Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

A lot of unanswered questions.

I liked the introspective elements a lot, quite frankly they were the most relatable parts, even if at times the main character can be wayyyy too morose. There are a few triggering subject matters, that I typically avoid in books and media, but other than that I don't know what to make of the book tbh. It was... I don't know. Not an immediate like or dislike, it just very much so exists.

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mxpringle's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-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

4.5

I love the dream like state this book put me in where I questioned what events in it were real and fake. The writing and the way the characters were so fleshed our really gripped me and I haven't read a book so quickly in forever. However, as a with a lot of Murakami's writing, I did have an issue with how he portrays women and sex, and his strong emphasis on the male gaze.

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libryofalssndra's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

Despite most of this novel missing Murakami's signature magical realism and feeling somewhat short, his exploration of Tsukuru's identity in his relationship with his closest friends is something I believe many can people can relate to, especially those going from one phase of life to another and struggling with their relationships as they do so.

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mudkipmillie's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.75

I’m not going to claim that this book is perfect, but it was perfect for me at the time in my life when I read it. This book deals with how it feels to be abandoned or “ghosted” by everyone who you have ever loved. It also explores how it feels to leave home for the first time, and life in your early 20s. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who us leaving for college for the first time. It is also my favorite book by Murakami which is saying a lot because I have read 9 of his novels. Also, this book has some heavy themes so PLEASE read the content warnings!!!

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backatthelibrary's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-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

1.0

this book left me wondering why Murakami is such a celebrated author.

It focuses on Tsukuru Tazaki who was completely cut-off from his friend group. Years later he asks them why they cut him off: a false rape accusation. One of the girls in the group accused Tsukuru of raping her and while none of them believed that Tsukuru did that, they still abandoned him. He was depressed because they cut him off and had frequent and vivid sex dreams of the two girls in the group. The false rape accusation is what ultimately killed this book for me. Not only was it not necessary for the plot, it was also established that none of the other three friends believed that Tsukuru had done this. They cut him off nonetheless in order not to hurt her feelings. What does that tell a reader? That even if no one believes a woman, men have to suffer terrible consequences? I truly cannot think of another reason for this storyline.

The characters are stereotypical (a beautiful girl not knowing she’s beautiful, a chubby but funny girl that had full breasts at 16, a jock and a nerd) and flat with no development. The plot is basically over once we learn the reason they cut him off. All that is left then is a weird fixation on breasts and graphic sex dreams.

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namizaela's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

At first I didn't really care about any of the characters, especially Tsukuru Tazaki, because I was getting pretty tired of the classic Murakami protagonist (an emotionless 30 year old man who seems to have a taste for teenage girls). However, once the plot got going, I ended up wanting to find out more and naturally got drawn into the story. It ended up being pretty emotional, and I really liked the whole premise of this group of friends that got broken apart. Overall, not my least favorite Murakami book, but it's pretty low on the list.

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