Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Tokio blues (Norwegian Wood)

This is a really engaging book and the open ending leaves space for numerous interpretations. Personally, I think that the last part of the book is not included in the flashback like the rest of the narrative. Instead, it is based in the present and connected to the first chapter of the book where Watanabe lands in Germany and 'Norwegian Wood' playing on the speakers pushes him to face his past memories. After the entire recalling of his past story, he calls Midori in his present. This is why it is such a confusing call and she ends up asking 'Where are you?' Toru being clueless about his location means he's been lost all along due to being influenced by

Naoko's death

and finally realizes that he needs saving. All in all, I loved the book and I think that it'll stay with me for a long time. :') The lesson is to keep living, no matter what. ❤️

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m4rtt4's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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? Yes

4.25

Naoko❤️‍🩹 I truly loved her.
Actually I really liked all the female characters, though they all more or less were also used as vessels for fulfilling the author's sexual fantasies — especially Midori, her personality at times was so pick-me-girly for the sole purpose of getting Watanabe's sexual attention.

This one was a re-read, and I must say I felt it so much more now at 20 — the main characters' age — than when I first read it at 16 years old. I've read all Murakami's novels, and even though I kind of miss the magical realism that was almost nonexistent in this book, it didn't really need it either as it was deep enough just like this. I just wish the metaphor of the "well" Naoko talked about in the beginning had appeared later on in the story, it should have had a greater purpose. Overall a very melancholic yet great reading experience, but for your own good, do consider skipping this if things related to suicide trigger you.

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anna_l's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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lovelybubbles's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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racbuckallew's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Norwegian Wood is not what I was expecting in that it is less spiritual and metaphysical than other Murakami I have read. This was a slow read, but I’m glad to have stuck with it; you can certainly get attached to the characters.

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emolr's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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kyoe983's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The one thing that this book keeps consistent throughout the story it's aesthetic. Through Murakami's writing style and the translator's work, we're transported in the somber and full-of-death world of Toru Watanabe, with every scene, place, thought, and dialogue seeming extremely vivid. This clearness of the story seems very entertaining while reading, but if you take it away you'll realize that Murakami writes about a bunch of nonsense. The flaws of this book are numerous, and even if it seems you're following a story while reading, you're not. There are just events. Rememberings of a 40-year-old man. Are his thoughts even real? He does mention in the first chapter that he doesn't remember much, and then proceeds to write a full book, very vividly and detailed, about his life 20 years ago. Maybe that also explains why the ending is so fucking bad. Maybe.

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mengzhenreads's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-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? Yes

2.75

I really am not sure how to feel about this book. On one hand, the writing was seriously top-shelf high quality stuff, with a style that is deceptively simple but really beautiful. On the other hand, I really felt weird about how Murakami wrote all of the female characters in this book. I felt like they were all written and described in ways that were questionable at best, and while I really got the idea of the whole reminiscent, nostalgic view at Toru's college life, the way that all of the women in the story were described just took me OUT. I did still enjoy parts of it, but overall I have really mixed feelings about this novel.

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