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cword's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.5
I loved the slow build of scene and character, though i could have done without the lengthy repetitions throughout. The constant references to a 13 year olds breasts are unnecessary; it seems the author is incapable of writing women as human beings. Every reference to a female character is laden with sexual references or descriptions of their body/breasts. Aside from this the writing is alive and compelling, hence it disrupts the feel of the book when female characters are brought into the narrative. What was the imagined raping of his wife about??
The ending seems rushed and incomplete. There’s a final sprint to close the various open plot lines. Our main character, the artist, goes on a lengthy journey through another sort of world in order to “free Mariye” from wherever she has been taken to. Turns out she was hiding out at Menshikis house and just needed to wait for cleaning day so that she could make her escape. Hence, the entire plot line of the artist fighting through the metaphorical world, killing the commendatore, has absolutely no meaning? It did nothing to free Mariye, so he might as well have stayed home. It seems an oversight in the plot to me, rendering the crescendo of the plot meaningless.
The ending seems rushed and incomplete. There’s a final sprint to close the various open plot lines. Our main character, the artist, goes on a lengthy journey through another sort of world in order to “free Mariye” from wherever she has been taken to. Turns out she was hiding out at Menshikis house and just needed to wait for cleaning day so that she could make her escape. Hence, the entire plot line of the artist fighting through the metaphorical world, killing the commendatore, has absolutely no meaning? It did nothing to free Mariye, so he might as well have stayed home. It seems an oversight in the plot to me, rendering the crescendo of the plot meaningless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Dementia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
nwordsmith's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
In many ways, this book was inspired. The use of language and repetition in the narrative was masterfully executed. The book layered stories within stories and cycles of meaning. I loved the philosophical conversations between characters both human and non-corporeal. The magical realism was captivating and the mystery surrounding the pit and the bell was incredibly compelling.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
lilreddress's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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 really enjoy Murakami, but find him hard work (possibly as a result of the translation rather than the original writing) and the female characters are comically awful at times.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
I loved this book, but to be honest, after finishing it I still can’t really explain what it was about. I can remember all the pieces and how it made me feel, but it’s very difficult to put any real name to what the book is. A summary of events that happen makes it sound like a silly story and yet it’s strangely powerful. I think it’s meant to be like a great painting, one that you have to let sink in for a long time. Some parts of the book go into almost uncomfortable detail but the descriptions are also what I loved most about the authors writing. Clearly the work of an artist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Sexual violence, Dementia, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Genocide, Infidelity, Rape, Suicide, and War
scout_jones's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship