Arikawa uses a unique format for timing the separate stories together the different platforms on the Hankyu train. She intertwines the stories of all the different characters as they get on and off the train. Not only does the reader get to meet a variety of characters, the reader also gets a lo see the difference in the Japanese and American cultures. While I found this interesting, I felt the characters were not well developed and the explanations of all the different stops on the line very confusing. Also, while i like how some of the characters responded to nasty people and situations, I felt that the endings were too neatly wrapped up. To me, it sounded like the author was using the characters to teach the reader some life lessons.

While it was an easy read, I thought the English translation seemed too simplified. I found myself thinking would an adult really use some of the words and phrases. It seemed to me that the translator was trying too hard to relate to the American reader.

A lovely work of fiction with intersecting stories all centered around a train line in Japan. It has something of a gentle quality, though some of the stories do have a somewhat darker focus. Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

I really enjoyed this sweet little book. I really do like this style of Japanese narrative and I found this book to be similar to Before the Coffee Gets Cold. The stories are simple, sweet and engaging. The characters are likeable. And I really liked the aspect of seeing them all at different stages of their lives out how their stories unfold along the way.

If you're looking for a quick, light, enjoyable easy read this is it.

On the train traveling between Takarazuka and Nishinomiya, five passengers'' lives are changed due to interactions
and observations on the journey. Details of the changes in their lives are detailed and the resolutions are revealed
six months later.
Stories featuring relatable characters, growth and moving forward.
#ThePassengersontheHankyuLine #Berkley #NetGalley

This is a quiet novel of interconnected short stories of people travelling on the Hankyu train line. We meet a whole host of interesting people, as well as a mini dachshund, that range in age from a young girl with her grandmother, elementary school kids, college students and a raucous group of older women among others. The stories deal with young love, loneliness, and even abuse and remind us of how even a fleeting encounter on a train can change someone's life.

I enjoyed starting each short chapter wondering which character was going to show up next and how they were going to connect, either on or off the train and also appreciated the Japanese culture that I was able to pick up. Thank you to net galley and Berkley publishing for this e galley in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley. I thought it was written in a very upbeat way even when the topic veers into domestic violence or pettiness. Most of the action is centered around trains in Japan where people cross each other's paths and sometimes have a pretty big effect on each other's lives. The people are ordinary, but the storytelling is extraordinary. I enjoyed this book.

I enjoyed the premise and setting of this book, with several different characters meeting and interacting with others on the same train. As the characters left the train we did follow them, learning about the settings around the stations as well as the homes of many of the characters, which added an extra enjoyable element, especially for myself, not having visited Japan. As an adult read, I particularly enjoyed the first half of the book but found it became too explicitly a lesson book in morals and values for young adults in the latter part of the book. Overall I enjoyed the book and found it refreshing.

The Passengers on the Hankyu Line is a novella by Hiro Arikawa. In only a smart amount of time, readers meet characters of all sorts boarding, riding, departing, and in general, revealing small parts of their lives. These passengers are mostly women of all ages, from child to grandmother. There is romance, friendship, life-changing developments, self reliance, and strength. The Passengers on the Hankyu Line consists of two sections. A variety of characters are introduced in the first section, and in the second section, 6 months later, readers observe how they have changed and what they have learned. The events that occur, include messages of strength, advice for success, and friendship of all ages. This train ride provides only a small slice of life. Readers can see we are all the same, no mater where we live. Women in Japan must meet the same challenges at women in Europe or in the U.S.

There are quite a few characters and some names are similar enough to be slightly confusing, but I think most readers can follow along without too many problems. Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for providing this ARC for me to read and review. The above comments reflect my thoughts about The Passengers on the Hankyu Line.
4 stars

Overall, this book was a really sweet read. Through the different stations on the Hankyu line, we are able to learn about different passengers and their stories. Each story is interwoven with one another, making it easy to breeze through the book.

As someone who used to commute via the train during my undergraduate days for 3 years, I was able to enjoy this book more than the average person. However, anyone can have fun reading this book as the language is not too complicated. Essentially, if you enjoy the song Beautiful Stranger by Laufey, this book would be a joy for you.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

many thanks to netgalley and berkley publishing group for the advanced copy of this book. my rating is a 3.5. i wanted to give it a 4 but the book left me wanting. it's a charming enough premise of a select group of commuters on a train line. there is overlap between these characters and it's creative and often poignant. as is true of other japanese novels i have read recently, there are always subtle and powerful messages threaded throughout, about finding ones way in the world through honesty and integrity and also standing up to bullies and unlovely people. perhaps essentially how to respect oneself and others. but i found the book a bit disjointed at times and i also cringed at some of the nastiness. it's an interesting adventure and very much details japanese culture, which i found very fascinating.

This is a lovely story that is impossible to set aside for mundanities
such as meals and sleep. I adored practicing the language as I
became a part of the adventure while on the lovely trains, leaving
me sad each time a part of the journey ended.
It seemed like the story of the fiancé and the bride (two different women,)
is the catalyst for the eventual evolutions of separate people~ most
of whom are met on the ubiquitous train lines.
There are some precious and funny scenes that are brilliantly written
and translated ~ the quality of the translation makes all of the scenes
read seamlessly with nothing lost. It’s really well done.
This story will be followed by every age of women. Married,
single, it does not matter, this book is for everyone. I highly
recommend this book.
My thanks to Berkley Publishing via NetGalley for the download
copy of,this book for review purposes.

The train sets off on its finite journey, transporting as many stories as passengers.

A sweet story about a group of passengers on a train, the ways their lives interact and affect each other. I really enjoyed this, and loved seeing the different ways these strangers impacted each other’s lives. I loved the author's last two books, so this book immediately shot to the top of my most anticipated reads. Her other books made me cry like a baby, but this one was more of a softer, comforting tale- a snapshot of these characters at a moment of change.

I really enjoyed this slice of life story from Hiro Arikawa. I loved seeing the different points of view from all the different characters, but also having them converge at different points. It was very interesting, and I loved all the characters. Very cozy.

This series of related vignettes was a very pleasant, relaxing read. It's the kind of thing that works well with reading just before bed. The characters are interesting and the setting is unique.

I chose this book specifically because of the face that it has the Hankyu Line in the title. I've ridden on the line every time I've been to Kyoto, so I just had to find out what this book was about!

I enjoy how the author centered the story on the interlocking lives of passengers who encounter one another while riding the Hankyu line. The manner in which they interact or are even influenced by the others was quite clever. Some of the stories were rather endearing or heartwarming, while others were a bit more sad or wistful.

Ultimately the story reminds us that we're all humans living our own lives as best as we can, part of a much larger, interconnected story. I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting of the book, but it was a worthwhile read.

When I lived in Osaka, my daily commute train was on the Keihan Line. I only took the Hankyu Line a handful of times, usually to go to Koshien Stadium to watch the Hanshin Tigers play, or to go sightseeing on the west side of the river in Kyoto or on to Kobe. The distinctive retro design of the maroon Hankyu line cars, with their interior wood paneling and peridot upholstery, is pretty cool, I have to agree.

Anyway, I loved this book. Building on the train setting, the novel's themes center around beginnings, endings, and the things realized between those two points through external connection, as well as internal connection with the self. The passengers interact both directly and indirectly with one another in ways that are usual, surprising, and occasionally inspiring. I loved being back in the crisscross environment of Japanese railway travel.

I enjoyed all the storylines and appreciated the outcomes, some of which I could really celebrate and some of which gave me pause for thought. But they were perfectly in keeping with the notion that we're all just trying to do life together and sometimes it works out great, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes there's a middling line that has to be found. Brilliant and memorable storytelling.