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soniaaaaaaaa's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
i would also check the trigger warnings before reading, some stuff i read i didnt expect and it was quite disturbing
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual assault
Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
bmnayr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Suicide, and Death of parent
annahollamby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
spottedtea'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
3.5
Murakami has a history of constructing female characters as overly and primarily sexual beings, which is just a projection of his own fantasy, let's not kid ourselves, but this is a wider issue with Japanese societal norms regarding gender relations which I won't get into here. In summation, worth reading for understanding, but brace yourself for unlikeable characters and an overabundance of gratuitious sexual content.
However, you might be asking, why are you insisting I should read this when you seem to have only a list of complaints? Well dear imaginary reader, let me answer that: there are some very poignant scenes and moments in this novel, especially towards the end, that faithfully captures the true loneliness and ennui that many young adults face as they are about to exit the education system and enter the adult world. I can't help but still vividly recall very specific scenes from this novel as if I had watched a movie. Murakami's characters and plots may not always be well-constructed (his female characters especially), but the emotional atmosphere he imparts on readers is often striking. So far, I actually think his first novel (Hear the Wind Sing) was the best at this. But that might be because it was short, pithy, to-the-point. It focused on his strengths as a writer and cut out the fat. Norwegian Wood gets too caught up in its attempts at promoting an aesthetic almost (as in, too many pretentious references to quintessential 60s music). Which, if you understand modern Japanese taste, makes sense as to why it became so much more popular.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide
prlprl'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
4.75
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
fergascod's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Grief, and Death of parent
booonbooon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Sexual content
hunnylemon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
lagaialettrice's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Lesbophobia
froggoz13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The writing style is good and descriptive in a pleasant way but the dialogues are often quite direct. Overall I did want to continue reading the vook and find out what would happen next but I did not particularly enjoy reading it.
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Lesbophobia