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Butter
- Narrated by: Hanako Footman
- Length: 17 hrs and 12 mins
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Butter
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Summary
'Compelling, delightfully weird, often uncomfortable' PANDORA SYKES
'Unputdownable, breathtakingly original' ERIN KELLY
'I have been glued to Asako Yuzuki's new novel Butter’ NIGEL SLATER
‘A full-fat, Michelin-starred treat’ THE TIMES
The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story.
There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine.
Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can’t resist writing back.
Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body, might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?
Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, "The Konkatsu Killer", Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.
'Luscious … I devoured this' IMOGEN CRIMP
'A salty morsel with one hell of a bite’ ALICE SLATER
‘Nothing short of ingenious’ INEWS
‘Ambitious and unsettling’ GUARDIAN
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What listeners say about Butter
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- J. Dixon
- 06-04-24
Very slow
Maybe something was lost in translation- it’s an interesting insight into modern Japanese life but just boring. Gave up after a couple of hours of listening
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- K. Llewellyn
- 14-03-24
An absolute favourite
What a beautiful, complex, compelling and wide-reaching story that touches on so much of the lived experience. Not only beautifully written, but beautifully translated and performed as well. A testament to all involved and one I will come back to again, and again, and perhaps again
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Rosie Cousins
- 25-03-24
Unsure?
I was drawn in as I tend to go for crime fiction or true crime and this was advertised to me as such. it had elements of that but was lacking for me and focused more on the journalists emotional journey. not a bad story just not what I was expecting.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Veronica
- 13-03-24
Is a story that takes you from the start
Works through the standards women are measured by and how it shapes their lives. But also how working through them and deciding what would be yours can help shape them
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 21-04-24
10/10 Book! Perfect in every way!
I think it would take a lot to top this book. Totally captivating. The descriptions of the dishes were mouthwatering (had to go make the butter rice straight away) and the mystery of Kajii was intriguing. I want to listen to it again and again. Hanako Footman is the perfect narrator - brilliant as always.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Pamela
- 15-03-24
Wonderful, delicious and rich
I can’t really describe it. It’s a beautiful book. All the characters and the insights will stay with me. A delicious take on food, family, friendship. Great narrator too.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Deirdre
- 05-03-24
Loved it.
Cultural norms are challenged in this multi layered book. It needs attention when listening as it moves through multiple characters and the attention to food, society and the guesswork of a proposed serial killer. Different and wonderful at the same time. I'd say we will see many 5 star to 2 star reviews as this is a different type of story in the genre.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- martina
- 11-04-24
so unnecessarily long
boring at times, too long for what the story was. the story looses its own path at times, presenting characters and facts that add length of pages but not depth to the story.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 02-03-24
The jury is out
I don’t know quite what to make of this book definitely didn’t love it. Maybe just indifferent. Will definitely need a re read. Lot of food, culture, gender roles, body image, relationship It feels very timely.
The serial killer plot felt secondary to me because there was so much going on to the other characters.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Vicki
- 06-03-24
Slow but interesting
The description of food and tastes is amazing, and I enjoyed being transported to Japan. But the plot is very slow and rather thin and that was a little disappointing.
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