The Housekeeper and the Professor

This is a very compelling, unusual story and a believable account of how human relationships can successfully develop, even under adverse circumstances. Also, the book makes math seem interesting, even to a person like me, who has no special interest in math.

A touching and elegant story told within the background of the beauty of mathematics. How do you create relationships when a memory lasts only 80 minutes? With compassion and respect and undivided attention. There are images that will be remembered long after this short novel is finished.

I enjoyed reading this book. It kept me interested. I'm still trying to figure out what the Professor's formula meant that he wrote when the Housekeeper was being questioned by the Professor's sister-in-law. I kept wishing the Professor's memory would last longer and he would remember events with the Housekeeper and Root, but just the opposite happened.

I was fascinated each time how the mathematics popped into the wonderful story. The story unfolded so beautifully that I could not put it down. I was expecting a more detailed explanation about the professor and his sister in law. I assume she married the wrong brother, but why? An excellent read.

This was a quick read. The story came together well, and the author left some of the character's experiences open for interpretation. I liked that I learned a little about math while it wasn’t too overpowering. Since the main character relies on math for stability, so it was almost comforting to watch him fall back on it when he needed to. It was also fun to allow myself to imagine the main characters and how they would appear in real life.

The story doesn’t stray too far from the main theme, so it isn’t hard to put down and come back to. I do think there was room to expand the characters, and possibly explain the culture a little more.

This was a very sweet book that intertwined the beauty of math, youth and love. Ogawa made the main character (subject to debate), the professor, simply fascinating. The professor's short term memory problem gave him components of innocence and purity that painted the beauty of the human heart.

I love math, but never thought that it would make me think about the world and the meaning of our existence. Do not be intimidated if you do not like math though. The professor is a patient, sweet teacher. :)

The Housekeeper and the Professor is a Japanese novel by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder. It follows an elderly mathematician with severe memory loss (his memory resets after 80 minutes), and the young housekeeper who comes to take care of his house and meals and ends up developing a powerful and sweet bond with him despite his failing memory. It’s told from the housekeeper’s point of view and includes her 11 yo son, nicknamed Root (we never learn either of their real names). The housekeeper’s lovely plain spoken manner is an ideal reader’s perspective, and I fell hard for the eccentric old mathematician and his tender and illuminating love for numbers and children. And of course there’s no getting away from the Japanese obsession with baseball. THatP is a wonderful quick read of a book about memory, relationships, and mathematics.

This book is truly a delightful read!
I absolutely loved this book portraying the beauty of friendship between generations. How the Housekeeper, the Professor and Root developed a triangle where each bought something to the others lives. One of my favourite reads

The book was well written and interesting to a point, but just didn't do much for me. Maybe it made me appreciate numbers more. The professor's medical condition was not very plausible and it just seemed a little weird to me.

Beautifully written small novel, with a special appeal for those of us who are fascinated by the seeming simplicity and true profundity of mathematical number theory. Touching and whimsical, it combines the desire for understanding with childlike wonder in the professor, the housekeeper and her son. The professor's limited memory time span is a clever gimmick that adds to the book's appeal.

This was such an unusual and thoroughly fascinating look into how human relationships can develop in spite of a debilitating mental condition. Although I never was an exhuberant student of math, I found myself spending a great deal of time going over the mathematical problems presented by the professor. I truly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it as an easy read and one that you'll want to read from cover to cover.

An unusual story, beautifully told. The characters are few but well drawn with deceptively simple language. The book explores the nature of trust between mother and son, employer and employee, young and old, healthy and sick; it reveals the transformational power of kindness and decency.

The concept was original but I felt the writing was strained a few times resulting in situations that felt false. At first I chalked it up to translating to English but by the end I felt it was just occasionally awkward. Still, a very enjoyable read.

This book reminded me of the movie Memento. It is a must read if you love math or teach or take math. The writing like the math is elegant. I kept paper and pencil nearby while reading it. You need to be intellectually involved for this read and ready to check out Kahn Academy if you are rusty on the math.

The book brought to mind mathematical concepts long buried, especially to a math teacher, which I am not. My math teacher friend thought reading it was like renewing old acquaintances not seen in a long time. The novel charmed me with its relationships founded on limited time and understandings; yet the caring between the professor and the housekeeper and her son endeared me to the novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, tho would have enjoyed it more if I were'nt such a dunce at math. I mailed it to my niece who has a masters in math.
A unique plot, to say the least! and I learned a lot about contemporary life in Japan.

Loved the beauty of the actual book: the cover, the feel. the size--great for those of us who still love the feel of books, as well as the stories. The book's story was very poignant, unique, short and thought provoking. We enjoyed discussing it at our book club, all sharing our positive thoughts