12.6k reviews for:

Kafka on the Shore

Haruki Murakami

4.03 AVERAGE

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark mysterious 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

Not totally satisfying ending...

sama nie wiem. bardzo oryginalna i wciągająca historia, ale mam wrażenie, że autor sam się w niej pogubił. a do tego jest bardzo zafiksowany na seksie. mój faworyt to opis dziewczyny dokonany przez jednego z bohaterów: "miała duże piersi i była sympatyczna". XD
do tego tłumaczenie jest tak złe, że bez przerwy czułam się niezręcznie (tak, zdaję sobie sprawę z tego, że japoński jest bardzo odległym do polskiego językiem, również kulturowo).
adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Listen, if you're weak-hearted, I suggest you don't read this book.
There are a couple warnings I feel you should know before reading this, and this is especially important to those who are sensitive to these subjects:

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-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: Complicated

Ooweee this book was phenomenal. Never quite knew where we were headed next, but deeply affected by the existential roller coaster onto which I was thrown…fell in love with these complicated characters and the surreal ways they encountered the world. A profound meditation on memory, responsibility, identity, dreams, love, and being that had me laughing, crying, cringing, and pondering. Fantastic prose & dialogue & plot, holes and all. 

Enchanting but also disgusting at times.

I'm down for a surreal and atmospheric read, but I think even if I had come in with no preconceived ideas of Murakami's ability to write women I would have been deeply annoyed by Miss Saeki
dying of whatever condition killed Padmé Amidala.