Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

17 reviews

aaallliiiccceee's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Vomit, and War

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Abortion

bella613's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

This isn't my favorite of Murakami's novels. It features his classic young protagonist who loses both job and wife, and proceeds to do nothing much but make very strange friends (acquaintances?) who either tell him their life stories or come onto him very strongly. Somehow Murakami uses this same structure often and still makes completely new stories. 

I love Murakami's writing style. He's both straightforward, and roundabout. Descriptively realistic and still wildly fantastical. But this novel didn't do as much for me as his others. I'm not exactly sure what it was (or wasn't) because the main character was definitely more likeable to me than the lead of Norwegian Wood. I liked the side stories, especially the war time ones, even if it was uncomfortable at times to read. I think the overall feeling of this book just vibed with me a little less. 

Also- just a little warning if you haven't read it yet. It's not horror but there are rather graphic descriptions of gore and violence and it feels pretty horrific at times. All of Murakami's stuff is definitely adult rated but this one is a more specific-to-horror type feeling.
If you don't like dark reading this one isn't for you.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

isobel_laura's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

vedaviolin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Blood, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content

kolyass's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

One of my favourite books of all time. 4.5/5 stars though, because Murakami can’t restrain himself from subtly hinting at sexual things with his underage female characters. Seriously dude, get a grip. This isn’t helping your story.

I think Kumiko is the female character with the most agency in Murakami’s signature plot structure. Which is:

- Boy falls in love with a girl
- Girl can’t reciprocate that love, is being consumed by something evil within her and leaves the relationship 
- Boy tries to defeat that evil, usually fails

Kumiko was the one to end her own suffering. She dealt the final blow, not Toru. I liked the final battle. You really get a sense of the strength of their marriage through this kind of teamwork. They are a very likeable couple.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

dakotahreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, and War

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Murder

anastasiamakes's review against another edition

Just too literary. The MC was beige personified, stuff just happened to him. There was no real core plot, just random mysterious events. And the nature of all the female characters and their relationships to the MC made me uncomfortable, something which I understand to potentially be part of a wider trend in Murakami's works. Not for me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, and Sexual content

Moderate: Rape, Suicide, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcohol

kaitlyn_avecado's review against another edition

slow-paced

1.5

I just...So many people said this book was 10 out of 10. I've read one other of his books, but after reading this.....I'm never reading Murakami again. I hate how his books focus on an uninteresting, unemployed male character who never seems to care about anything happening around him. Murakami's portrayal of female characters is the kicker for me. He only writes about eccentric women who float about the protagonist and have sex with him. It feels like he adds trauma to the female characters to make them "deeper/more interesting". I slogged through this book hoping it would get better. Finally, some plot unfolds in the last 50 pages. Not worth it. SKIP

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: War

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Abortion

m4rtt4's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

A new drinking game: take a shot every time Murakami mentions someone's breasts.

I read this in English a couple years ago and it didn't hit me quite as hard as Murakami's other thicker novels, thought it was just a language issue and now re-read it in my native tongue. Turns out it wasn't the language, it was the story or maybe me. Not bad this time either, a solid more-than-three-stars, even better if you exclude the excessive #menwritingwomen scenes Murakami's unfortunately known for – and this time, sexualising a minor?? Poor Mei/May. My favourite scenes were the ones set around the war times Lieutenant Mamiya's story and Akasaka Muscot's childhood, though I also liked the Kano sisters and Mei/May a lot and let's be honest, plot-wise there wasn't much to dislike, just not much to really love either. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Abortion, Murder, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Misogyny

nabaraditi's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Violence

Moderate: Abortion

Minor: Adult/minor relationship