Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

40 reviews

mattrabpc's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence and Sexual content

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

bites_of_books's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.25

This one was a let down... 

Murakami can write really beautiful passages but this 1000+ book was just way too long and about 40% of it was just boring descriptions of mundane things. I do enjoy it when an author takes care to describe certain details but this was just too much.

We follow Aomame, a young woman who climbs down a staircase off a freeway and finds herself in a seemingly different world from her own. On the other hand we also follow Tengo, a young man who is tasked with ghostwriting a novel for a teenage girl by his editor. Aomame and Tengo live different lives and the first Book in this novel is spent trying to figure out how they fit together.

The themes explored in this book go from loneliness, religion, the power of literature, broken family dynamics, and more. Some of it did feel visceral and real, but others were just explored over repetitive and overdone writing. 

Then there are all the descriptions of women and anyone who isn't perfectly attractive in the author's eyes... it was just awful. The mysoginy was rampant throughout as well as deeply uncomfortable descriptions of certain intimate encounters that left me feeling like chucking the book in a corner and going for a walk. 

I do not recommend this novel, it's not magical realism in my eyes, it's fantasy/sci-fi. It's entirely way too long for what it is and it's not enjoyable in the least. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Rape, Abandonment, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Torture, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Animal death, Confinement, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, and Lesbophobia

thepirsky's review against another edition

Never ending sexual situations, especially abuse to children

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Animal death, Rape, Sexual content, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault

ellbur's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Minor: Violence

rafagina's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

1.0

Slow, repetitive and predictable. On top of that, every female character is written either in cringe and belittling ways or downright horrendously misogynistic. Every single chapter there are gratuitous sexual descriptions and abusive episodes happening that add nothing to the story. If this is Murakami I don't know why people recommended it so much.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Murder, Abandonment, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Medical content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Violence

mxpringle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective medium-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

4.0

This book was so so good in every way except one, and would have been 5 stars except for the sheer misogyny in describing every female character's breasts and

the horribly disturbing adult/minor relationship and blatant pedophilia

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Death, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture

Minor: Gore

lisas_novel_idea's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Suicide attempt

thesimplelibrary's review against another edition

3.0

I used to love this novel as a teenager.
But after studying Murakami and Japanese literature further at large, I'm bumping down my review, mostly because of the sexualisation of women. I still think the novel holds great potential in more theoretical planes, but I'm uncomfortable rereading it as an adult... sorry not sorry

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual violence

grace_tg's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense slow-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? No

4.75

I genuinely really enjoyed the book. The first three days I was only reading it, managing to reach over 300 pages. Then life caught up, and although I was very much enjoying it, I was struggling to read a lot. I would describe it as a heavy book, in a sense that you need to really pay attention to it; it's not just an easy, flowy lightheaded book. 
Brilliant plot, with so many ties, and under-links, and layers. The characters are all described and portrayed with such detail even when scrutinizing detail is absent. The different voices and line of thought are also very nicely put, aiding with the coherence rather than hindering it. 
You get really immersed in that world. A book worth reading. 

The only reasons I am not giving it a 5, are because at moments the pace was a bit too slow for me, and perhaps a bit tiring (but those moments were truly rare) and because I am left with many questions... Which has its magic, I must admit, but also has me icky for the answers.

I was not particularly fond of that Aomame-Tengo romance- but I am also not a very romance-type person. And despite the unusual circumstances, their connections and ultirior plot was magnificently presented to us.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

Minor: Murder

spiralingoaks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence and Sexual content

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Murder