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dsalazar's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Weird… liked it and was sucked in. A bit slow at certain parts but overall I enjoyed it especially the character building. The characters themselves were complex but the pacing took me out of it every so often. Filled with a lot of disturbing themes centered around incest and age gaps but weaved seamlessly into a broader theme of soulmates and time-bending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture
_engy_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood
samcsmith's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gore, Incest, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Rape, Self harm, Medical content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War
jodean's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
If I understood a thing about this book, I can't put it into words.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Incest, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Terminal illness
Minor: War
japhs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
milliebiggs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
My copy of Kafka On The Shore is now possibly my most treasured book. Murakami is an insane genius and I want his brain just without his pervertedness. This book was absolutely insane and confusing but so incredible. I loved all of these characters and this was just such a smart book!! Insane!!! Murakami has some crazy effect on me idk what this book was laced with. But anyway this was a very good book and I have so many thoughts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, and Abandonment
soton's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
2nd Murakami book. The author has a clear formula: two women, the one I (the protagonist) long for the most but who's out of reach, then the one who's unrealistically frank and open with from the second I meet who I have sex with. It's too formulaic, like the same book in different fonts.
I still think they're well written, and I like the magical realism aspects, but ultimately I didn't enjoy the fetish content which I feel like was a huge aspect of this book. The pseudo-incest foreshadowing "You are prophesized to sleep with your sister and mother", and the weird way Oshima was written about calling him a "he/she" who "becomes a woman when he sleeps" all just made me want to stop reading it. The intended thrill of the incest just manifested as dread for me, and the self-insert rape scenes were worse than I was expecting. It feels like reading someone's personal fantasy fulfillment for fantasies I don't have. It's clear Murakami books aren't for me.
I still think they're well written, and I like the magical realism aspects, but ultimately I didn't enjoy the fetish content which I feel like was a huge aspect of this book. The pseudo-incest foreshadowing "You are prophesized to sleep with your sister and mother", and the weird way Oshima was written about calling him a "he/she" who "becomes a woman when he sleeps" all just made me want to stop reading it. The intended thrill of the incest just manifested as dread for me, and the self-insert rape scenes were worse than I was expecting. It feels like reading someone's personal fantasy fulfillment for fantasies I don't have. It's clear Murakami books aren't for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Transphobia, and Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Dysphoria
jayvdw's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This book is a fever dream. It may not feel like it while reading, but the moment you close the book and try to really think about everything, that is the moment it hits you.
After finishing the book the first thing I did was browse the internet for almost an hour, reading and listening to different theories. The book is complex and like Murakami said: the book consists of several riddles with no answers, instead the riddles combine, and the possibility of an answer emerges. In my eyes, this means there is no one way to interpret the book. Each and every person will have their own view of the meaning and full story.
I loved how the book combined Western and Eastern philosophy and mythology. This only enriches the fever dream-like feeling of the book. In addition to this, the book talks about many different important themes and makes you think about them.
Overall, the book is wild and crazy, it brings out the magic within the mundane. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a more complex story. Even after finishing the book, it will still haunt your mind and you will wonder what it all could really have been about.
After finishing the book the first thing I did was browse the internet for almost an hour, reading and listening to different theories. The book is complex and like Murakami said: the book consists of several riddles with no answers, instead the riddles combine, and the possibility of an answer emerges. In my eyes, this means there is no one way to interpret the book. Each and every person will have their own view of the meaning and full story.
I loved how the book combined Western and Eastern philosophy and mythology. This only enriches the fever dream-like feeling of the book. In addition to this, the book talks about many different important themes and makes you think about them.
