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soniaaaaaaaa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0
heartbreakingly good, the characters felt like real people and how murakami is able to explore grief and loss was really effective.
i would also check the trigger warnings before reading, some stuff i read i didnt expect and it was quite disturbing
i would also check the trigger warnings before reading, some stuff i read i didnt expect and it was quite disturbing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual assault
Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
madbrad22's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicide
aimee_faithx's review against another edition
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
2.5
There were good parts but overall it was pretty meh. None of the characters are particularly likeable or fully fleshed out. The way women are written about in basically only a sexual manner and often related to kids was icky.
I finished the book but I do not understand why it’s so popular and couldn’t recommend.
I finished the book but I do not understand why it’s so popular and couldn’t recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, and Death of parent
lac35's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
. Coming of age novel. Set in Japan. Reflections on life and death. Lyrical .
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide
emmyfranco's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide
fiona_sch's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Suicide
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer
storieswithannej's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
1.0
DNF at 57%
The scene with the 13 yo girl and what Reiko and Naoko said about this psychological illness not going to heal triggered me. Now every next line that Reiko would mention "snap!" I felt like something in me's snapping too, that I need to pause for a while because it suddenly felt too much. I felt my heart beat racing too and I need a breather. I can't seem to remove that image from my mind.
The scene with the 13 yo girl and what Reiko and Naoko said about this psychological illness not going to heal triggered me. Now every next line that Reiko would mention "snap!" I felt like something in me's snapping too, that I need to pause for a while because it suddenly felt too much. I felt my heart beat racing too and I need a breather. I can't seem to remove that image from my mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship
kidraviaraj's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide
deathfulwitch's review against another edition
i really wanted to stick it out in the hopes that the book would take a turn and start dissecting and criticizing its own characters; their composition, their actions/motives, and their environment, but that moment never came and i lost hope so here we are. i get that some people will read this book and argue that it simply writes what is, and that it depicts people exactly as they are in life (and death). i don’t agree. if the goal here was to show authentic people and their struggles, we should not be seeing it through the lens of a misogynistic, self-serving and chauvinistic man, who so badly wants us to believe that he’s a nice guy. spoiler alert: he really isn’t.
i honestly didn’t mind the non existent plot as much as i minded the objectification of women and the endless sexualization of women’s trauma. added to that, the perversity of the sexual scenes in this book (and there are a LOT of those), where women and their adult bodies are compared to children, was alarmingly disturbing to me, as it should be for everyone. oh and, nothing in the book told us that naoko’s first time was consensual so mc is an offender. such a nice guy.
also, the perpetuation of harmful narratives e.g. that women are no longer beautiful when they turn 30 (because everyone knows that’s when their transformation into gollum is finalized), that “it is only natural” for a woman to satisfy a man even if she doesn’t really want to be intimate with him, etc. made my reading experience even more unbearable, to say the least.
in conclusion, the message in this book is terrible, i do not understand how it became so popular, and tonight i will be putting myself in rice so i can heal from it.
p.s: the only good point i can think about is that the writing was beautiful.
i honestly didn’t mind the non existent plot as much as i minded the objectification of women and the endless sexualization of women’s trauma. added to that, the perversity of the sexual scenes in this book (and there are a LOT of those), where women and their adult bodies are compared to children, was alarmingly disturbing to me, as it should be for everyone. oh and, nothing in the book told us that naoko’s first time was consensual so mc is an offender. such a nice guy.
also, the perpetuation of harmful narratives e.g. that women are no longer beautiful when they turn 30 (because everyone knows that’s when their transformation into gollum is finalized), that “it is only natural” for a woman to satisfy a man even if she doesn’t really want to be intimate with him, etc. made my reading experience even more unbearable, to say the least.
in conclusion, the message in this book is terrible, i do not understand how it became so popular, and tonight i will be putting myself in rice so i can heal from it.
p.s: the only good point i can think about is that the writing was beautiful.
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny and Sexual assault
mmari's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide
Minor: Toxic relationship and Death of parent