jessiejonesbentley's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
sagelikesscats's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The magical realism is very well done and the writing is exquisite. The female characters are objectified but are complex.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Infidelity
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Grief, Homophobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Death of parent and Rape
beatboxboyfriend's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I probably would love this book if not for the voyeuristic way Murakami tends to write about women. Part of me does love it, I've read it multiple times and it has left me a wreck, it is very melancholic and emotional, but I always come out of it unsatisfied. I have a complicated relationship with it as it did help me get through a lonely time but I would have a hard time recommending it to other women, especially other queer women as the representation of Sumire and Miu can be so uncomfortable and upsetting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Misogyny and Lesbophobia
saraaaa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It's worth noting that this is not a love story between two women, despite being often marketed as such. It was an enticing and beautiful story, but had a lot of flaws.
There was an excessive number of similes that, as evocative and poetic as they were, kept breaking the narrative flow. Take, as an example: "She put an olive in her mouth, with her fingers took out the pit, and threw it in the ashtray, with grace, like a poet that adds a comma to a poem" (rough translation from Italian): now, as poetic as this sounds, a simile helps to picture a scene, an action, a condition more accurately, or more profoundly, if you will; Murakami's figures of speech do none of this. Moreover, this stylistic choice is equally present in the speech and first person p.o.v. of all the protagonists, highlighting its artificiality.
It was impossible not to notice the repeated, obviously useless descriptions of Myu's legs, "taut and solid" body, and short skirt. But, after all, it's a pretty typical approach to... women, in late '90s productions. Much harder to ignore was Murakami's weird obsession with nipples and their consistency, which made me almost believe he doesn't have any of his own.
The sexual scene between the two female protagonists read awfully like a porn scene, and smelled of voyeurism on Murakami's part. Only later things are explained – rather unconvincingly, with a ridiculously acephobic (though the term could almost be anachronistic here) dramatic reveal, that reduces the vitality of a woman to her fertility and sex drive.
Nevertheless, this book also gave me a lot to reflect on. Many deep and complex concepts were present through the whole book, that was heavy on the philosophical side. Told as if they were being directly discussed with the reader, one would find themself giving thought to those ideas naturally.
This was my first work by Murakami, and despite all his flaws, I can't ignore just how good of a writer he is, when it comes to setting up gloomy, tense, dark, mysterious atmospheres – they'd always accompany me much after I'd put the book down.
The ending was, well, not an ending at all, and entirely up for interpretation. Murakami keeps leaping from dream to reality, from reality to hallucination, without a warning, until the boundaries between the two completely blur out and, at the end, they disappear.
There was an excessive number of similes that, as evocative and poetic as they were, kept breaking the narrative flow. Take, as an example: "She put an olive in her mouth, with her fingers took out the pit, and threw it in the ashtray, with grace, like a poet that adds a comma to a poem" (rough translation from Italian): now, as poetic as this sounds, a simile helps to picture a scene, an action, a condition more accurately, or more profoundly, if you will; Murakami's figures of speech do none of this. Moreover, this stylistic choice is equally present in the speech and first person p.o.v. of all the protagonists, highlighting its artificiality.
It was impossible not to notice the repeated, obviously useless descriptions of Myu's legs, "taut and solid" body, and short skirt. But, after all, it's a pretty typical approach to... women, in late '90s productions. Much harder to ignore was Murakami's weird obsession with nipples and their consistency, which made me almost believe he doesn't have any of his own.
The sexual scene between the two female protagonists read awfully like a porn scene, and smelled of voyeurism on Murakami's part.
Spoiler
It's uncomfortable for one of the characters, and even more so for the reader, who finds themself reading a first person account of a heterosexual woman trying to convince herself she actually likes homosexual sex, for the sake of a girl she'd almost seen as her child just a few moments before.Nevertheless, this book also gave me a lot to reflect on. Many deep and complex concepts were present through the whole book, that was heavy on the philosophical side. Told as if they were being directly discussed with the reader, one would find themself giving thought to those ideas naturally.
This was my first work by Murakami, and despite all his flaws, I can't ignore just how good of a writer he is, when it comes to setting up gloomy, tense, dark, mysterious atmospheres – they'd always accompany me much after I'd put the book down.
The ending was, well, not an ending at all, and entirely up for interpretation. Murakami keeps leaping from dream to reality, from reality to hallucination, without a warning, until the boundaries between the two completely blur out and, at the end, they disappear.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Misogyny
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Infertility
miisoosoup's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
He has a way of beautifully depicting abstract feelings... except for the weird scenes and fantasies that no one asked for. Don't think I've ever heard of a Murakami book without at least one uncomfortably explicit description of a woman. Would've genuinely adored this book otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny
marristmass's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
elijahcole's review against another edition
I’ve read Murakami and was well aware the way he writes women is not the best, however i’ve still found myself sucked into the worlds he beautifully strings together. This book was very different. If you don’t really like how Murakami writes women, just wait until you read how he writes lesbians. And on top of that, the lesbian’s story is narrorated by none other than a man, who of course is in love with one of the women and is constantly narrorating sexual thoughts about her and wallowing in pity that he can’t be with her. as a lesbian myself i couldn’t sit through that, i don’t care if it gets better
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Homophobia
lisawesterberg's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Älskade! Alltså verkligen så vackert språk och miljöer och karaktärer. En sak som stör är hur imponerande ofta Murakami lyckas nämna könshår och bröst… ganska dålig beskrivning av kvinnor och representation av lgbtq+ men frånsett det var det en bra bok med en massa bisarra och reflektiva inslag som grep mig direkt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
pang's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Misogyny
Minor: Animal death
sylviaplathsbitch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
was a bit hard to get into but very dreamy
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Rape