Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

63 reviews

nochnitsa's review against another edition

I chose this book to be my first proper Murakami because, as description said, it's a collection of all the typical Murakami elements, and of course the cover is absolutely stunning. The cover is also the only thing that could make me regret not finishing or liking this book. I'm over a 100 pages in, and so far, despite lots of things happening and many many words, it feels like the book lacks real substance. What really makes me uncomfortable though (and it is the main reason for me dnf-ing this book) is the way Murakami writes women or about women. Associating a teenager with a woman who propositioned him phone sex? Talking about violent rape and forced prostitution like it's a weather forecast and then having a wet dream about the sane woman woman? Sounds a tiny bit disturbing to me, no thank you very much. I doubt I'll ever give Murakami another try after this.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexism

Minor: Pedophilia

gotothecorner's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Death, Torture, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Murder

Moderate: Abortion

12caro9's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, Vomit, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Abandonment and Abortion

h_motionless's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a bizarre and incredibly complex novel, and is understandably one of Murakami's most respected and acclaimed works. However, for me, this novel is in a similar situation to Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, where the convoluted complexity slightly hindered my enjoyment of it. I think I can only appreciate this novel fully upon a reread.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Rape

tessorlando's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle has a lot of mystery in its unique story, and I really enjoyed the character May. I struggled with the descriptions of gore and violence and found those parts of the book tedious to get through.

I was weary of the relationship between May and Mr. Okada in the beginning but (to my relief) found it to be very platonic and endearing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, War, Violence, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Murder, Infidelity, Gun violence, Gore, Genocide, Domestic abuse, and Body horror

Moderate: Abortion and Sexual assault

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Rape

amclauchlin's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Rape

luschowski's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Gore

julaun's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and War

Minor: Rape

threeyearsaway's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

my first initial thought after finishing is that if this were a movie it’d be one of my favorites for sure. so good… sooo good to me. when he was scared, so was i. when he was sad, so was i. happy, i’m happy. toru my brother.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, and Gore

Moderate: Incest and Rape

traciereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and War

Moderate: Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Incest, Pregnancy, and Vomit