Reviews

Naokos Lächeln by Haruki Murakami

seybolda's review against another edition

funny lighthearted slow-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual assault

max_s_books's review against another edition

dark 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

3.0

emmalemonnz's review against another edition

5.0

I've been struggling to read anything new for a while now, trying a bunch of different books. This is the first one that I picked up and couldn't put back down again.

It's a simple yet complex tale of a young man and his experiences of

Spoiler

falling in love with two unusual women, while at the same time dealing with the suicides and mental illnesses of those close to him

. The Beatles' Norwegian Wood is the perfect soundtrack for the reading of it, along with any of the other songs mentioned in the text.

I've heard that it's quite different from Murakami's other books, which makes me not sure if I really want to read his others. I love his writing in this one, and although I enjoy many styles of writing, I think I'll put off reading anything else by him for a couple of years, just so I can savour Norwegian Wood for a while.

lindsayaunderwood's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoyed reading this, but some of it made zero sense.

dikshya's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

nadia32's review against another edition

4.0

In a shocking turn of events, I loved Murakami. Very easy to get into and read, very much as filled with sexual women as people say, but surprisingly not as obtuse as expected. I enjoyed this a lot, and having a book club discussion helped me enjoy it even more. 

benee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

michellechien930's review against another edition

5.0

This was my first Murakami, and I fell in love. I don't know what particularly drew me to this story- perhaps it was the simple descriptions of everyday life that reflected a universal truth: that everyone was lonely in one way or another.

debanjana_haldar's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

zaneworlf's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

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

5.0