Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

172 reviews

soyboysimon's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

I think Murakami might be my favorite author. I read Kafka on the Shore about a year ago and had conflicting emotions. The misogyny was shocking and horrifying, but I can't stop thinking about it. So i decided so give him another try.

This one is much less bad. The misogyny is still there, but it feels more like its on purpose because of the nature of the main character. And its not like every woman he meets is just a pair of breasts with legs this time. Because I was expecting it, it was less of a problem for me.

It sure doesn't sound like I'm describing a good book, does it? Let me tell you what this book got right! Unlike his other works, there is no magic in this book. The writing is whats magical about it. It has that japanese way of storytelling, much like a Studio Ghibli movie, where you're following a character through their daily life, living the slow moments with them.

The main character grapples with the dilemma of loving more than one person at a time and having to choose and wondering if he's making the right choice. And you really feel his love for both women and get to see such tender but different moments between them and could see him being happy either way. And its told from the perspective of him looking back on his life and wondering if theres anything he could have done differently.

Its reflective, its charming, its mundane. This books makes me want to live.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Suicide, Alcohol, Mental illness, Rape, and Sexual content

boofaboo's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Grief, and Suicide

thebookwasb3tter's review against another edition

It was maddeningly slow, I found the main character to be  awful and self absorbed, the women were written as sex caricatures, and the dialogue made me cringe. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Grief, Suicide, Bullying, Mental illness, and Self harm

pepelu's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Grief, Medical content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

sammm_888's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Dementia, Suicide, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

dee97's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide, Mental illness, and Grief

fergascod's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Un llibre amb una atmòsfera molt trista. Tots els personatges estan atravessats per la desgràcia. Segurament no l’hauria d’haver llegit tenint en compte com estic últimament, tot i que potser sí.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Suicide, Death, Mental illness, and Adult/minor relationship

claukv's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Stalking, Alcohol, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

Minor: Lesbophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Body shaming

hadys's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Sexual content, Grief, and Mental illness

sakurachiyou's review against another edition

sad medium-paced

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

0.25

 

Whether you believe it or not, Murakami got me out of a 1.5-year-long reading slump, and not for the reasons one might expect. It's because I wholeheartedly detest his writing. If I am certain about two things regarding my relationship with literature, it's that I love hating on books and that I am dedicated to hating Murakami's books. Hating his books gives me life. That's it; that's who I am. Now that I have established myself and my views, let's talk about the book on a surface level. 

 

"Norwegian Wood," Murakami's undoubtedly most popular book. What a train wreck, what a mess! C'est un vrai gâchis! (Pardon my French; I wanted to swear, but I settled for a more civilized approach.) 

 

For lack of a better word, the main viewpoint of the book follows the male gaze; it's the male experience in a strictly male world. Every problem a woman is facing can be solved by a man, and that man can only be Toru. Every problem or insecurity is forgotten once they have sexual interactions with him, and boy oh boy, do the women in Murakami's world exist just to be sexual beings? 

 

I don't understand the appeal of Murakami's world or his characters. The melancholic and depressive state that looms around every page doesn't seem well executed in my perspective. Need I go through the reasons why I believe that mental illness matters are handled very immaturely and messily? Because they are, and it's very evident. 

 

I was under the impression that people like this book because of the atmosphere that the author creates, the vibes, the mood. There was no such thing as a melancholic atmosphere. I could not get in the mood because the writing style does nothing for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, Mental illness, Grief, and Rape