Tales from the Cafe

This sequel is more wistful and melancholy than the first novel. The time travelers have all experienced a loss and tragedy in their lives. Knowing they cannot not change the future, they still want to get another chance to see the people who meant so much to them. The book is well written, and the approach to time travel is unique. You must follow the rules or bear the consequences! Some of the novel is a bit repetitive, especially to those who have read the first book. Indeed, you must read the first one to fully appreciate this one. This one made me sad, wishing that the future could have been changed for these travelers in time. A sudden accident, a missed date, a neglected phone call, and other chance events are life changing. show more It’s something think - and read - about. show less

‘’That night…
Around the station there stood many Christmas trees, decorated with lights that shone and sparkled. The place was bustling with people, and Christmas songs played from all directions. the cafe, however, was located on a side street nestled among buildings some ten minutes’ walk from the station, Apart from a small wreath attached to the cafe’s sign, it was the same as any other day. The only light came from the mains street, making it very dark. Compared to the liveliness of the area around the station, it felt lonely.
Fumiko stood waiting outside the ground-floor entrance.
‘’Has it always been this dark?’’

Funiculi Funicula. No, this isn’t a cute little train in beautiful Napoli. It is a café, lost show more among the urban creations of Tokyo, well-hidden, a source of quiet in the buzzing metropolis. It is a vehicle, though. A vehicle to the past and the future. Just wait until the woman in the white dress leaves her sit. Kazu will pour the coffee. But remember! You can only meet someone who has visited the café. You cannot change the present. No matter what you do or say, everything remains as it is. And you must act quickly because your journey lasts until the coffee gets cold. If you don’t, you will become a ghost…

‘’There is nothing you can do while in the past that will change the present.’’

What if we wanted to say all the things we didn’t have the courage to say? What if we found the necessary strength when faced with pain and loss and regret? What if we discovered the moment when a single word could have changed everything? And why do we risk the journey when the present can’t be changed?

The Best Friend: A man who has raised his best friend’s daughter as his own travels to the past to inform him of her upcoming marriage.

Mother and Son: A young man wants to meet his deceased mother and tell her all the little secrets that have remained hidden.

The Lovers: A man travels to the future to meet the woman he loved but couldn’t marry.

The Married Couple: A detective travels to the past to give a birthday present to his wife.

Every story holds a secret that connects the characters and reveals the reason why Funiculi Funicula is unique. Every character is someone who could have been a beloved, a relative, a friend, a neighbour. The ingenious technique of repeating certain phrases gives the impression of a loop, a state that goes on and on for customers and owners alike. After all, the café has been around for 30 years.

I’ve always been intrigued by the figure of the ghost woman of the café. Here, we finally learn her story. We also discover the secrets of the journey. Who must pour the coffee, under what conditions, etc. Everything becomes even more tangible, humane, and poignant. And let me shout to the high Heavens that Kazu is a treasure! I adore her!

In the end, it is all about the need to express our feelings, the fear of being happy, the fact that, more often than not, we do NOT allow ourselves to be happy. It doesn’t matter that the present can’t be changed, there are words that should not be left unspoken and souls that must be unburdened...If this novel doesn’t bring you to tears, you need a heart and Jesus.

Now, can we have 300+ volumes more of the Tales from the Café, please and thank you?

‘’A ghost is sitting in the chair that returns you to the past.’’

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ show less

4.5⭐

“People tend to feel happy when spring arrives, especially after a cold winter. When spring begins, however, cannot be pinpointed to one particular moment. There is no one day that clearly marks when winter ends and spring begins. Spring hides inside winter. We notice it emerging with our eyes, our skin and other senses. We find it in new buds, a comfortable breeze and the warmth of the sun. It exists alongside winter.”

“clang-dong”

Welcome back to Café Funiculi Funicula, where patrons can embark on a journey into the past and/or future as long as they follow a list of rules among which is that nothing done in the past would impact the present or the future and you must return to the present before your coffee gets cold! show more

“If it is not possible to change the present no matter how hard you try while in the past, then why bother?”

A question that defies rational thought but the answer of which lies in the hearts of those who are grieving for the people they have lost, regretting all that was left unsaid, those experiencing guilt over past actions or words that haunt them and prevent them from leading their lives to the fullest and those who want to see their loved one(s) just one more time.

“We can never truly see into the hearts of others. When people get lost in their own worries, they can be blind to the feelings of those most important to them.”

This time we meet four new time –travelers. We have a man who visits a dear friend who was killed in a car crash 22 years ago and whose daughter he has raised as his own. Her impending wedding evokes guilt as he has never told her the truth about her parentage. We also meet a man, who was unable to attend his mother’s funeral and travels back in time to see her once again. The son hasn’t had an easy life and meeting his mother proves to be a cathartic experience, giving him a new lease on life. A terminally ill man travels to the future to see the woman he loved and to ensure that she leads a happy life and not allow his death to prevent her from finding happiness. The final time traveler is a policeman nearing retirement who meets his late wife on her birthday – a day he missed on account of work- to give her a gift.

With simple prose, endearing characters (old and new) and stories that touch your heart, “Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Café” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (translated by Geoffrey Trousselot) is an impressive sequel. Though I did enjoy reading the first book in the series, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, I must say that this book is an improvement over the first. Not only is the writing more fluid and less disjoint, but the characters are very well fleshed out and the stories are characterized by much more emotional depth and nuance. We get to know more about the café owner and his family and we finally get to know the story of the mysterious woman who occupies the time-travel chair in the café, vacating it only once a day, opening up an opportunity for others to embark on their journeys. Yes, there is a certain amount of repetitiveness (with each of the patrons being reminded of the rules) but that can be easily forgiven on account of how beautifully written these interconnected stories are. This book made me smile and yes, I did shed more than a few tears. I’m eagerly awaiting the third book in the series.

