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Sweet Bean Paste

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Sweet Bean Paste

By: Durian Sukegawa, Alison Watts - translator
Narrated by: Cindy Kay
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About this listen

A charming tale of friendship, love, and loneliness in contemporary Japan

Sentaro has failed. He has a criminal record, drinks too much, and his dream of becoming a writer is just a distant memory. With only the blossoming of the cherry trees to mark the passing of time, he spends his days in a tiny confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with sweet bean paste.

But everything is about to change.

Into his life comes Tokue, an elderly woman with disfigured hands and a troubled past. Tokue makes the best sweet bean paste Sentaro has ever tasted. She begins to teach him her craft, but as their friendship flourishes, social pressures become impossible to escape and Tokue's dark secret is revealed, with devastating consequences.

Sweet Bean Paste is a moving novel about the burden of the past and the redemptive power of friendship. Translated into English for the first time, Durian Sukegawa's beautiful prose is capturing hearts all over the world.

©2013, 2015 Durian Sukegawa; English translation copyright 2017 by Alison Watts (P)2022 Tantor
Fiction Friendship Literary Fiction Heartfelt
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What listeners say about Sweet Bean Paste

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such a powerful story deliverd i such a gentle way

there was not a single thing i disliked about the story, the narrator or the characters

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Utterly beautiful entrancing and moving

This is an utterly beautiful story. I loved the characters and was moved by them. The writing was exquisitely simple and delightful. The narration was perfect. It is a long time since I have read such a perfect book.

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1 person found this helpful

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Beautiful, poignant story.

Beautiful, poignant story.Translation seemed to capture the elegant original writing. Delightful listening experience, one to keep!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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The sensitivity and gentleness of the writing most.

I like that assumptions were questioned throughout, about leprosy, business decisions, kindness and debt. Enjoyable indeed.

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  • Overall
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very sweet

very sweet book loved every second makes you think about life in a good way. the audio performance was good too.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A lesson for all.

I genuinely loved this story so much. A lesson for all about not judging by appearances and that a person's past does not define them.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An ex-con, an ex-lepper, and a lonely schoolgirl walk into a confectionery...


This was a truly wholesome and unexpected treat!

A tale of bittersweetness that brings genuine heart, humanity, and suffering to an ultimately gloriously cozy tale.

There's just something truly special about the way this story promotes understanding and empathy for those who feel and have been thrown away by society.

I don't always get on with cozy, but this was sublime.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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The story was repetitive but the narration was good

The book covered interesting themes but repeated itself a lot. It’s a shame. I enjoyed hearing about the making of dorayaki

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Second chances

It was a short but impactful read, reminding about the importance of second chances, examining fears as a society as otherwise we keep shunning people for no reason other than our mental discomfort with no reason based in reality, about importance of connections and giving ourselves grace to just observe and enjoy what we can if the world. the narrators soothing voice fit this perfectly.

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