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nwordsmith's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
Though long, I found the pacing fast enough to keep me engaged for most of the book. However somewhere around the three quarter mark, I lost interest in the narrative. It seemed to slow to the point of loosing all interest. That however is forgivable.
What I found most problematic was the language around female characters. All women and girls mentioned had almost no dimension. They appeared as mere objects in the narrative- objects of desire and over sexualization. Their motives, if discussed, were completely vapid. They were described almost exclusively in terms of how attractive they are and specifically the size of their breasts. The size of each female character’s breasts, including those of young girls were described ad nauseam. There were multiple conversations between a middle aged man and an adolescent girl about her small breasts. It was extremely uncomfortable as a reader and felt both unrealistic and unnecessary. It did not add to the story in any way. The continued discussion was disturbing and made the story hard to finish.
It could have been a truly great story but the sexism really ruined it.
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
charjaun_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Rape and Death of parent
persimmons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, and Stalking
fkshg8465's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
franzjulz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, and Rape
isobel_laura's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Rape and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent
3nni1's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Vaikka koin kirjan todella hyväksi, en kykenyt antamaan täysiä viittä tähteä. Haruki Murakami on lahjakas kirjailija, mutta se miten hän kuvailee nuoria tyttöjä oli näin naisen näkökulmasta hieman häiritsevää. Hänen sanavalintasa pisti todellakin kyseenalaistamaan kirjailijan mielenmaisemaa ja ajatusta siitä, miten hän näkee naisen ja tässä tapauksessa nuoren tytön. Ehkä kyse on miehestä, joka ei tiedä ollenkaan nuoren naisen kasvuvaiheita tai ulkonäköpaineista ollenkaan mitään. Mutta sanomattakin selvää, että kirjoitus näissä kohtaa tosiaan oli häiritsevää luettavaa.
Graphic: Body shaming, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, and Stalking
lilreddress's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.5
I think nothing would have been lost if we just didn't mention the aunt or child's breasts at any time. It was pretty irrelevant to the story, and was pretty uncomfortable coming from a male writer. I think a female author would have probably left them out, or at least would have written female voices in a more realistic way.
The length is also questionable. I kept stopping reading to go read something else instead and coming back to it. I don't mind slow paced, and in fact the artist holed up in the country cottage gave some nice cosy vibes, and I loved reading about the everyday parts of life. However, this was truly glacial. Could have cut a hundred pages and still had the story intact, I think.
This is one of his weaker ones, but still very good. And definitely matches the level of weirdness I have come to expect.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Suicide, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
bella613's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Sexual violence, Dementia, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Genocide, Infidelity, Rape, Suicide, and War
ryebread225's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Suicide