“Life too, passes through difficult winters. But after any winter, spring will follow.” show less

If you enjoyed "Before the Coffee Gets Cold," "Tales from the Café" is right up your alley.

In this second volume of the series, "Before the Coffee Gets Cold," readers are presented with the stories of four new time travelers seeking the chance to make something in their lives right. While most are seeking a second chance at something they failed to do in the past, one travels to the future to help someone in their present move on and find happiness.

The stories are similar in nature to those in the first book, and characters from that one reappear along with some new faces. We learn more about the mysterious woman in the white dress who is consigned to spending her afterlife forever anchored to the café seated at a specific table in a show more specific chair.

The travelers’ stories, why they decided to move about in time, and the results of their travels are all touching and satisfying. However, my favorite revelations were about the women in Kazu’s family and how the task of pouring the coffee to send a traveler on their way is transferred from woman to woman.

If you enjoyed the premise and lovely tales from "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" and just weren’t ready to say goodbye to the patrons and staff of 'Funiculi Funicula,' "Tales from the Café" is right up your alley. show less

Last year’s Before the Coffee Gets Cold was a delightful emotional read. Naturally, I couldn’t resist reading a second book about the visitors to the mysterious café that offers patrons the ability to travel back in time. While I already knew the café’s ‘secret’, it didn’t change my enjoyment of the stories of the customers.

Tales from the Café contains four more stories of customers who have come to the café wanting to travel back in time for various reasons. One man wants to see his best friend and tell him that his daughter is about to be married. A retired detective wants to give his wife a birthday present. The son who didn’t attend his mother’s funeral wants to see his mum one more time. A man wants to check if show more his one true love is doing well. The reasons behind the visits are complex and guiding each customer through the rules of time travel and the ritual of pouring the coffee – but returning to the present before the coffee gets cold. Those who have read the first book will be familiar with these rules, but they are explained for those new to the world of Funiculi Funicula. I suspect that those who have read the first novel will gets more out of this book, simply because they are familiar with the regular/recurring characters, such as Kazu, Nagare and Fumiko.

Once again, the story balances the sweet and emotional, occasionally humorous as the café patrons work through guilt, loss and ultimately a form of resolution after their trip back in time. The addition of Miki, the 6-year-old child of Nagare adds some light relief as she questions people about their reasons and generally acts like a cute, occasionally annoying child. This time the reader finds out more about Kazu, the waitress and some of her relationships. There is also a little more to the coffee pouring ritual and its history than previously thought, which was a nice touch. Being familiar with the gentle, occasionally quirky feel to this story made the reading even more cosy this time round. I was concerned that it may not have had the same magic as the first book, but it’s even more powerful this time round. I certainly wouldn’t complain if there was another volume!

Overall, Tales from the Café is a comforting, heart-warming read that takes the reader away from the real world and into the care of the café. It’s a story to enjoy – and don’t be concerned if your coffee gets cold because you’re distracted by the book.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less

The second book in a series about a coffee shop where patrons can travel through time until their coffee gets cold. I liked (but didn't love) the first book, and read this hoping for an answer to a question about the ghost lady who also lives in the cafe (what's her deal?). This book answered that question—sort of—so I don't need to continue with the series any longer. Both these books were tear-jerkers, but not very interesting otherwise.

Tales from the Café: A Novel, Toshikazu Kawaguchi, author; Kevin Shen, narrator
In this second book of a three part series, the reader is taken to a café, located in a basement. This café is known for its ability to take a customer on a trip backwards or forwards in time, though most choose to go back. If a customer wishes to revisit or visit a moment that he wants to relive and/or deal with, a particular waitress is involved. She is tasked to pour a cup of coffee before the experience begins.
Each customer wishing to time travel, may only revisit and travel to a person who has also been in the café, and the experience will take place in the café. They may have only one chance at it. The customer is bound to follow certain rules, show more the most important of which is the one that requires the entire trip to take place in the time required for the coffee in the cup to cool and the cup to be emptied. Otherwise the customer will be trapped, will become a ghost and be forced to occupy a particular seat in the café, ad infinitum.
Currently, that seat is occupied by a woman who failed to follow the rules and is condemned to read novels placed before her forever. When she gets up to go to the bathroom, the customer may take her seat, and the experience will begin. Another rule is that the traveler cannot change the outcome of any experience, in any way. In addition, the customer must remain in the seat at all times, once seated in that chair, or the experience will be ended abruptly. Finally, only one trip is permitted, so it is important to follow the rules.
All of the reasons for wanting to return to a particular time, to perhaps make amends or assuage guilt, are touching and reasons the reader can readily identify with from their own lives or the lives of others that they know. The characters deal with loss and grief, lies and secrets, regrets and remorse. We have all made mistakes, all said or done something we wish we had not. Although they cannot change the outcome, they can change their feelings about the events in question. Ultimately, they seek, and hopefully attain, happiness. The stories are about forgiveness, overcoming guilt and shame, achieving recovery and attaining a more contented life, which all of the characters seem to wish for others, and also want to attain for themselves. It is a brief, but optimistic novel. It is not necessary to read the first in order to enjoy this one. show less