aliencatl0rd's review against another edition
2.0
As a whole I wasn't very pleased with this collection of short stories. I thought a lot of them were too similar, or just too weird and not entertaining. However, there were some truly amazing stories that I think every Murakami fan should read:
・The Wind Up Bird and Tuesday's Women
・Sleep
・Barn Burning
・Family Affair
Sleep was particularly fantastic. I really loved that one and read it more than once.
・The Wind Up Bird and Tuesday's Women
・Sleep
・Barn Burning
・Family Affair
Sleep was particularly fantastic. I really loved that one and read it more than once.
billybookmark's review against another edition
3.0
I thought I left this book on the bus home so I got an audible trial to listen to the rest of it when it turns out I'd just left it out in the shed
this could've been a story in the book
this could've been a story in the book
bbboeken's review against another edition
2.0
Een bundel kortverhalen; kortverhalen zijn niet altijd mijn ding, en ik heb niet de indruk dat dit boek tot het beste van Murakami behoort. Ofwel was het een te snelle opeenstapeling van Murakami pubergevoelens. Maar ik bedoel dat niet zo gelijk het er staat.
marksanders's review against another edition
5.0
i thought i loved murakami until i saw what he can do with short stories. hint: they're even better! quirky as always, poignant as ever, concise in a way no other author can match. some of my favorite stories of the last decade are in this compendium.
kimmeham's review against another edition
4.0
En morsom novellesamling med tydelig Murakami-stempel over hele linjen. Novellene er skrevet på slutten av 80-tallet og begynnelsen av 90-tallet – det er tydelig at noen av novellene har inspirert Murakami til noen av romanene han senere har gitt ut.
Den røde tråden i samlingen er at samtlige hovedkarakterer er i starten av 30-årene og sliter med ett eller annet i livet sitt – gjerne en meningsløs jobb (gjennomgående i markedsføringsbransjen og innenfor elektronikk) og et skrantende eller ikke-eksisterende kjærlighetsliv. Plutselig skjer det noe: Man bestemmer seg for å raide et bakeri, det dukker opp pygmeer som leverer en flunka ny TV, eller man skal klippe plenen til en abnormt overvektig overklassekvinne.
Nivået på novellene er litt ujevnt, men de beste er så gode at jeg allerede har lest noen flere ganger. Jevnt over er det absurd, det er morsomt, og som vanlig sabla godt skrevet. Finfin romjulslektyre.
Den røde tråden i samlingen er at samtlige hovedkarakterer er i starten av 30-årene og sliter med ett eller annet i livet sitt – gjerne en meningsløs jobb (gjennomgående i markedsføringsbransjen og innenfor elektronikk) og et skrantende eller ikke-eksisterende kjærlighetsliv. Plutselig skjer det noe: Man bestemmer seg for å raide et bakeri, det dukker opp pygmeer som leverer en flunka ny TV, eller man skal klippe plenen til en abnormt overvektig overklassekvinne.
Nivået på novellene er litt ujevnt, men de beste er så gode at jeg allerede har lest noen flere ganger. Jevnt over er det absurd, det er morsomt, og som vanlig sabla godt skrevet. Finfin romjulslektyre.
risemini's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Alcohol
hanzy's review against another edition
3.0
It’s hard giving a rating for the collection as each story made me feel differently.
I sort of hated the first few short stories but going on forth with the rest, I started feeling differently and quite enjoyed some of the tales. These stories are bizarre… more of psychological explorations, experiences and feelings that we can’t really put to words but Murakami does just that. I’d say if you’re to read this collection, go with a bit of an open approach, not expecting any plot or satisfactory endings. The characters aren’t the most likable and there’s some apathy, some undistinguished personality trait that seems to be shared by almost all of them. You can’t attach yourself to the storyline or the characters, but you see the shades of human nature and at times it may even resonate with you. I wholly dislike his explicitness though and strongly believe the stories could do well without them.
Also, each of these tales seems to have some connection between them which was another point of interest for me personally.
I sort of hated the first few short stories but going on forth with the rest, I started feeling differently and quite enjoyed some of the tales. These stories are bizarre… more of psychological explorations, experiences and feelings that we can’t really put to words but Murakami does just that. I’d say if you’re to read this collection, go with a bit of an open approach, not expecting any plot or satisfactory endings. The characters aren’t the most likable and there’s some apathy, some undistinguished personality trait that seems to be shared by almost all of them. You can’t attach yourself to the storyline or the characters, but you see the shades of human nature and at times it may even resonate with you. I wholly dislike his explicitness though and strongly believe the stories could do well without them.
Also, each of these tales seems to have some connection between them which was another point of interest for me personally.
olim777's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
siriface's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5