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remjunior's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh. I can't give this one star, because there were some really promising parts, but the bad outweighs the good here.
Cons:
-Overly long. This is a monster of a book and I'm not sure if Murakami is insulting the reader or just needs an editor or some other unfathomable reason that he felt the need to repeat things over and over and over again. Honestly--one of the main characters is meeting someone later in the day and asks himself what he will do in between to fill the time. Murakami then proceeds to write about every little detail, from brushing his teeth to flossing to making a soft-boiled egg to making toast and on and on. Really? I know there are different writing styles, and I can usually appreciate them even if I don't LIKE them, but this was borderline like reading a technical manual at some points.
-Character reactions. Really? You find out that your in another time or world and Murakami only spends a sentence mentioning a reaction? It was like this for EVERY major event. The characters just seem to shrug their shoulders and act like everything is normal. It's bizarre.
-Length. Did I mention the book is too long?
-Characters....are boring. They suck. Seriously. Tengo is like a brick wall and Aomame might actually be a little bit of a psychopath.
-Graphic sex. I don't consider myself prudish and have read novels like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or almost anything by Cormac McCarthy. I don't find the violence and sex/rape in those novels problematic because they don't feel gratuitous. This novel...it felt very gratuitous and is probably in line with the information overload that Murakami is so fond of. The treatment of women in this is bad but I won't get into these details. Objectification, weird male fantasies about women and sex, etc. It's just not something I appreciate when it's done tastelessly.
Pros:
-The story is interesting. I really liked the surreal and fantastical elements. I also like one of the characters added in the last quarter of the book.
Actually, that's all I have. I don't know. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this novel and probably would've liked it a lot more if it wasn't so obnoxiously long for no good reason. I don't think I'll read another Murakami novel if they are like this.
Cons:
-Overly long. This is a monster of a book and I'm not sure if Murakami is insulting the reader or just needs an editor or some other unfathomable reason that he felt the need to repeat things over and over and over again. Honestly--one of the main characters is meeting someone later in the day and asks himself what he will do in between to fill the time. Murakami then proceeds to write about every little detail, from brushing his teeth to flossing to making a soft-boiled egg to making toast and on and on. Really? I know there are different writing styles, and I can usually appreciate them even if I don't LIKE them, but this was borderline like reading a technical manual at some points.
-Character reactions. Really? You find out that your in another time or world and Murakami only spends a sentence mentioning a reaction? It was like this for EVERY major event. The characters just seem to shrug their shoulders and act like everything is normal. It's bizarre.
-Length. Did I mention the book is too long?
-Characters....are boring. They suck. Seriously. Tengo is like a brick wall and Aomame might actually be a little bit of a psychopath.
-Graphic sex. I don't consider myself prudish and have read novels like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or almost anything by Cormac McCarthy. I don't find the violence and sex/rape in those novels problematic because they don't feel gratuitous. This novel...it felt very gratuitous and is probably in line with the information overload that Murakami is so fond of. The treatment of women in this is bad but I won't get into these details. Objectification, weird male fantasies about women and sex, etc. It's just not something I appreciate when it's done tastelessly.
Pros:
-The story is interesting. I really liked the surreal and fantastical elements. I also like one of the characters added in the last quarter of the book.
Actually, that's all I have. I don't know. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this novel and probably would've liked it a lot more if it wasn't so obnoxiously long for no good reason. I don't think I'll read another Murakami novel if they are like this.
pumpkinpotpie's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
alyssacantread's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting concept but this book honestly could have been 600 pages shorter and told the same story.
charlietuna92's review against another edition
5.0
To be honest, I didn’t know what I was getting into with this book when I started it. All the descriptions of this book were cryptic and didn’t reveal much. But I had heard so many good things about it that I felt like I needed to read it. But because there was no good description of it, I hesitated. I wish I’d read it sooner. After reading it, it’s obvious why all the descriptions are so cryptic. This book unfolds in a way that is truly unique and amazing. Each chapter gives you a new detail to tell the full story. it revolves around two main characters, and each chapter begins to reveal the relationship that seemingly isn’t there, but runs very deep. An excellent book and a truly unique one. I’ve never read a story quite like this, and I doubt that I ever will again.
niha42's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
marocuya's review against another edition
4.0
I did enjoy this book very much. I ate it up, it's all I thought about.... Then I got to volume three and I kind of had to drag myself across the chapters... I mean once I was reading I enjoyed but I wasn't too enthusiastic about picking up the book. Overall I would recommend... The story is awesome but it gets to the point where you feel certain details are being hammered into your head somehow because they are repeated over and over and over....
aplemus's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
brian_alexander's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
alexandwaters's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0