Reviews

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman: Twenty-four Stories by Jay Rubin, Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami

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

kara7e's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoy this author’s short stories. Even though they don’t initially seem to relate, there is still a flow between them, at least that’s how it seemed to me. I read the book over quite a few months, but not because it wasn’t enjoyable, but rather so each story would soak into my life in a different time or place, each story bringing a new perspective for me to use as a lens for my own life.

karthikskorner's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

3.25

I read this for Katie and I’s inaugural book club where we read books that are adapted into films, and it was a solid read. My first ever Murakami and he is certainly a relaxing writer with an extremely strong male gaze over everything he touches (like, he should rethink how he writes about women big time). He has a way with words, and jazz, and it is a great introduction into the world of Murakami. I’m sure I’ll read one of his novels in the future, but for now I want to just highlight my favorite of his short stories in this collection:

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
A Perfect Day for Kangaroos
Man-Eating Cats
The Seventh Man
Tony Takitani
Chance Traveler
Hanalei Bay
The Kidney-Shaped Stone That Moves Every Day

6.625/10

lsparrow's review against another edition

2.0

short stories that are like brain worms that get in and you find yourself going back and thinking about the situations and characters - I found that many of them ended at what felt like an awkward spot -most of them too late.

trzasko's review against another edition

The book was due at the library and didn’t captivate my interest enough to make it worth renewing. Not bad from a literary sense, just confusing and mundane.

connoronnor's review against another edition

3.0

Some very strong shorts here, and some fascinating trial runs for later stories, but middle period Murakami can get a bit tedious after a while. When the characters started arguing over the edibility of the Dabchick I started to feel trapped by the book and I wasn't even halfway

jevansmassive's review against another edition

I got stuck on one of the short stories and age ago

alexgreenough's review against another edition

mysterious reflective relaxing medium-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? No

3.5