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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
My favorite story of the bunch I think is "Scheherazade" or "Kino," although all stories were enjoyable. Compared to The Elephant Vanishes, I think I would still choose that one. Although it is obvious that these stories are connected through the common theme of men losing women, I think that works against this as a collection. Separately, the stories are strong. Together, you see the threads too closely that make up Murakami's work.
To be frank, the last two or three stories were a bit hard to break through. I enjoyed the first four stories much more, and the fifth was something in between. Maybe I’ll revisit those last stories at some point and see if I feel any different, but for now, my rating will remain at three stars. Really good at first, made me question things and I had to let it sink for a while, as it often happens when I read a Murakami book.
It is a good collection of short stories. But however, I felt all the stories were very similar to each other
I wanted to like this more. There's no doubt Murakami's writing is splendid. He weaves together humor and seriousness seamlessly. That said, the women often are the "villains" in the stories, usually without a name and described physically, not always emotionally. Kino was my favorite story of the 7 but I'll say...7 stories written from the perspective of men gets a little...boring. So if you want to read 7 short stories of how men are utterly useless without the guidance of women, then this is your book. I get it, I really do, but eh.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
mysterious
reflective
adventurous
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A