Reviews

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

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fimk's review against another edition

dark reflective 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? It's complicated

2.5

Mooi geschreven maar een heel matig verhaal. Oversekst en vind het verhaal alleen interessant door de onderliggende symboliek. Heb me zwaar geïrriteerd aan het hoofdpersonage. De schrijfstijl hield voor mij het verhaal op de been.

batmanbussy's review against another edition

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4.0

“all she had on was the butterfly hairslide.”

there’s something about murakami’s works that manage to create such a cosy and vivid atmosphere, one that makes you feel like you’re right there in japan, or one that makes you long to be.

this was interesting and i liked what it had to say about life. i don’t think, though, i’ll ever fully be comfortable with the way he writes sex in his books !

fairy_capulet's review against another edition

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sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No

3.0

ailykatt's review against another edition

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4.5

I was absolutely enamored by this author’s writing style. The dialogue and the way he captures the sight & sound of a scene were so lovely it felt like a film. I read this as an e-book and found myself repeatedly screenshotting paragraphs because of their beauty. I think if you enjoyed Never Let Me Go by Kashuo Ishiguro and Beautiful World Where Are You by Sally Rooney you may enjoy Norwegian Wood. It was also somewhat reminiscent of The Secret History by Donna Tarte due to the lingering sense of existentialism and the collegiate setting. That being said, this story was rife with suicide and egregiously sexual. I recognize that could be a regional/cultural difference. I certainly believe that sex can contribute to plot/character development but this was near constant. I found the flippant regard for infidelity unsettling, and a particular scene involving a minor was very difficult to stomach.

crumpkl's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

alfie_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense 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? No

3.0

Something which was probably progressive in 80s conservative Japanese society now feels horribly dated. It’s so promiscuous but in a way that objectifies the female characters into two-dimensional vehicles of wanton lust.