Overall, the book is wild and crazy, it brings out the magic within the mundane. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a more complex story. Even after finishing the book, it will still haunt your mind and you will wonder what it all could really have been about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Incest, Suicide, Grief, and War
bazigigi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I feel very conflicted about this book so I'll post my review below but I definitely understand why some people love and some find it too disturbing
Let me start with the bad and get that over with. Miyazaki always seems to struggle writing complex and well thought out female characters and simply cannot seem to write any female character (regardless of age) without explicit commentary at the very least. I know fans are inclined to chalk it up to the flawed and often young male main characters' viewpoint but it happens with such consistency across all his novels that it doesn't feel like an unreliable narrator it feels like an unreliable author.
Moreover alot of the explicit violence and sexual content adds nothing to the story and is included to create shock value. This gives the impression that because the author feels he is writing a deep commentary on deep topics it must contain shocking content (however relevant) to earn it's grittiness. This lack of sincerity leaves this unnecessary violence pretentious and cheap. Although it is of course still very stomach turning.
All that said, the actual subject matter of the book and the journey of the characters is extremely interesting. It is easy to get into the POVs of multiple characters and understand their thoughts and motivations and the ambiguity of what exactly is happening or what things mean is very well done. It is engaging precisely because it doesn't spell out for the reader what everything means instead allowing you to draw your own conclusions. In a way it is like watching a painting develop the purpose of each addition seems unclear until you reach the end and the reader is presented the finished piece to make of what they will. Ultimately this makes it a really compelling book to re-read, analyze and discuss with other because theories and takeaways can vary. To me this book was in large part a commentary about the nature of time and trauma. But I won't say much more so everyone can find their own meaning the way I got to!
As long as you go in with your eyes wide open about the story's relation to the Oedipus Myth, the graphic violence and sexual content and Miyazaki's style of writing women and girls (and you think you can stomach those things) I recommend this book, it is compelling and you will want to read it again (perhaps skipping certain parts). I'm taking away points for the pointless disturbing/violent content, typically bad sex scenes and the poorly fleshed out over-sexualized female characters but it was otherwise a thought provoking good book if you don't mind some pretentious prose 3.5 stars.
Let me start with the bad and get that over with. Miyazaki always seems to struggle writing complex and well thought out female characters and simply cannot seem to write any female character (regardless of age) without explicit commentary at the very least. I know fans are inclined to chalk it up to the flawed and often young male main characters' viewpoint but it happens with such consistency across all his novels that it doesn't feel like an unreliable narrator it feels like an unreliable author.
Moreover alot of the explicit violence and sexual content adds nothing to the story and is included to create shock value. This gives the impression that because the author feels he is writing a deep commentary on deep topics it must contain shocking content (however relevant) to earn it's grittiness. This lack of sincerity leaves this unnecessary violence pretentious and cheap. Although it is of course still very stomach turning.
All that said, the actual subject matter of the book and the journey of the characters is extremely interesting. It is easy to get into the POVs of multiple characters and understand their thoughts and motivations and the ambiguity of what exactly is happening or what things mean is very well done. It is engaging precisely because it doesn't spell out for the reader what everything means instead allowing you to draw your own conclusions. In a way it is like watching a painting develop the purpose of each addition seems unclear until you reach the end and the reader is presented the finished piece to make of what they will. Ultimately this makes it a really compelling book to re-read, analyze and discuss with other because theories and takeaways can vary. To me this book was in large part a commentary about the nature of time and trauma. But I won't say much more so everyone can find their own meaning the way I got to!
As long as you go in with your eyes wide open about the story's relation to the Oedipus Myth, the graphic violence and sexual content and Miyazaki's style of writing women and girls (and you think you can stomach those things) I recommend this book, it is compelling and you will want to read it again (perhaps skipping certain parts). I'm taking away points for the pointless disturbing/violent content, typically bad sex scenes and the poorly fleshed out over-sexualized female characters but it was otherwise a thought provoking good book if you don't mind some pretentious prose 3.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
colinh411's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Good book overall. Very introspective and definitely a commentary on what it means to be a person and how we are all interconnected. Use of music to define characters was also pretty neat. Weirdly horny tho. Oedipus complex heavily present throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual content
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Transphobia