Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Audition by Ryū Murakami

77 reviews

thespencerj's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, and Torture

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Minor: Murder

madamepurpura's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Suspenso delicado que poco a poco va creciendo.

Murakami nos ofrece una mirada sobre la sociedad japonesa y las relaciones entre hombres y mujeres. Que se espera de ellos y que se espera de las mujeres desde la mirada hombruna diría el libro. 
Y sobre todo, cómo todas estas cargas que se imponen y auto imponen para “encontrar la felicidad” solo llevan a la soledad y hay una soledad que puede llevar a las individuos a hacer cosas muy, pero muy dañinas.
Me ha gustado que ese recurso de cojeras, pies, silla de ruedas (está parte más directa imposible)que  todo el tiempo está rodeando a Aoyama y Asami, presagia lo que va ocurrir… 

Aoyama was the one auditioning for Asami. And oh boy he got the part.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Body horror

rexials's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Gore

CW: Sexual Content

kamurphy919's review

dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

fairygodfish's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

3.75

I spent 5/6 of the book waiting for something to happen but I didn’t feel bored during it. That poor dog.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

themadbloodstone's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

While I do appreciate this novel, the two things that nearly brought me to give up on it was its slow pace and prose that felt longer than it should. However, it is not to say that it did not serve a purpose. You forget that you are reading a Ryū Murakami book and find yourself thinking you’re reading a little romance between lonely Aoyama and mysterious dream girl Yamasaki Asami. You, the reader, even glances over the explicit red flags the iconic villainess has left behind.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Sexual content

Minor: Misogyny

soobooksalot's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, and Blood

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

sspaghettiboness's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I am always in total awe when I read Murakami’s works, and this novel was absolutely no exception. The way he unfolded the story of a man going from widower to head-over-heels in love was well paced, and littered with painfully accurate descriptions of those feelings. The way you first meet someone and become completely enamoured, the way a person will dig so deep to quell any possible notion of them being anything other than perfect. That heart fluttering moment of trying to decide when to best touch their hand for the first time, or when do you go in for the kiss? 

But this is not a love story. 

It was extremely painful to read, at many points. So many other characters were constantly pointing to the faults in Aoyama’s mental gymnastics to prove his beliefs right. It made me want to stick my hands into the pages and just slap his face. 

The last two chapters are, of course, a dazzling masterpiece of macabre. This is the second time I’ve noticed Ryu using this particular method of violence, which I found very interesting. I don’t want to say more and give it all away, but, the last chapter had me white knuckling the book. 

I could go on and on about how much I love Ryu, probably forever, but I digress. Yet another amazing read. I wish more of his works were translated into English. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Violence, and Blood

owlribbon's review

dark tense

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Grief

rougoku's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death