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michellechien930's review against another edition
4.0
When I started reading a few chapters of "South of the Border, West of the Sun", I distinctly remember reading a Goodreads comment asking why Murakami's wife was okay with him writing so convincingly about a married man in love with another woman. For a while, I also had this question; the main protagonist Hajime is such a terrible person who hurts every woman that unluckily came his way. But then I finished the book, and it's more of a cautionary tale, a tale of a man that was so caught up in his self-proclaimed romanticism for a mysterious woman that he would not think of the repercussions behind pursuing that love. In the end, he is left with nothing but loneliness and a broken family. "South of the Border, West of the Sun" is a very Murakami book, the main character owns and runs a jazz club, which Murakami also did in Tokyo for a bit before he became a famous author, named the Peter Cat. I imagine it to be a small, dingy bar with Western jazz records playing and coffee brewing, a cat stretching lazily on the counter. Perhaps that is why this books seems so enriched in detail, hand-crafted from Murakami's own world and experience. Would definitely recommend this book even if the main character is insufferable, it is still a wonderfully poetic read.
jazzy_mw's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This felt like normal people on crack
apollonium's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
vinylwriter's review against another edition
3.75
A longing romance with underlying sadness... Most definitely the younger sibling to Norwegian Wood
magnhildk's review against another edition
3.0
Jeg vil gjerne like Murakami men jeg synes det er vanskelig å sette ordentlig pris på en forfatter med så ekstremt flate kvinnelige karakterer. Du kan ikke forvente at man skal dåne over kvinnen når hun mangler personlighet! Hun er skrevet i 2D, vi blir aldri kjent med henne. Føler det går igjen i de fleste Murakami-bøker jeg har forsøkt meg på, dessverre. Likevel er det jo en fin bok med mange fine atmosfærer og skildringer. Jeg vil besøke jazz-baren hans.
torjus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
juliregen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
sebapato's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
noahs_lament's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
repobi's review against another edition
3.0
Tipikal sastra dewasa. Laki-laki mapan yang jemu dengan hidup terus selingkuh dengan teman masa kecil yang lama tak jumpa. Saya suka dengan gaya menulis Murakami, tapi ga begitu cocok dengan apa yang dia tulis.