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Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
13 reviews
quackingduck's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexism
idroplungs's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
A very enjoyable read.
Having read and loved 1Q84 I was very excited for another strange romp through a Murakami title. I really enjoyed the plot, it truly kept me guessing until things were revealed (I had the vaguest of suspicions what was happening, but nothing to claim I saw it coming).
I'm never a fan of every other chapter narrative switching, here wasn't too different. It was always quite jarring and I would usually just put the book down for a bit between chapters. Also some weird almost body shaming caught me off guard with how he always described the granddaughter was a little off putting.
Overall a good, mysterious read that I did enjoy.
Having read and loved 1Q84 I was very excited for another strange romp through a Murakami title. I really enjoyed the plot, it truly kept me guessing until things were revealed (I had the vaguest of suspicions what was happening, but nothing to claim I saw it coming).
I'm never a fan of every other chapter narrative switching, here wasn't too different. It was always quite jarring and I would usually just put the book down for a bit between chapters. Also some weird almost body shaming caught me off guard with how he always described the granddaughter was a little off putting.
Overall a good, mysterious read that I did enjoy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming
afterlife's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
laurenleannereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
ran_sophia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read the book a second time, and although I enjoyed it the first time, I enjoyed it a little more now. The main reason was that I wasn't confused at the beginning and knew the motives, the world of the book, and overall it made sense to me from the beginning. I found the writing and storytelling style to be very enjoyable. I also really liked the story and it was very nicely laid out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexism
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Misogyny, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
avocadotoastbee's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.5
"Unclose your mind. You are not a prisoner. You are a bird in flight, searching the skies for dreams."
Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami is mind-bending!
The description of the plot might dull the reading experience, since the novel is mainly plot-driven.
But here's some background information:
We follow an unnamed narrator into two different worlds - the Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World. The storylines alternate in chapters.
In the Hard-Boiled Wonderland, the narrator is a 35-year-old man who works as a Calcutec, a human computer/encoder that processes sensitive data. In this world, two organizations, the System and the Factory, fight over the data. The system employs Calcutecs, while the factory, which wants to sell data illegally, employs Semiotecs.
The narrator receives a new assignment and the story takes its course.
Meanwhile, The End of the World takes place in a minimalist setting - a town (also unnamed) surrounded by a huge wall with beasts, or rather unicorns, running around. All the people there have neither minds nor shadows and work only for the sake of working. The narrator is new in the town and is assigned the job of "Dreamreader".
In the first half of the novel, it is unclear whether the two stories take place simultaneously or consecutively. However, there are certain themes that appear in both stories that somehow connect them: Unicorns, skulls and paper clips.
Chapter 26 explains in detail the connection between the two worlds.
This made me root for the narrator to escape his fate in both worlds. Therefore, I was disappointed with the ending.
Nonetheless, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World is a prime example of Murakami's magical realism. The novel explores ideas such as consciousness, unrequited love, the feeling of being trapped, and forgiveness. His signature writing style is evident. There are allusions to jazz, certain books and movies, and, of course, (unfortunately) misogyny.
If you like other novels by Haruki Murakami, I'm sure you'll enjoy this book as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Confinement
manel_'s review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
mahry's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Read this in a book club, but we all agreed to drop it. The protagonist was a really dislikable character. We had lots and lots of questions that barely ever got answered, while the book itself took ages to progress.
I really had to force myself to read this, and so did the others.
I really had to force myself to read this, and so did the others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming
tempus_edax_rerum's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.25
Would have been a 5 star read if it wasn't for the wild sexism and body shaming.
Reading this book is like falling asleep, as your thoughts become more and more confusing, but you feel like you can still keep up.
I would recommend this one to you if you have a deep feeling of meaninglessness that you can't shake off, no matter what you do (wouldn't exactly say this one helps with that but i felt understood for once.)
Reading this book is like falling asleep, as your thoughts become more and more confusing, but you feel like you can still keep up.
I would recommend this one to you if you have a deep feeling of meaninglessness that you can't shake off, no matter what you do (wouldn't exactly say this one helps with that but i felt understood for once.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Terminal illness, Blood, Excrement, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
nzhuo5392's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Why must cis-het men keep ruining my books!!
Murakami's writing style and effortless world-building are standout in this book, but the removed sexualization of literally every woman the protagonist encounters is sickening, especially considering that one of these women is a 17-year-old. There's also a recurring disgust associated with women eating that serves a purpose, but remains deeply troubling nonetheless.
The book is alternates between two storylines that intersect somewhat predictably. Though I do wish Murakami's hints at the relationship between the two stories were a little more covert, I did enjoy the way he used these plot lines to paint a bigger picture about consciousness, the self, and emotional vulnerability.
Murakami's writing style and effortless world-building are standout in this book, but the removed sexualization of literally every woman the protagonist encounters is sickening, especially considering that one of these women is a 17-year-old. There's also a recurring disgust associated with women eating that serves a purpose, but remains deeply troubling nonetheless.
The book is alternates between two storylines that intersect somewhat predictably. Though I do wish Murakami's hints at the relationship between the two stories were a little more covert, I did enjoy the way he used these plot lines to paint a bigger picture about consciousness, the self, and emotional vulnerability.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism