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gimchi's review against another edition
3.0
Murakami's choice in short stories is far more dense and a bit depressing than I typically enjoy. Two stars. The best was the last, a story by Murakami himself, brings it up to 3 stars.
Also, it took me 2 years to read this?!?
Also, it took me 2 years to read this?!?
nobita_1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-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? N/A
3.5
kaceyymair's review against another edition
I don’t want to really rate this bc all the stories stood out to me at the time I read them or later on during the course of my bday - so here are my reviews from reading it on the plane
The Moor - russell banks
The Moor - russell banks
Good story - a product of its time which needs to be kept in mind. Liked the twist to it and it was a very bitter sweet but full short story.
Dundun - Denis Johnson
Dark - a lot darker than I was expecting. This gave me similar energy to In Cold Blood, and made me feel quite uncomfortable.
Timothy’s birthday - William Trevor
Quiet and sad birthday story - it made me feel rlly deeply for Timothy’s parents and their situation.
The birthday cake - Daniel Lyons
This is my favourite story from the collection so far - the story arc made a lot of sense and I really got to feel for all of the characters and their individual situations - everything was so concise and tightly packed but carried so much feeling.
Turning - Lynda sexson
This was such a weird and wonderful story - it sort of felt like what I expected and wanted angela carters short stories in the bloody chamber to be like.
Forever overhead - David foster Wallace
Liked the more contemplative sections, but the bits on the diving board and the holiday just showed me the bits I don’t like from holidays lol
Angel of mercy, Angel of wrath - Ethan canin
Half of this felt unexplained with me and I can’t tell if it’s because it was the style, whether I’m missing context or whether it just went over my head. So I wasn’t the biggest fan of this. Murakami wrote that the reader should compare the birthday cake to this story - I much prefer this one.
The birthday present - Andrea lee
Oh no, no, no, no. This made me feel icky and weird and uncomfortable and sort of self conscious. It felt like it was written purely for men who think women just want to exist for their gaze. Really didn’t like this.
The bath - Raymond carver
Um this was just weird and dark and I feel like the baker being so on it about the cake made the story tense and the lack of resolution on the end just made it feel quite eerie. But like, it was an interesting story to read.
A game of dice - Paul Theroux
Again this story was just weird and sexual and it sort of just made me think all the men in it were perverts in some capacity - it was just quite uncomfortable
Close to the waters edge - Claire keegan
I rlly enjoyed this story - it was a good balance of symbolic and deep but also keeping the characters true to their name and the flow of the events going.
Ride - Lewis Robinson
This story was just a bit too bland for my liking - and at parts it felt a bit too much like a stream of consciousness
Birthday girl - murakami
One of my favourites and I’m not surprised. Especially with it being centred around your twentieth birthday and what you wish for at that point - it felt very relatable.
morvarid's review against another edition
3.0
Some people take their birthdays very seriously, and some also take other people's birthdays so seriously. All these occasions and reactions, plans, etc can tell us a great deal.
The book contains 13 short stories, selected by Murakami from contemporary American writers mostly and the last one he's written himself. An interesting theme for an anthology, birthday stories. I loved "The Moor", "The Birthday Present" and "Birthday Girl".
The book contains 13 short stories, selected by Murakami from contemporary American writers mostly and the last one he's written himself. An interesting theme for an anthology, birthday stories. I loved "The Moor", "The Birthday Present" and "Birthday Girl".
thesimplelibrary's review against another edition
3.0
A lovely, quick read. My favourites were by far “Forever Overhead” by David Foster Wallace and the final short tale by Murakami himself. The first is a story about a boy and his worries about growing up, written with great precision and a rich prose. The second is a work obviously murakamiesque in its mix of the fantastical and suspense and left me with a lot of questions as usual.
nazlideniz's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
clarice629's review against another edition
3.0
interesting collection of birthday stories. at the end i still like murakami's the most.
rebeccaloveless's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
3.5
abibabibook's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
eranehreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
4.0
🎉💐🎂Birthday Stories🎂💐🎉
What would you wish for if for once anything you ask would be true?
"BIRTHDAY STORIES" is a collection of 12 birthday stories from some of the most distinguished authors of recent years. The stories have been selected and introduced by Haruki Murakami.
Thought of completing it by my birthday that is 25th April and finally completed that goal. Still can't believe that I am 24 years old 🫠.
When I ordered this book I thought all the stories in this anthology would be of Haruki Murakami so when I opened it I was quite surprised on finding works of several authors from across the world.
I would be mentioning my thoughts on a few stories which had the most impact on me.
~BIRTHDAY PRESENT - This was a remarkable work by Andrea Lee which showcased a wife's efforts in making her husband happy on his birthday. The character depth was so impactful and vibrant that I fell in love with the story. The story also presented the dark side of the society which was interesting 💭.
~ANGEL OF MERCY, ANGEL OF WRATH - A simple but impactful work by Ethan Canin, it showed how people nowadays forget to take care of their parents which can be done in the subtlest of ways, just one happy birthday every year would suffice.
~THE BATH - An exceptional work by Raymond Carver which starts with a baker but soon turns into a completely different story of a small family and its reaction to tragedy. This was the saddest story in this anthology according to me and is a must read if you love reading stories showing mother's love.
~A GAME OF DICE - A story I would remember only because it was so dark and twisted, probably made my mind go WTF 😒. A story of a wife and husband and their horrendous way of celebrating each other's birthday.
~BIRTHDAY GIRL - The only story in the book which was written by Haruki Murakami, a magical realism story like ever classic Haruki Murakami is. Story of a young 20 year old girl who gets a wish that affects her life subtly of the years of her life. An ending which left me with questions to think upon the rest of my day.
What would you wish for if for once anything you ask would be true?
"BIRTHDAY STORIES" is a collection of 12 birthday stories from some of the most distinguished authors of recent years. The stories have been selected and introduced by Haruki Murakami.
Thought of completing it by my birthday that is 25th April and finally completed that goal. Still can't believe that I am 24 years old 🫠.
When I ordered this book I thought all the stories in this anthology would be of Haruki Murakami so when I opened it I was quite surprised on finding works of several authors from across the world.
I would be mentioning my thoughts on a few stories which had the most impact on me.
~BIRTHDAY PRESENT - This was a remarkable work by Andrea Lee which showcased a wife's efforts in making her husband happy on his birthday. The character depth was so impactful and vibrant that I fell in love with the story. The story also presented the dark side of the society which was interesting 💭.
~ANGEL OF MERCY, ANGEL OF WRATH - A simple but impactful work by Ethan Canin, it showed how people nowadays forget to take care of their parents which can be done in the subtlest of ways, just one happy birthday every year would suffice.
~THE BATH - An exceptional work by Raymond Carver which starts with a baker but soon turns into a completely different story of a small family and its reaction to tragedy. This was the saddest story in this anthology according to me and is a must read if you love reading stories showing mother's love.
~A GAME OF DICE - A story I would remember only because it was so dark and twisted, probably made my mind go WTF 😒. A story of a wife and husband and their horrendous way of celebrating each other's birthday.
~BIRTHDAY GIRL - The only story in the book which was written by Haruki Murakami, a magical realism story like ever classic Haruki Murakami is. Story of a young 20 year old girl who gets a wish that affects her life subtly of the years of her life. An ending which left me with questions to think upon the rest of my day.