Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

127 reviews

racbuckallew's review against another edition

reflective sad 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

3.5

Norwegian Wood is not what I was expecting in that it is less spiritual and metaphysical than other Murakami I have read. This was a slow read, but I’m glad to have stuck with it; you can certainly get attached to the characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Suicide, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail

emolr's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Death, Suicide, and Sexual content

kyoe983's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional relaxing sad medium-paced

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

3.0

The one thing that this book keeps consistent throughout the story it's aesthetic. Through Murakami's writing style and the translator's work, we're transported in the somber and full-of-death world of Toru Watanabe, with every scene, place, thought, and dialogue seeming extremely vivid. This clearness of the story seems very entertaining while reading, but if you take it away you'll realize that Murakami writes about a bunch of nonsense. The flaws of this book are numerous, and even if it seems you're following a story while reading, you're not. There are just events. Rememberings of a 40-year-old man. Are his thoughts even real? He does mention in the first chapter that he doesn't remember much, and then proceeds to write a full book, very vividly and detailed, about his life 20 years ago. Maybe that also explains why the ending is so fucking bad. Maybe.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Rape, and Grief

Moderate: Cursing and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol, Chronic illness, and Suicidal thoughts

mengzhenreads's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.75

I really am not sure how to feel about this book. On one hand, the writing was seriously top-shelf high quality stuff, with a style that is deceptively simple but really beautiful. On the other hand, I really felt weird about how Murakami wrote all of the female characters in this book. I felt like they were all written and described in ways that were questionable at best, and while I really got the idea of the whole reminiscent, nostalgic view at Toru's college life, the way that all of the women in the story were described just took me OUT. I did still enjoy parts of it, but overall I have really mixed feelings about this novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Rape

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Suicide

Minor: Death of parent

mjones14's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

Jesus christ. The amount of times I thought 'oh' whilst reading this. I get why it's such a red flag of a book now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Death

jvoutsinas's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Death of parent, and Death

eviepops0161's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Death of parent, Suicide, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Addiction

lisa00's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-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

2.5

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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, and Lesbophobia

lshkrk's review against another edition

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

3.5

the ending is disgusting and female characters just serve as vehicles for boosting and inflating the protagonist’s ego. have a nice read:)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, and Pedophilia

Minor: Mental illness, Addiction, Misogyny, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

bananaza55's review against another edition

challenging dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

 highly advise reading trigger warnings prior.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Death, and Rape