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lindajasmin's review
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
camuscameltoe's review
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
faye_v's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nyom7's review
5.0
Five different yet similar stories. Most of them left me with questions.
The bakery one - I’ll be honest, I found it a little too absurd (and this is from someone who has bookshelves worth of fantasy and sci-fi novels) to be able to take seriously and not just think of was hyperbole gone mad. The writing and imagery, as in all of the stories, was amazing but the robbery and stuff was too far-fetched for me. Also, what on earth was the new wife’s backstory that she knew how to rob a McDonalds including having the kit to do so immediately at her finger tips. It felt like the couple didn’t actually know anything about each other, which for me again made it less believable. The empty fridge however I could 100% believe!
The perfect girl - this one I loved. It was so poignant and heartfelt. Had sorrow and hope and story-telling all. This one made me feel in a way that the bakery one did not.
Birthday girl - cleverly written so that it is never 100% clear if this is a sort of 3rd person narrative of the event or a 3rd person observation of the girl telling someone of the event. Wonderfully prosaic yet with a pinch of magic sprinkled on top. The reader is left wondering what the wish was and also impressed at the self-awareness she shows when given the offer of the wish. The underlying currents of hope and despair drift and dart beneath the plot taking you with them.
George Samsa - I loved the ambiguity of the story. I think I would have liked it even more had Prague not been mentioned. It gave it a little too much solidity for me, particularly having visited Prague and walked around it (and not just the touristy bits either thanks to recommendations from a friend who’s a local). The concept and description of learning how to move a body was fantastic. I could happily have read another 200+ pages just about what was going on, what had happened to him, what happened to him in the future. There was enough in it to make it work as a short story but there was also so much in it that it could easily be a novel.
A folklore for my generation - with this being a fictionalised true story it is difficult to judge it. Like the author you are left unclear of the moral of the story yet it is compelling all the same. It approaches the some of the issues around virginity in a direct yet compassionate manner and follows them through for this particular pair to their conclusion. A sad yet heartfelt story.
The bakery one - I’ll be honest, I found it a little too absurd (and this is from someone who has bookshelves worth of fantasy and sci-fi novels) to be able to take seriously and not just think of was hyperbole gone mad. The writing and imagery, as in all of the stories, was amazing but the robbery and stuff was too far-fetched for me. Also, what on earth was the new wife’s backstory that she knew how to rob a McDonalds including having the kit to do so immediately at her finger tips. It felt like the couple didn’t actually know anything about each other, which for me again made it less believable. The empty fridge however I could 100% believe!
The perfect girl - this one I loved. It was so poignant and heartfelt. Had sorrow and hope and story-telling all. This one made me feel in a way that the bakery one did not.
Birthday girl - cleverly written so that it is never 100% clear if this is a sort of 3rd person narrative of the event or a 3rd person observation of the girl telling someone of the event. Wonderfully prosaic yet with a pinch of magic sprinkled on top. The reader is left wondering what the wish was and also impressed at the self-awareness she shows when given the offer of the wish. The underlying currents of hope and despair drift and dart beneath the plot taking you with them.
George Samsa - I loved the ambiguity of the story. I think I would have liked it even more had Prague not been mentioned. It gave it a little too much solidity for me, particularly having visited Prague and walked around it (and not just the touristy bits either thanks to recommendations from a friend who’s a local). The concept and description of learning how to move a body was fantastic. I could happily have read another 200+ pages just about what was going on, what had happened to him, what happened to him in the future. There was enough in it to make it work as a short story but there was also so much in it that it could easily be a novel.
A folklore for my generation - with this being a fictionalised true story it is difficult to judge it. Like the author you are left unclear of the moral of the story yet it is compelling all the same. It approaches the some of the issues around virginity in a direct yet compassionate manner and follows them through for this particular pair to their conclusion. A sad yet heartfelt story.
varunhorril's review
5.0
All our lives, we have been wired to imagine things following a clear set of patterns, a certain amount of coherence, an order to the disarray. And then there's Murakami, who tosses all of that away.
jackystea's review
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0