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maia313's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
As with all murakami books, the magical realism, the feeling of being in a dream is ever present, but this felt slower paced than some of his other books.
The beginning had me invested, and the ending I found exciting and well written- however I did get slightly stuck in the middle, where it seemed a bit too slow for me and it took me longer to finish. Again as is common with Murakami, lots of things are left unanswered, Chekhov's guns are not fired, which can feel unfirfilling to some- this aspect, due only to the style of his works, I don't mind, although in this book I did feel like it was building up to something that didn't necessarily arrive.
This book also had long interludes from stories told by other characters, some of which I liked and found really interesting, especially those by lieutenant Mamiya, although some I found myself skimming and wanting to get back to the main story. That being said, the main character's interactions with these outside characters is something that really makes the book.
Overall I did really enjoy reading this book and it's one I think about after having completed it. The slow middle is evened out by either side of it to make it not my favourite book by his, but very enjoyable nonetheless and one I would recommend to someone who is willing to invest time into a book and doesn't need to have incredibly fast paced action!
Graphic: Violence, Rape, and War
Minor: Incest
mary_juleyre's review
- 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
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Gun violence, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Vomit, Suicide, and War
Minor: Racism
marinarc's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Trafficking, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Slavery
enoby's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Incest
threeyearsaway's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, and Gore
Moderate: Incest and Rape
apollonium's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Incest, Torture, War, Murder, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Abortion, Violence, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Child death
traciereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and War
Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Incest, Pregnancy, and Vomit
abbseggs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gore, Infidelity, and Torture
Moderate: Genocide, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual violence, and War
Minor: Incest and Vomit
judoonplatoonmoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Rape
Moderate: Incest and Abortion
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pregnancy
mudkipmillie's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Violence, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Abortion, Incest, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Grief, and Death
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Child death