sajifrand's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I loved the stories and how weird they were. I got the book in Kauai so the hanalei bay story was especially interesting. The first few stories were hard to understand but I think if I reread them I could understand them better. Of course I have to mention that this book doesn’t get five stars because of the way women are written. The vast majority are in relationships and breasts are very often part of the description of a woman. I could get past that and still enjoy the stories and messages within them.
poojashenoy2209's review
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.25
lokster71's review against another edition
4.0
So, this is my 14th Murakami book. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman is a short story collection. The stories come from various points in Murakami's career.
I'm not sure I understood what all of them were trying to say and I found the first few stories in particular to be a bit of a slog. Not all of them. Just some of them. But about half way through I felt I was enjoying them more and I understood them a little better. I don't know whether that was because I'd got my Murakami eye in again or what but I liked the whole collection quite a lot by the end.
Yes, there's the usual Murakami tropes. His inability to describe a woman without describing her breasts is still a thing. Even when it is a woman describing another woman. Generally though there's something about Murakami that swallows me up. His style is a vibe and I think if you like that vibe you'll like reading Murakami.
Murakami features in his own stories or other writers do. A number of them are him being told a story by a friend. A story filled with weirdness, coincidence, and alternate worlds.
A lot of the stories seem to be about loneliness or refusal to see or deal with an issue. He uses different, sometimes fantastical, things as metaphors. It's hard to decide if Murakami writes in any particular genre or if Murakami is his own genre. It doesn't matter. I think it is the atmosphere and the vibes, created by the writing that matters. I think at the best stories are neat fables but without a moral.
Anyway I'm glad I didn't give up on it. Next up in the Murakami Marathom 1Q84. The chunkiest boy in the Murakami oeuvre. It might be a while before I get around to review that here.
I'm not sure I understood what all of them were trying to say and I found the first few stories in particular to be a bit of a slog. Not all of them. Just some of them. But about half way through I felt I was enjoying them more and I understood them a little better. I don't know whether that was because I'd got my Murakami eye in again or what but I liked the whole collection quite a lot by the end.
Yes, there's the usual Murakami tropes. His inability to describe a woman without describing her breasts is still a thing. Even when it is a woman describing another woman. Generally though there's something about Murakami that swallows me up. His style is a vibe and I think if you like that vibe you'll like reading Murakami.
Murakami features in his own stories or other writers do. A number of them are him being told a story by a friend. A story filled with weirdness, coincidence, and alternate worlds.
A lot of the stories seem to be about loneliness or refusal to see or deal with an issue. He uses different, sometimes fantastical, things as metaphors. It's hard to decide if Murakami writes in any particular genre or if Murakami is his own genre. It doesn't matter. I think it is the atmosphere and the vibes, created by the writing that matters. I think at the best stories are neat fables but without a moral.
Anyway I'm glad I didn't give up on it. Next up in the Murakami Marathom 1Q84. The chunkiest boy in the Murakami oeuvre. It might be a while before I get around to review that here.
bbgardie's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
My favourite stories from this collection were:
- Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
- Birthday Girl
- A Folklore for My Generation
- Hunting Knife
- Man-Eating Cats
- Tony Takitani
- Firefly
- Chance Traveller
- Hanalei Bay
- The Kidney Shared Stone
- A Shinagawa Monkey
I enjoy Murakami's style where he builds a plot for 2/3s of the story and then just throws something completely batshit crazy in the last 1/3 and then doesn't really resolve anything
tacitusreads's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
dadi0305's review
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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
treykuzmanov's review
4.0
This was my first time reading a collection of short stories by my all time favorite author Murakami, and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed every single one of them.
kimba13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
benniep's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5