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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I, like many others, is not comfortable putting a rating number to a work of art. However, as a participant in Goodreads I break my own rule for a very selfish reason. I use Goodreads primarily as a tool to get suggestions about the next book to read, and here the star-ratings given by friends I trust comes very handy. And since I take advantage of this practice, I feel compelled to reciprocate and contribute my opinions to the mix.
Rating a Novel is one thing, but rating a collection of short stories is a very different matter, and much harder. Each story in a collection is like a unique relationship. One can fall in love with one story and be totally indifferent towards another. Averaging all these separate impressions could be a rather distasteful exercise.
I happen to be a Murakami admirer, and have loved many of his works, but not all. The same goes for this collection. I fell in love with the last story in the collection, one that shares the name of the title. It touched me deeply at a very personal level and resonated with some of my deepest emotions. In my life I have always felt lonely, and this story gave my loneliness a certain voice. From now on, when I will remember this book, I will probably only remember this story. If I had to rate this story, I would have no hesitation to call it a 5-star. However, there are stories in here that are just average. So my final rating is the effect of many ordinary stories trying to pull down a masterpiece.
Rating a Novel is one thing, but rating a collection of short stories is a very different matter, and much harder. Each story in a collection is like a unique relationship. One can fall in love with one story and be totally indifferent towards another. Averaging all these separate impressions could be a rather distasteful exercise.
I happen to be a Murakami admirer, and have loved many of his works, but not all. The same goes for this collection. I fell in love with the last story in the collection, one that shares the name of the title. It touched me deeply at a very personal level and resonated with some of my deepest emotions. In my life I have always felt lonely, and this story gave my loneliness a certain voice. From now on, when I will remember this book, I will probably only remember this story. If I had to rate this story, I would have no hesitation to call it a 5-star. However, there are stories in here that are just average. So my final rating is the effect of many ordinary stories trying to pull down a masterpiece.
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
0.5 stars maybe- “Men Without Women” have no one to be their therapist, to burn with their cigarettes, or to hold their genitals and call them beautiful…yeah don’t read it
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Silly but insightful
In typical Murakami style, Men Without Women has a certain dream-like, surreal quality to them. My favourite by far was Kino but Samsa in Love had a quality to it that rather fascinated me.
Toch maar vier sterren, al had ik op gegeven moment toch niet meer direct de behoefte dóór te willen lezen. Vergeleken met andere boeken van hem relatief 'normale' verhalen (het zou allemaal zomaar gebeurd kunnen zijn) over mannen en hun relaties met en verhouding tot, vrouwen.
Ze schuren steeds meer (ook naar mate het boek vordert) een dat maakt het uiteindelijk toch wel aangenaam lezen, maar ik denk dat ik een grotere fan ben van zijn romans.
Ze schuren steeds meer (ook naar mate het boek vordert) een dat maakt het uiteindelijk toch wel aangenaam lezen, maar ik denk dat ik een grotere fan ben van zijn romans.
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Light read
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
I loved hearing about love from men's perspectives. This book did, however make me very sad for men, who live without intimacy more than women, I think.
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked these stories. They were about sad and pitiful men chasing for meaning. Each one was captivating though some of them have blended together in my mind afterwards. I really want to get into Murakami‘s novels.