Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Life Ceremony

Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

19 reviews

gia0203's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I absolutely love sayaka murata and her writing style. life ceremony thematically is very similar to earthlings. they both explore society’s expectations, sexuality, and the body (particularly relating to food and hunger). personally, I enjoyed every story, which is rare for me in a short story collection. I found the book endearing and grotesque and oddly moving… I think I just enjoy her writing so much because I view the world in the same way she does. murata delights in exploring the unconventional, however discomfiting it may be.

consciously or not, her narratives echo the neurodivergent and queer experience. it’s very comforting to live in the minds of characters who don’t fit in.

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jasminrain's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

This is easily one of the strangest books I've read in my life. The content of the stories and where they are heading is completely unexpected and their content varies from reflective pieces to some of the most bizarre literature I have come across. There are absolutely amazing stories that break the boundaries of imagination, but also quite a few stories that just make you go "meh". I enjoyed parts of it but I don't think I'll return to the author.

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nicolinebl's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Incredibly weird sometimes, but also wonderful and reflective.

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maggieoc_x's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny medium-paced

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

3.0

Sayaka Murata is one weird girl....I like her.

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elanuruysal's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.0

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makoshark44's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

like any short stories collection this book has it’s good stories and not so good ones. i want to rate this higher just for life ceremony and the beginning stories in the book but there was a sense of lack that developed in the final few stories that shows it needed more work. this collection is thoughtful and very imaginative, not for those not looking for dark themes but really gave me a lot to learn about japanese class cultures and i would recommend the beginning and middle of the book to those who want imaginative short stories told exceedingly well.

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