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lloyd_christopher's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment
_kimb's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
harmlesstofu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
maukimodus's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Sexual assault
valenxi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Definitely not my favourite work of Murakami. I think the plot was spellbinding, but he did not managed to work the plot fully. I have no idea whether he intentionally made the book short, or was he unable to continue it, so he just chose the most decent ending, or for other reasons. There are so many unanswered questions in the story. This cause it to be boring and hard to keep up by the last few chapters of the book. The characters are also a bit bland due to his short elaboration on each of their personality. Therefore, making them unlikeable.
What I liked about the book though, Murakami never disappoints with his writing. It is still immaculate asf. The choice of the songs he chose to put, especially the ones at Denny's or the cafe Takahashi and Mari went to was prime excellence. It matches the vibe of and made the script more dreamy. The way the gleamy night setting was portrayed with lights, and other sensory details was also impeccably perfect, but I wished he'd put more intricate details on each scene.
What I liked about the book though, Murakami never disappoints with his writing. It is still immaculate asf. The choice of the songs he chose to put, especially the ones at Denny's or the cafe Takahashi and Mari went to was prime excellence. It matches the vibe of and made the script more dreamy. The way the gleamy night setting was portrayed with lights, and other sensory details was also impeccably perfect, but I wished he'd put more intricate details on each scene.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
vayudev's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
5.0
Wonderful book, definitely has this unique Murakami style, but still stands apart from his other, more similar books. I really liked it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
jadeverse's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
okay i have opinions.
first of all murakami has a talent with setting up the scene, i was able to feel the atmosphere within the first few pages. with that being said, i don’t really vibe with his writing style especially when it switches to that weird screenplay-like narration. it wasn’t really my cuppa tea.
i didn’t really like any of the characters all that much, except kaoru but we are hardly with her for long, i didn’t really like takahashi and his sexist comments (apparently women have no idea how to read nor do they know what a trombone is) he was a pretty boring character, there was nothing interesting about him. the dialogue between takahashi and mari didn’t feel natural, the way takahashi spoke pissed me off because no one really talks like. not gonna lie, this book felt like i was reading an old john green novel.
also i hated the ending, i couldn’t help but feel disgusted with the borderline incest scene between mari and eri. speaking of endings, the book felt very incomplete almost as if murakami had just thrown whatever he had together into a novel. there were tons of loose ends and i hate when books don’t tie those loose ends :/
there were also a lot of things that just felt americanised, the red fox cap (im pretty sure Japan has their own sports teams lol) and the denny’s (could be wrong but is there even a denny’s in japan?). although this is probably more of a translation error than a fault on the author.
this is my first murakami book and it hasn’t really given me a good impression, however since i have norwegian wood i do plan on reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Minor: Sexism
noahleavi11's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault