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bigolarlocat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
At face value this is an exceptionally well written book with a plot that lulls in spots and diverges in increasingly bizarre ways, but is ultimately kept interesting by the overarching mystery and the intrigue of its characters. As is ever the case, there is unc mfortable amounts of sexism and misogyny from both our narrator and murukami, as he introduces and incorporates women into the book. Not every thread of this expansive narrative is drawn together in a satisfying, clear cut conclusion, and as with other works by murukami, this is typically by design.
I've read some other of his works and what I've found is that the themes of the book precede the narrative. What matters in this book are the themes of fate vs rebirth, light vs dark etc. and how our characters grapple with them.
In finishing the book I was initially left somewhat disappointed in the lack of a conclusive plot, however I find the excitement of his novels come from how you, as the reader, deconstruct the plot based on your interpretation of his themes. You are always left guessing because there are never clear answers and the freedom to organise a plot by feeling like your solving a mystery is an experience that is rare and ultimately rewarding.
I've read some other of his works and what I've found is that the themes of the book precede the narrative. What matters in this book are the themes of fate vs rebirth, light vs dark etc. and how our characters grapple with them.
In finishing the book I was initially left somewhat disappointed in the lack of a conclusive plot, however I find the excitement of his novels come from how you, as the reader, deconstruct the plot based on your interpretation of his themes. You are always left guessing because there are never clear answers and the freedom to organise a plot by feeling like your solving a mystery is an experience that is rare and ultimately rewarding.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexism, War, Trafficking, and Suicide attempt
vedaviolin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Torture, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content
shhsleepytime's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Genocide, Infidelity, Abortion, War, and Sexual content
ekkane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Suicide, Rape, and Incest
amalia_tealeaf's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, War, and Rape
Moderate: Incest
itzelgmadrid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, War, Violence, Suicide, and Rape
letter_planet's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
mery_cf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and War
Moderate: Sexual assault
phantomeyer's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book read like a fever dream. However, the replacement of seemingly central characters half way through, as well as a few other loose ends left me feeling like the story was incomplete. If I’m going to press on through what is at times a bit of a slow hard slog, I want a bit more payoff. Will try another Murakami one day, but probably not one 600 pages long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Violence, Sexual assault, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, and Animal death
Moderate: Suicide, War, and Abortion
gxceli's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
You either love it or hate it, I spent 540 pages hating it but hate-reading until the end so I could say I finished it, but the last however so many pages I enjoyed. And when I say hating it, I mean it. I almost put the book down so SO many times. Not to mention, it gets very gory at times - if you're not into that I recommend either entirely skipping the war retelling scenes or not picking up the book.
You have to be able to look past the male gaze-iness (and boy, is it strong) and be able to accept that the plot has little to no consistency, despite the writing itself being pretty redundant a lot of the time.
You have to be able to look past the male gaze-iness (and boy, is it strong) and be able to accept that the plot has little to no consistency, despite the writing itself being pretty redundant a lot of the time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Body horror, Gore, Violence, Sexual content, and War
Moderate: Suicide attempt