Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

6 reviews

blau_elmo's review

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

This book, to me, is Murakami at his best. Minimal weird, contrived sex scenes that are uncomfortable to sit through. Instead, there is a focus on the story line, which is filled with that magical realism mysticism, in which the quirky, memorable characters act together cohesively to drive the plot forward.

The book uses subtle occurrences, like the disappearance/reappearance of the main character's pet cat Noboru, as a catalyst for other stranger occurrences in the book. Everything is tied together in this convoluted but enthralling web, and Murakami keeps pulling his signature twists and turns to keep the reader engaged.

I would describe this more as a collection of character stories bound together to form one cohesive novel. Every story, from the Lieutenant's war story to Nutmeg's disability, to Okada and May and Creta's unique personalities, creates the blend of adventure and introspection that Murakami does so well.

The comparison between the main character and

the actual Noboru Wataya

is particularly interesting; especially in the framing of "goodness" and "evil" as something shared between the two characters, their similarities driving their rivalry. 

An adventure through and through; my favourite Murakami book for sure.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content and Gun violence

directorpurry's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-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? It's complicated

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War, Animal death, Blood, Death, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Rape

Moderate: Abortion

saskia6's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

after i finished this book i was sobbing hysterically but i couldn’t possibly say why. this hit me so hard.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, War, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Torture, Kidnapping, Infidelity, and Abandonment

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Abortion, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cursing, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, and Vomit

mary_juleyre's review

adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Gun violence, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Vomit, Suicide, and War

Minor: Racism

tessorlando's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-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

3.5

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle has a lot of mystery in its unique story, and I really enjoyed the character May. I struggled with the descriptions of gore and violence and found those parts of the book tedious to get through.

I was weary of the relationship between May and Mr. Okada in the beginning but (to my relief) found it to be very platonic and endearing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, War, Violence, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Murder, Infidelity, Gun violence, Gore, Genocide, Domestic abuse, and Body horror

Moderate: Abortion and Sexual assault

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Rape

esmithumland's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I loved the inter-leaving stories in this book, and the mysteries were deeply intriguing. I liked that they were simultaneously explored while remaining largely unresolved. But I didn't care for the gratuitous death and gore (although I could somewhat see that contributing to the story), the weird pedophila, or the fact that while half of the characters are women their only point is to revolve around and relate to the men. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Pedophilia