Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Norwegian Wood

Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

119 reviews

erilcastro's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

⚠️ I tend to enjoy Japanese authors because of the writing style and directness, if you’ve found you don’t like Japanese authors typical it may not be for you.
The beginning of the book was the hardest part of the read, it was a bump I had to get over then finally 20 pages in I was really enjoying myself. The book follows the main character as he develops friendships and relationships, which is my favorite parts of books because this drives growth. Nothing in the writing is especially punchy, the wit and humor is subtle but delightful. If this book where an experience it would be like watching people at the park on a warm spring day with a soft wind when suddenly a large cloud rolls over and it gets cold, so it’s time to go or else you’ll stay cold.

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pauroxas's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I would like to try to describe the hold this book had over me. The last time I had read it was more than 7 years ago, but every detail of it is still etched in my mind. I read my copy until it fell apart. I used to recommend this to people I have known. I may have gotten a couple of them to read it, and I don't know if they have gotten the same things as I did out of it. Probably not. And it's okay.

I have first picked it up after having been kicked out of the university and I had gone back home in disgrace. I was 16, very sick, friendless and hopeless.

Within the pages of this book, I have felt understood. It had spoken of things that other people were too afraid (or could not be bothered) to talk about with me. Death, loss, grief, unrequited love, depression, desolation, isolation, darkness; but also - growing up, learning about one's sexuality and sex, friendship, devotion, hope, little glimpses of light. But I hadn't known yet how much of this book I would get to experience for myself.

I have lived with this book, I have lived through it, I have lived by it. I have identified with every character in it, I kid you not. I had found myself in many of their situations. I had grieved their losses and experienced their pain. It felt very much like I was constantly drifting in and out of this book, my life having been woven in its pages before I have even lived it. In so many ways, I am still that 16-year-old.

It will be interesting to meet up with this old friend again someday. Maybe, if I find myself out of the woods.

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meg_reads83's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective relaxing sad

Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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annahollamby's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

1.0

boring and incredibly unlikeable. found myself wondering so many times if the author has ever actually met and interacted with a real woman before. like genuinely. the way he talks about women and sex is gross and pathetic. yet more complex female storiess and characters lost to the male gaze and the manic pixie dream girl trope. also sincerely What The Fuck (r.e. the supposed lesbian character realising she's a lesbian because of a 13 year old 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮 only for her lesbianism to be cured in the end by (you guessed it!) a penis... Fucking Gross.

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letter_planet's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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skaiaa's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

2.75

It was good, but defs different to what I expected! Another review I read about the 'sickness' (eventually leading them to commit suicide) being passed on from Kizuki to Naoko, then finally to Toru (main character), and he calls out to Midori for help but its too late is such an interesting theory! Also, sooo much sex I was not expecting that (idk just the vibe I got from how I've heard norwegian wood being talked about and how popular it is)./

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vinicoelho's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The only other Murakami I have read is Kafka on the Shore so that is my frame of reference for this book. As in Kafka on the Shore I can appreciate Murakami's beautiful writing style and the way he can conjure an image or describe feelings in a tactile way. I would say this book is more approachable than Kafka on the Shore since it sheds the magical realism element and focuses on the increasingly complex relationships between the characters. Aside from the protagonist, characters can feel a touch two dimensional at times, defined only by their relationship to Watanabe but I think this reflects how we see people in our own lives sometimes, the only perspective we have is our own. The story certainly shows its age both in the comments made by some characters and the way the female characters are sometimes portrayed, Toru finds himself in a love triangle between the archetypical manic pixie dream girl Midori and the depressed-but-in-a-hot-way Naoko. The book really took a nosedive towards the end

where after a beautiful conversation and 'funeral' ceremony between Toru and Reiko, the wise, older sister/aunt figure to him and Naoko (the only relationship spared from Toru's sad and tortured horny tendencies) have a raucous night of vividly described sex

and felt like it ended on an abrupt note - a tired cliche.

Overall this was an enjoyable read and I did find myself engrossed in the characters and their stories and how they interacted with each other, I just wish it was spared of Murakami's usual old man horniness

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tengoku088's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Probably the best book I ever read. It's sweet at times, sad at others, it is written wonderfully, the pages flow like nothing. A must read

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pepelu's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.25

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gfiore11's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-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

4.0

This is a book that sticks with you as you reflect on what just happened. Rife with possibile interpretation, I could easily read this again and experience a different book. Absurd is some ways, but not magical like some of Murakami’s other books.

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