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toffeebox's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I'm not sure what to feel about this book. Pinball is the stronger read of the two because it felt more anchored with the Pinball machine being used as a device to bring out emotions and rat's depressive arc had a significant development towards the ending (non graphic suicide where it was hinted that he drowned himself )
But I really doubt I remember this book in a week's time.
But I really doubt I remember this book in a week's time.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
samarakroeger's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
no wonder Murakami didn't win that debut novelist award. I can see why these remained out of print for ~30 years -- they're just not very good novellas. They're not that bad, either, to be fair. The Murakami bingo card would almost certainly have at least two bingos on it.
I actually liked Hear the Wind Sing more than Pinball, 1973, despite the utter lack of plot, concerning characterization of women, and the lack of an ending. The twins? Hard pass from me, dog.
I'm also pretty confident that these are mediocre translations -- maybe they'd have been more captivating if Philip Gabriel or Jay Rubin retranslated them.
I actually liked Hear the Wind Sing more than Pinball, 1973, despite the utter lack of plot, concerning characterization of women, and the lack of an ending. The twins? Hard pass from me, dog.
I'm also pretty confident that these are mediocre translations -- maybe they'd have been more captivating if Philip Gabriel or Jay Rubin retranslated them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Suicide, and Sexism
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