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irinalast's review against another edition
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
maia313's review against another edition
- 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: Rape, Violence, and War
Minor: Incest
mary_juleyre'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
3.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Blood, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
Moderate: Suicide, Vomit, 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: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and War
enoby's review against another edition
- 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: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
threeyearsaway's review against another edition
- 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: Gore, Sexual content, and Torture
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, Sexual assault, Torture, Suicide attempt, Murder, and War
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Abortion
Minor: Child death, Suicide, Vomit, and Pregnancy
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: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Incest, Vomit, and Pregnancy
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, Rape, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, 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: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Incest and Abortion
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pregnancy