amandarose529's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
5.0
wistful and reflective, on friendship and growing up and introspection
“And in that moment, he was finally able to accept at all. And the deepest recesses of his soul, Tsukuru Tazaki understood. One heart is not connected to another through harmony alone. They are, instead, linked deeply through their wounds. Pain linked to pain, fragility to fragility. There’s no silence without a cry of grief, no forgiveness without bloodshed, no acceptance without a passage through acute loss. That is what lies at the root of true harmony.”
“And in that moment, he was finally able to accept at all. And the deepest recesses of his soul, Tsukuru Tazaki understood. One heart is not connected to another through harmony alone. They are, instead, linked deeply through their wounds. Pain linked to pain, fragility to fragility. There’s no silence without a cry of grief, no forgiveness without bloodshed, no acceptance without a passage through acute loss. That is what lies at the root of true harmony.”
shayana8's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
atoposene's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
nabilanp's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
that_reader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
rvlgonzalez's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like this story had a fair amount of potential that it ultimately didn't live up to. It's well written and has a nice sense of sentimentality. It had Murakami's trademark fantastical vibe, but rather than bringing on the magical realism, it directs it towards a sort of pity party for Tsukuru. I also feel like maybe it's not great on feminism? Also not great on homosexuality? Worse on feminism, but it's still like, "how strange it would be if someone were gay." Ya know, I'm going to call it. If you are sensitive about societal response to sexual violence, maybe skip this one. It could be way worse, but why even get close.
evadis's review against another edition
3.0
Veel interessante thema's (identiteit, relaties, muziek, dromen, waarheid, tijd) maar niet mijn favoriet van Murakami. Nét iets te traag.
nicetsukki's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
3.0
Murakami needs to stop writing about women and write more about Haida and Tsukuru's unresolved homosexual tension.