Reviews with content warning for Suicide - ノルウェイの森 Vol. 1

This is my first Murakami read, and it lived up to my expectations. Murakami writes so beautifully and easily, even if the feelings aren’t relatable to me, he makes them understandable. To me this book encapsulates the pain and beauty in the mundane and the ever-changing role of love in our lives. Love need not be defined by one relationship or one way of loving.

My only big complaints are the last three paragraphs (I didn’t feel like I needed him to wrap things up with her) and the weird sex scenes / sexist language (which of course I had been prepped for before I read it). For me, it could’ve ended at the train station with him being told to be happy.

Overall, a huge fan of the writing style, and I enjoyed the exploration of love and death and life.

Content Warnings

diegocanread's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

It is wild having a cast of mentally ill characters just take me for a wild ride through what they think is normal

Content Warnings

cinzia_2509's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.0

Content Warnings

skaiaa's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.75

It was good, but defs different to what I expected! Another review I read about the 'sickness' (eventually leading them to commit suicide) being passed on from Kizuki to Naoko, then finally to Toru (main character), and he calls out to Midori for help but its too late is such an interesting theory! Also, sooo much sex I was not expecting that (idk just the vibe I got from how I've heard norwegian wood being talked about and how popular it is)./

Content Warnings

st1va's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective 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

4.5

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sleepylit's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I went into reading this thinking I would hate it, but I am so pleasantly surprised. I know there’s a lot of controversy around this book, but I personally find it wonderful and well worth the read. As an avid fanfiction reader, I was longing for a stretched out, slow burn romance, and while it’s there underneath the surface, the novel ends before the happily ever after comes. And I KNOW this book isn’t meant to be about the romance, but I really wanted it. That, and the fact that we don’t get a real resolution is what knocked this novel to 4 stars for me. Overall, though, its a novel that makes you reflect on life and makes you THINK.

Content Warnings

maddiehardick's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

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