Book Review: Waiting For A Person, Coffee (等一个人咖啡) – Giddens Ko (九把刀)

Waiting For A Person, Coffee

Title: Waiting For A Person, Coffee (等一个人咖啡)
Author: Giddens Ko (九把刀)
Published: January 2013

Waiting For A Person, Coffee is Giddens Ko’s very first simple romantic novel. As the title suggests, it is a story about waiting. Waiting for that right person to come along; waiting for that one person to notice you.

Told in a first person point of view by our main female character, Si Ying (思萤), the story starts when she starts working at a cafe with a very unique name, Waiting for a Person, Cafe. There she meets the outgoing, handsome and talented guy she falls head over heels for, Ze Yu (泽于). Ze Yu is the diamond shining in the light with a string of girlfriends, one after another; but being picked up after each breakup by Si Ying. There, she also meets A Tuo (阿拓), the buried jade. From the very beginning, she decides that she has to stand up and fight for him. But little did she know, he would show her an entirely different world.

Through A Tuo, Si Ying (and the readers) meet an extraordinary chef, a triad boss, a body trick magician, and other quirky and interesting characters. These people soon become a part of Si Ying’s world, or more correctly, Si Ying becomes a part of theirs and A Tuo’s. Giddens gives life and provides an identity to each character Si Ying meets. By the time you are finished with the story, you’ll feel as if you have also become a part of their world.

Less fluffier than most of the other novels we have on this site, Waiting For A Person, Coffee tugs at the heartstrings while exploring the different ways a person can wait for their certain someone. It’s not that easy of a read, sometimes a bit crude, and dry; Some of the descriptions are almost to the point of being too long-winded but the love stories in it are heartwarming enough that you want to reach the end and find out if they do end up happily ever after with their fated person. (Spoiler) They do.

Read or Not: Read for the detailed, intriguing characters and for that someone you are waiting for.

Excerpt:

“I’m sorry.” I said.

“There’s no need to be sorry, you’ve never agreed to what I have been doing.” He said.

“I’m sorry.” I started crying.

“There’s no need to be sorry, some things have already been decided on from the start. There’s no point in trying hard.”

He resisted, with difficulty, to not let tears fall down.

“I’m sorry.” The girl placed her face into her hands.

“There’s no need to be sorry, but you have to understand — there are some things that will never change even in ten-thousand years.”

He said resolutely, “I will always be waiting for you to become my bride.”

This book was made into a movie and released August 2014 called, Café. Waiting. Love. While also written and directed by Giddens, just the beginning of it completely destroyed my image of the story (especially with even more of Gidden’s typical crude humor added in), so I can’t in good conscience recommend it to you.