Before the Coffee Gets Cold: The cosy million-copy sensation from Japan
Sep 2019 · Before the Coffee Gets Cold Book 1 · Pan Macmillan
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155 reviews
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About this ebook
The bestselling international phenomenon, now wrapped up in a gorgeous, special festive gift edition - the perfect stocking filler for a loved one.
What would you do if you could go back in time?
In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a cafe which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel in time.
In Before the coffee gets cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to:
- confront the man who left them
- receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer’s
- see their sister one last time
- meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.
But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the cafe, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .
Translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot, Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful, moving Before the coffee gets cold explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?
Continue the beautifully moving storytelling with Tales from the Cafe, Before Your Memory Fades, Before We Say Goodbye, Before We Forget Kindness and Before I knew I loved you.
What would you do if you could go back in time?
In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a cafe which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel in time.
In Before the coffee gets cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to:
- confront the man who left them
- receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer’s
- see their sister one last time
- meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.
But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the cafe, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .
Translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot, Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful, moving Before the coffee gets cold explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?
Continue the beautifully moving storytelling with Tales from the Cafe, Before Your Memory Fades, Before We Say Goodbye, Before We Forget Kindness and Before I knew I loved you.
The bestselling international phenomenon, now wrapped up in a gorgeous, special festive gift edition - the perfect stocking filler for a loved one.
What would you do if you could go back in time?
In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a cafe which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for...
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Ratings and reviews
155 reviews
NICOLE JENORITA
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December 13, 2025
Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a gentle and emotional read that made me pause and reflect on my own regrets and relationships. Set in a small café where time travel is possible for only a few moments, the story focuses on feelings rather than changing the past. It’s a quiet, thoughtful book that stayed with me long after I finished reading. I chose the right book for my afternoon reading sessions👏🏻
Alice White
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November 10, 2024
I bought this book after reading some reviews, and I have to admit that I found it underwhelming. The plotline develops quite quickly, but I found it to be quite tedious and predictable in parts. As for the characters, I found them to be quite one-dimensional at times, and it was quite difficult to engage with them and their stories. That being said, I did find this to be quite an easy read. If you're looking for quite an 'out there' concept-style of book, then I think you'd really enjoy this!
Lorraine Clarke
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April 11, 2023
DNF. I like the premise of the plot, but it's slow-paced and almost nothing happens for the first third of the book. It's also hard to keep track of the new characters being introduced, as they all have very bland personalities. Perhaps this isn't the right genre for me.
About the author
Toshikazu Kawaguchi was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song and Family Time. The novel Before the coffee gets cold is adapted from a 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize. It was followed by Tales from the cafe, Before your memory fades, Before we say goodbye, Before we forget kindness and Before I knew I loved you.
Toshikazu Kawaguchi was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song and Family Time. The novel Before the coffee gets cold is adapted from a 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi,...
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