Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Probably my least favorite Murakami book I’ve read yet but I still liked it. Really great slice of life writing as usual and an interesting short adventure. I just didn’t really love the plot and had to re-read parts of the book to understand the ending. I’ll read Dance, Dance, Dance still but I won’t be recommending this as peak Murakami. 2.5 stars rounded up
Probably my least favorite Murakami book I’ve read yet but I still liked it. Really great slice of life writing as usual and an interesting short adventure. I just didn’t really love the plot and had to re-read parts of the book to understand the ending. I’ll read Dance, Dance, Dance still but I won’t be recommending this as peak Murakami. 2.5 stars rounded up
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
manic pixie boy in a manic pixie dream world
medium-paced
Typical Murakami
Also didn’t realise this was the third book of a loosely linked series
Also didn’t realise this was the third book of a loosely linked series
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
To me, reading Murakami normally is a surrealist dreamscape punctuated by keen observation and clever prose. AWSC was enjoyable, but I didn't appreciate it as much as some of his other works. For example, I usually like that Murakami includes details that are not entirely relevant to the plot, but these elements were more distracting than interesting in this case. The ending felt abrupt and hasty.
Overall worth the read, but it is far from the first Murakami novel I would recommend.
Overall worth the read, but it is far from the first Murakami novel I would recommend.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this for a book club and it was an interesting mix of the previous two books we had read, Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay and Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. I liked the voice; it immediately felt like a film noir and I could easily imagine the scenes as they were described. The characters were varied and interesting and the plot kept me guessing. I'm a little confused about the ending (I didn't get a chance to discuss with my book club) but overall I thought it was good.