeling of nostalgia and the tragic passage of time (both for life and buildings).
the last few chapters were perfect, nailing the feeling of nostalgia and the tragic passage of time (both for life and buildings).
October 24, 2025
this was a true love letter to architecture and it thoughtfully showed the transition between the old and the new. I didn’t think I would get so attached to all the characters, but I loved them all dearly, quirks and all
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