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annereads33's review against another edition
reflective
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? No
2.75
xgigglypuff's review against another edition
3.75
thought this was a true story until the monkey started working at the hotel
oddly emotional at times, feels like a magical realist memoir that all blurs together, cool concept
“I’m a monkey so I have to be thankful to have a bed to sleep in and three square meals a day, not that it’s paradise or anything.”
I burst out laughing at most of the monkey chapter. I was thoroughly entertained for every page of whatever that was.
oddly emotional at times, feels like a magical realist memoir that all blurs together, cool concept
I burst out laughing at most of the monkey chapter. I was thoroughly entertained for every page of whatever that was.
courtneywilcox's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
reminder to myself that a murakami will probably never fail me.
pretty certain all the short stories are in fact about murukami, i should have guessed this from the title in hindsight... but it did take me about 3/4 to figure that one out
pretty certain all the short stories are in fact about murukami, i should have guessed this from the title in hindsight... but it did take me about 3/4 to figure that one out
emilyklm's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
4.5
mountainmantra's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Fun stories, some better than others. I found I enjoyed the first half more.
alinaedwards's review against another edition
to my surprise, I actually really, really enjoyed this collection. this is the first collection of short stories I’ve read from murakami, and I’ve discovered that his writing works much better for me in bite sizes rather than king size—aka, the short story rather than the novel.
for me, a novel needs a lot more to sustain itself than what murakami usually gives the reader, but a short story can contain all his trademark sense of the strange, simplicity of thought, and humor perfectly. it’s one burst of weirdness and then it’s done, and this is suited much better to me. I’m glad I finally had this realization so I can turn to his other collections before stepping into novel territory again.
for me, a novel needs a lot more to sustain itself than what murakami usually gives the reader, but a short story can contain all his trademark sense of the strange, simplicity of thought, and humor perfectly. it’s one burst of weirdness and then it’s done, and this is suited much better to me. I’m glad I finally had this realization so I can turn to his other collections before stepping into novel territory again.
4b0uty0u's review against another edition
1.75
me ha dejado un sabor agridulce. me duele mucho ponerle esta puntuación a murakami, porque sabéis todxs que me encanta su escritura, y los libros que he leído de él antes me han parecido increíbles, pero este… este no me ha llegado. no sé si es porque se trata de relatos, pero este libro no ha sido para mí. considero que algunos de ellos están alargados de más, intentando llenar y llenar páginas.
erinhanx's review against another edition
3.0
Murakami is one of my favourites. I love the liminal feeling I get from his storytelling, and some of the scenarios and dialogue in these short stories took me to that place. However, I often dislike how he writes women, and unfortunately there is a lot of... that... in this collection.
Very much ups and downs. I absolutely loved 'Confessions of a Shinigawa Monkey' and 'First Person Singular', from which I dog-eared some quotes which were very beautiful in that classically Murakami way. However I hated 'Carnaval' with a fiery passion. From the first line ("Of all the women I've met, she was the ugliest.") to the point where the narrator suggests that his friend is 'ill-matched' to her husband just because she is deemed to be unattractive and he's very handsome. Big sigh.
Definitely still worth a read if you like Murakami.
Very much ups and downs. I absolutely loved 'Confessions of a Shinigawa Monkey' and 'First Person Singular', from which I dog-eared some quotes which were very beautiful in that classically Murakami way. However I hated 'Carnaval' with a fiery passion. From the first line ("Of all the women I've met, she was the ugliest.") to the point where the narrator suggests that his friend is 'ill-matched' to her husband just because she is deemed to be unattractive and he's very handsome. Big sigh.
Definitely still worth a read if you like Murakami.
harrypotterboy2727's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
d34nn3_29's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0