natbee's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I love short stories, and these odd, perplexing, and outright strange stories make you think and take you on a wild and unexpected journey. I listened to this audiobook while feverish, and a fever dream is an accurate description of this book, where you aren't quite sure where reality begins, and a deliciously distrurbing delirium you just have to give into begins.
73mona's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
2.5
I've previously read an earlier collection of Marukamis short stories, called 'Passion'. I enjoyed it very much, but this book was quite a mix of enticing stories and straight up boring ramble. I'm very disappointed and hope his other collections and novels are more my taste.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
flo_llot's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
3.0
alexandr1ne's review
1.0
Yeah, I really didn't like this. I didn't hate With The Beatles or Shinagawa Monkey, but whatever personal enjoyment could have been gleaned from those was undercut for me by how terrible everything else was. Also, the way Murakami writes about women in this anthology is gross. Like, I had a visceral reaction to it. Men get to be people, while women - and their relationship to both the narrative and the narrator - are defined entirely by what they look like. And if "what they look like" happens to be "unattractive", you can bet you will be hearing about it, in excruciating detail. If I truly believed every man's internal monologue was like this, I would have [redacted] by now, rather than just fantasizing about it. Disappointing, but I will persevere with his other works regardless, as I've heard such good things and the others I've read/started reading haven't been like this at all.
versmonesprit's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Strange things happen, from the oneiric to the outright sinister, in First Person Singular; but the stories are also humorous, touching, and sweet — in true Murakami fashion. Perhaps what makes this book all the more interesting is that we get to see Murakami dabble a bit in poetry!
Of the 8 stories in this collection, I really liked most, but my favourite by far was Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova, which I finished in streams of tears. It might well have been the tenderest story I have ever read, written obviously with so much love!
Murakami’s cozy tone was at its peak in The Yakult Swallows Poetry Collection, which read like a quasi-essay, and was full of heartwarming humour.
I will never not recommend Murakami’s stories, they’re always a mixed bag in tone and twists, and that’s what makes his story collections a wonderful surprise each time!
Of the 8 stories in this collection, I really liked most, but my favourite by far was Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova, which I finished in streams of tears. It might well have been the tenderest story I have ever read, written obviously with so much love!
Murakami’s cozy tone was at its peak in The Yakult Swallows Poetry Collection, which read like a quasi-essay, and was full of heartwarming humour.
I will never not recommend Murakami’s stories, they’re always a mixed bag in tone and twists, and that’s what makes his story collections a wonderful surprise each time!
bkish's review against another edition
5.0
This ispure Murakami. He has a brilliant mind of an explorer, its a mix of sheer fantasy and true reality, its all encased in his confusing lightness. Confusing not confused, there is sometimes a tragedy that he knows is tragic, yet through it all he is there involved yet distant an observer who is there. And since Murakami is actually the teller of each story of his real or imagined experience he brings us the readers his love and knowledge of music and baseball and his identification as an older japanese man......
Judy g
Judy g
shksprsis's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
loveannie98's review
3.5
some rly good stories, some rly boring ones (that baseball one had me SNOOZING!) i didn’t rly care about the misogyny other people experienced, partly cos i went in expecting worse but also bc it made sense in the context of the story idk