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Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
38 reviews
andreapap15's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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? N/A
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia and Injury/Injury detail
malakessmat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
olivia_millarscott's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
lea333's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Alcohol
lea_liest's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, and Sexism
frannyglass's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
hattiefrankie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism and Fatphobia
avocadotoastbee's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.5
"Unclose your mind. You are not a prisoner. You are a bird in flight, searching the skies for dreams."
Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami is mind-bending!
The description of the plot might dull the reading experience, since the novel is mainly plot-driven.
But here's some background information:
We follow an unnamed narrator into two different worlds - the Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World. The storylines alternate in chapters.
In the Hard-Boiled Wonderland, the narrator is a 35-year-old man who works as a Calcutec, a human computer/encoder that processes sensitive data. In this world, two organizations, the System and the Factory, fight over the data. The system employs Calcutecs, while the factory, which wants to sell data illegally, employs Semiotecs.
The narrator receives a new assignment and the story takes its course.
Meanwhile, The End of the World takes place in a minimalist setting - a town (also unnamed) surrounded by a huge wall with beasts, or rather unicorns, running around. All the people there have neither minds nor shadows and work only for the sake of working. The narrator is new in the town and is assigned the job of "Dreamreader".
In the first half of the novel, it is unclear whether the two stories take place simultaneously or consecutively. However, there are certain themes that appear in both stories that somehow connect them: Unicorns, skulls and paper clips.
Chapter 26 explains in detail the connection between the two worlds.
This made me root for the narrator to escape his fate in both worlds. Therefore, I was disappointed with the ending.
Nonetheless, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World is a prime example of Murakami's magical realism. The novel explores ideas such as consciousness, unrequited love, the feeling of being trapped, and forgiveness. His signature writing style is evident. There are allusions to jazz, certain books and movies, and, of course, (unfortunately) misogyny.
If you like other novels by Haruki Murakami, I'm sure you'll enjoy this book as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Confinement
manel_'s review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
e_z's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia