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jennifer_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
i have a few things to say about this one. number one being: somebody needs check this man's hard drive!!!!!!! the hyper-sexual descriptions of actual children and mentally-childlike girls, the gratuitous descriptions of child rape, the very strange (and very difficult to believe) perspective of the female narrator towards sex, sexuality, and her body.... all of these elements were inescapable for the duration of the book. they did nothing to contribute to the novel's plot, themes, or character development. i would consider myself to be tolerant to mature themes in books when they are tactfully incorporated into the book's larger message, but i left this book just feeling very disturbed. my biggest takeaway from this story was not the revered complex storyline, themes of absurdity and surrealism, or enduring true love, but ultimately the pedophilia, misogyny, and perversion that the reader was subjected to for 1000(!) pages.
sadly, this has to be the most disappointing book i've ever read due to my hopefulness going in. this was my first time reading murakami, and i had heard rave reviews about his work, including this series. while i am giving this book 1.5 starts instead of 1 star, it is only because of the slight bit of merit in the book's prose and unique premise.
however, i can't recommend it, and i'm sad to think about the other books that i could have read during the long and tedious hours spent on this book. please, learn from my mistakes, and spare yourself.
sadly, this has to be the most disappointing book i've ever read due to my hopefulness going in. this was my first time reading murakami, and i had heard rave reviews about his work, including this series. while i am giving this book 1.5 starts instead of 1 star, it is only because of the slight bit of merit in the book's prose and unique premise.
however, i can't recommend it, and i'm sad to think about the other books that i could have read during the long and tedious hours spent on this book. please, learn from my mistakes, and spare yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual violence
claudiatylr's review against another edition
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
First of all, this long-ass book derailed my entire summer reading plans. Took me four damn months to get through this. Also, from a literal standpoint, virtually NOTHING happens in this monster. I’ve never seen so little action in such a long book. JK Rowling fought a whole ass war against the death eaters in half the time.
And yet I would not be a fan of surrealist literature if I didn’t admit that it’s one of the most technically well-written novels I’ve ever picked up. Not to mention so literarily and theistically packed that it’ll take me many more months and multiple Reddit threads to fully piece together my thoughts. It’s undeniably impressive and beautiful.
But alas, Murakami’s way too into minors, so I can’t give it more than a 4.0
And yet I would not be a fan of surrealist literature if I didn’t admit that it’s one of the most technically well-written novels I’ve ever picked up. Not to mention so literarily and theistically packed that it’ll take me many more months and multiple Reddit threads to fully piece together my thoughts. It’s undeniably impressive and beautiful.
But alas, Murakami’s way too into minors, so I can’t give it more than a 4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape, and Violence
ashleyk1's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Amazed I made it through. Every female character (especially the teenaged one) is hyper-sexualized. talks of sexual assult (of minors) that’s not addressed with any tact imo. the main characters also jump to insane conclusions all the time which really makes it hard to believe any part of the plot isn’t predestined (is that the point?? idk what point he’s even trying to make). but the central mystery was intriguing i guess so i persevered
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape
thislunarbeauty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gore, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Self harm
kerrence30's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The main idea of the story was good, the complexities of the magical realism part were a bit forced, in my opinion, as at times it made sense, but other times it didn’t, and was covered up by characters saying “I can’t explain it, I just know” and you’re expected to roll with that. If you do then fine, it’s a fun story of parallel universes. My only sticking point is the gratuitous sex. There is a fair amount of description of the bodies of minor characters, of which doesn’t add anything to the story. For example, going into detail about how the two underage girls touched eachother doesn’t then lead her to realise she as attracted to women… it’s unnecessary, and I can’t imagine why… I listened to the audiobook and eventually skipped 30 seconds once I realised where it was going.
That’s the only reason why I could rate this so high. It was otherwise a well written and unique story.
That’s the only reason why I could rate this so high. It was otherwise a well written and unique story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Pedophilia and Pregnancy
Minor: Child abuse and Rape
allyem_reads's review against another edition
Y'all I just can't do it. Not only are there a multitude of triggers in here (including suicide, rape, sexual abuse of a minor, animal death, murder, and religious trauma) it's also uncomfortably slow and the weirdness is not enough to keep me invested. Plus I feel like this was Murakami at his most Murakaminess, and you couldn't read a single page of this book without getting at least two mentions of women's bodies in a derogatory way. I need to stop for the sake of my sanity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder
adrianefva's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
3eggomelet's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Yes, I read the whole thing. I ordered all three books in Japanese and referred to them throughout my reading.
The premise and concept of this book carried me through. I wanted to know what would happen. I'm not gonna say it wasn't worth it, but I would recommend against reading this if you're not already super interested.
The premise and concept of this book carried me through. I wanted to know what would happen. I'm not gonna say it wasn't worth it, but I would recommend against reading this if you're not already super interested.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Abandonment
flitch's review against another edition
3.5
I found this to be an enthralling read, but ultimately a let-down. Much of the early symbolism felt meaningless by the end of the book, and many of the intriguing plotlines were simply abandoned. For a novel with a strong female lead - who I loved! - the misogyny was overwhelming. The obsession with breasts really detracted from my ability to enjoy the story.
I loved the surreal qualities of the story, especially the interplay between the intentions of the characters and the nature of reality. The writing itself is beautiful and thought-provoking.
I absolutely hatedthe introduction of underage rape as a plot element, made even worse by the bizarre supernatural explanation "absolving" the perpetrator. Almost DNF after a sympathetic character described an assault and the resulting infertility in graphic detail front of the victim. Entirely unnecessary and disgusting.
I loved the surreal qualities of the story, especially the interplay between the intentions of the characters and the nature of reality. The writing itself is beautiful and thought-provoking.
I absolutely hated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Animal death, Incest, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder
bookwort's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Dementia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy