Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

39 reviews

risemini's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.25


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cheuksin's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

  • First time reading a Murakami book , when people said his writing was overly horny they really weren’t joking
  • Malta Kano was wearing a trench coat. The lapels were closed tight across the front, but from the subtle fragrance of a woman’s naked flesh I could tell she was wearing nothing underneath.
  • It never really explained why toru okada doesn’t speak to his family
  • The sexualisation of the 16 year old May Kasahara is uncomfortable 
  • At least it didn’t have a Cliff hanger
  • “She told me that the baby’s name was Corsica and that half the baby’s father was me, while the other half was Lieutenant Mamiya.” Isn’t lieutenant mamiya an elderly man, also when the fuck did they even meet like did I miss something?

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kanderson246's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5


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dakotahreads's review against another edition

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

3.5


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kaitlyn_avecado's review against another edition

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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

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sas_lk's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.25

I think this is now my second favourite Murakami book. I appreciate what he did with it, though sometimes I felt like some parts were just too long or unnecessary.
He has this way of blending realities and making you question what reality truly is. That's what I love so much about his books. He makes you so aware of how the world around us is always moving, and that maybe it isn't always linear. 

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shannanigans's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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jacob_dion's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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directorpurry's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

1.5


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natattack17's review against another edition

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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.


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