Reviews - A Wild Sheep Chase

2.54k reviews for:

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.

carreck's review against another edition

1.5

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

comptron's review against another edition

4.0

Brilliant as ever, just the kind of wild daydream fable detective story you'd expect from Murakami.

alexistakara's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous mysterious tense

reneread's review against another edition

2.0

A Wild Sheep Chase takes readers on a trippy journey that blends elements of a detective story, mythology, fantasy, and philosophy. While it can be enjoyed on a surface level as a fable, a closer look reveals a rich allegory. The symbolic nature of "the sheep" could be seen as a reflection of post-war Japan. Simultaneously, the protagonist's pursuit of the sheep becomes a quest for self-discovery, exploring his emotions and the meaning of his existence. Murakami excels in portraying alienation, a theme that resonates with me personally.

Yet, despite my appreciation for these themes, I found myself grappling with confusion throughout the book. I couldn't shake off this constant feeling of confusion. It was like navigating through a fever dream that made absolutely no sense. I found it hard to stay engaged because the writing often felt dragged out and rambled on.

dopelemonhead's review against another edition

4.0

i am a big murakami fan and find myself craving his writing and found this book to be incredibly different than the others of his i’ve read. i love the sort of dream-like, magical realism elements to it that make you question if you’re just getting lost or he’s purposefully confusing reality, but i also found that i was fighting at times to get through it. the last quarter of the book was So Odd and So Worth reading the whole thing though