Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

22 reviews

aaallliiiccceee's review

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

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Vomit, and War

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Abortion

danielknorek's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

Damn. Damn, damn, damn. This is a phenomenal work of literature that I’m confident has the complexity and density to be looked back upon as a masterpiece. It is truly unlike very many books of its time: Murakami is a master of motif and theme, ensuring that his characters just barely think they know each other, and ensuring that each of those characters is completely imperceptible from one another. Only we, the reader, can bridge that divide. His unique brand of magical realism meshes with vivid settings and diverse characters that create this world that feels so real, in more ways than one.

This is a book about desires and the subconscious with a little bit of Imperial Japanese history thrown in as a wonderful way to ground the novel and really bring it home. It’s confusing at first but grows increasingly clear the more and more we learn about the plot. Toru Okada is not the most interesting protagonist in the world, but that’s the point: the things that happen to him are so extraordinary and strange that by the end of the novel, he’s grown so much and yet he’s almost exactly the same. He just… makes more sense.

Maybe we’re the ordinary ones and this book is pulling us away from what we think we know. That’s how I see it, anyway.

Definitely reading more Haruki Murakami.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Violence, Blood, Vomit, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Sexual violence

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.

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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

ryangroom's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Rape, Vomit, and Abortion

amelody'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? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Incest, Suicide, and Vomit

Minor: Abortion

dsalazar's review

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

Really great read. There were parts where I did disconnect but that’s because it got a little too much into history or felt drawn out. Another minor hang up I had was with the sheer amount of information being thrown at you, at a very fast pace, in an intricate way. I get this was the intention and it may just be that it requires a second read. It kind of reminds me of Oppenheimer (2023) in that regard where it was fast paced and lots of details and Names are thrown out and the timeline isn’t chronological so a second or third watch helps with solidifying some details. 

This is all minor because overall I enjoyed the depth the characters had. This is my first Murakami book and it was exactly what I expected in terms of magical realism and explaining a mystery just enough that you want to know more but also would rather not know at the same time. So many unsettling scenes that were page turners. He captures complex emotions so well I had to put the book down during some of the more (literally) torturous chapters. 

100% recommend 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape and Vomit

Minor: Animal death, Incest, Suicide, and Abortion

glorytowers05's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicide and Abortion

sas_lk's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

I think this is now my second favourite Murakami book. I appreciate what he did with it, though sometimes I felt like some parts were just too long or unnecessary.
He has this way of blending realities and making you question what reality truly is. That's what I love so much about his books. He makes you so aware of how the world around us is always moving, and that maybe it isn't always linear. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Torture, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Vomit and Abortion

Minor: Death and Infidelity

shannanigans's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

nmruss's review

adventurous mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, and War

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicide, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail