Reviews

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

sidn's review against another edition

dark emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I love that feeling when a story ends with the circumstances not at all consider to be a happy ending but yet it feels like one. 

With all the adolescense , depression, love , loss, sex , life and death.. it's just a beginning of twenties. I'm not sure if that makes me hopeful or anxious.

brunettaebarbie's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.0

eyedsofmarch's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.0

zelinho's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-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

2.5

alexandrawells's review against another edition

4.0

Simple but elegant prose, I enjoyed the love stories well enough. The reflections on grief were also poignant. the best part was definitely reading it in Tokyo— Kichijoji is a go-to spot for me (where Toru moves toward the end of the book) & he even buys books at Kinokuniya bookstore in Shinjuku where I bought this copy! An easy read, ye olde sexist representations of women but what murakami book doesn’t have that? It was a pleasant read.

brookeam7's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-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

1.5

Beautiful prose and reflection on grief, mental health struggles and growing up but I just can’t get over the misogynistic tone Murakami takes when talking about women. Every single woman and girl introduced here was portrayed as an overly sexualised fantasy who exists simply to satisfy the male protagonist. Story was kind of uninteresting and just super sexualised for reasons I don’t quite get. 

t0m's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

2.25

pasarmalam's review against another edition

3.0

Saya makin kesel karena nggak bisa kasih tambahan bintang ½ di situs ini

drewmacmacmac's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

5.0

It’s difficult to summarize my feelings about Norwegian Wood. On one hand, it’s a beautifully written, well-paced story that has some of the most realized characters that I’ve read in fiction. The attention to detail is so gratifying, and the depth of the storytelling is truly enveloping. On the other hand, it just made me so, so sad, that I wouldn’t readily recommend it or return to it. That’s not to say that the book is outright cynical or hopeless, because it isn’t, but that it so effectively explores some of the darkest corners of human experiences - death, suicide, and isolation. Nominally at least, this is also a story about love, but I would never describe it as a love story. The love in this book is fragile, and mired in trauma, obligation, and the directionless wandering of youth. At times this book is difficult to stomach, but never felt cruel to me as a reader. Rather, I’d say it was uncompromising, pulled no punches, and left me with lots to think about. If that kind of coming-of-age story sounds like your bag, I’d recommend this one. 

florawindebank's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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? N/A

4.0