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Reviews
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman: Twenty-four Stories by Jay Rubin, Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami
alguienmescucha's review against another edition
4.0
Las historias son buenas y están bien escritas. Me interesó mucho el punto de vista del autor, y quiero leer más de él.
amnoele's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
3.25
i’ve read better short story collections of his, but nevertheless enjoyed this one. imo, murakami’s writing style really shines brightest in his short stories - his surrealism is a great fit for them. (my fav: hanalei bay)
jaronmeier's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Really glad iI read this. A few stories that felt a bid weird but not necessarily bad.
Whenever I start reading Murakami I instantly get sucked into the created world and can visualize everything.
Whenever I start reading Murakami I instantly get sucked into the created world and can visualize everything.
suvata's review against another edition
5.0
Anyone who reads my reviews will know that Haruki Murakami is probably my favorite author. This is the first book of his short stories that I've read. Short stories are so much different than novels. First of all, they mostly incorporate just a small snapshot of time. Also, there is not a lot of room to develop a character. Somehow, Murakami manages to not only develop a character fully but tell a very interesting story as well in these short pieces.
Some of my favorites include:
Birthday Girl in which a 20-year-old waitress is granted one wish for her birthday.
Of course, I knew there had to be a cat. And he shows up in the third story, New York Mining Disaster. But, that's not what the story is about.
The Mirror - a ghost story of sorts
The Seventh Man - The story of a giant title wave that swallowed a boy
Chance Traveler - Do you believe in coincidence?
All in all, it's a good collection. But, I have to say that I prefer his novels to his short stories.
Some of my favorites include:
Birthday Girl in which a 20-year-old waitress is granted one wish for her birthday.
Of course, I knew there had to be a cat. And he shows up in the third story, New York Mining Disaster. But, that's not what the story is about.
The Mirror - a ghost story of sorts
The Seventh Man - The story of a giant title wave that swallowed a boy
Chance Traveler - Do you believe in coincidence?
All in all, it's a good collection. But, I have to say that I prefer his novels to his short stories.
ulna's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
3.5
Some great stories amongst some real duds. Seems to be the case with most short story collections though! A big range of characters and settings but all follow a melancholic undertone of loneliness.
mrmysteryfox's review against another edition
4.0
A bumper 24 short story collection. No common theme throughout and a wide variety of topics covered in Murakami’s unique style.
Like
Birthday Girl - story about a special birthday wish
Mirror - A very short “ghost” story
Dabchick - An odd story about a man arriving for a new job but he’s forgotten the password
Man eating cats - a tale of loss on a Greek island with man eating cats
The Year of Spaghetti - short story about loneliness and the extremes of hobbies you go to
Hanalei Bay - a mother dealing with the loss of her surfer son
Dislike
Unlike other collections that have a common theme this is just a random collection of stories that have been published at various times.
Some stories such as firefly were developed into full novels so felt like no need to publish the short story as was just repetitive.
To remember
“Dreams come from the past, not from the future. Dreams shouldn’t control you—you should control them.”
An unusual happy birthday
““Happy birthday,” he said. “May you live a rich and fruitful life, and may there be nothing to cast dark shadows on it.””
“Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.”
Like
Birthday Girl - story about a special birthday wish
Mirror - A very short “ghost” story
Dabchick - An odd story about a man arriving for a new job but he’s forgotten the password
Man eating cats - a tale of loss on a Greek island with man eating cats
The Year of Spaghetti - short story about loneliness and the extremes of hobbies you go to
Hanalei Bay - a mother dealing with the loss of her surfer son
Dislike
Unlike other collections that have a common theme this is just a random collection of stories that have been published at various times.
Some stories such as firefly were developed into full novels so felt like no need to publish the short story as was just repetitive.
To remember
“Dreams come from the past, not from the future. Dreams shouldn’t control you—you should control them.”
An unusual happy birthday
““Happy birthday,” he said. “May you live a rich and fruitful life, and may there be nothing to cast dark shadows on it.””
“Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.”
loujoseph's review against another edition
4.0
not quite as good a collection of murakami as the elephant vanishes, this is more a wrap-up, career spanning thing and not really essential as a whole.
faye_v's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jonkjo's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25