Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

27 reviews

anastasiamakes's review against another edition

Just too literary. The MC was beige personified, stuff just happened to him. There was no real core plot, just random mysterious events. And the nature of all the female characters and their relationships to the MC made me uncomfortable, something which I understand to potentially be part of a wider trend in Murakami's works. Not for me.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, and Sexual content

Moderate: Rape, Suicide, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcohol

kaitlyn_avecado's review against another edition

slow-paced

1.5

I just...So many people said this book was 10 out of 10. I've read one other of his books, but after reading this.....I'm never reading Murakami again. I hate how his books focus on an uninteresting, unemployed male character who never seems to care about anything happening around him. Murakami's portrayal of female characters is the kicker for me. He only writes about eccentric women who float about the protagonist and have sex with him. It feels like he adds trauma to the female characters to make them "deeper/more interesting". I slogged through this book hoping it would get better. Finally, some plot unfolds in the last 50 pages. Not worth it. SKIP

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: War

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Abortion

nmruss's review against another edition

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

---

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

hello_lovely13's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Suicide attempt, and War

Moderate: Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Abortion, and Murder

Minor: Incest and Suicide

natattack17's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Wow something about this book really hit. I can completely understand how some readers may not enjoy that story but the writing is beautiful. I almost always enjoy magical realism and this was such a complex story with so many turns, flashbacks, and tales from others but it is a worthwhile reading experience. The only aspect that I did not fully enjoy of understand was the main character, Toru Okada's relationship with a 16 year old girl named May. Aspects of this relationship didn't sit right with me. The character of May herself also toed the line of of being realistic and making me question her sanity. It felt as though the questions she asked and points she brought up although plausible for a 16 year went too far in her obsession with death and direful topics. Also for being described as an undeveloped teen her character felt overly sexualized.

ex. when Toru Okada comments on how she looked good in a bikini or her in a letter to Toru she speaks about feeling the urge to be naked and undressing when thinking about Toru.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, and War

Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual assault

Minor: Suicide and Abortion

elyselani's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and War

mary_juleyre's review against another edition

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

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Suicide, Vomit, and War

Minor: Racism

crlsmltz's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Suicide, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Abortion

everest's review against another edition

5.0

Here’s a quote from the book that really sums up what you can expect from this novel:
“A connected reality takes shape little by little. It works in the same way that the piling up of random sounds produces a single syllable from the monotonous repetition of what at first glance appears to be meaningless.”

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, and War

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Domestic abuse

Minor: Suicide

evamill's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

Moderate: Sexual violence

Minor: Suicide and Abortion