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ruthieem's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
jesus fucking christ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Pedophilia
one_womanarmy's review
tense
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
0.25
Kafka on the Shore is hands down the worst book I've ever read. Loosely based on the Oedipus myth, and taking some obvious inspiration from Catcher in the Rye, this book seems to be little more than a random hodgepodge of ideas held together with pipe cleaners and raspberry jam.
There was so much to hate about this book. Here are just a few things:
1. Boring, unnecessary descriptions – that do nothing to further the story – of what people are wearing, what Kafka likes to do during his workout, what he decides to eat, what he is listening to on his Walkman...
2. The gratuitous cat torture scene. Johnnie Walker cuts the hearts out of living cats and eat them so that he can collect cat souls to make a special kind of flute. There is no point to this scene – we never hear about Johnnie or his cat-flute again.
3. The annoying way characters – Oshima in particular – deliver sermons about philosophy, art, literature and classical music. It took me right out of the story (tangled mess though it was) and smacked of “Look at me – aren’t I clever?”
4. The screechy-preachy scene with the “feminist” caricatures in the library.
5. Hate to be ungroovy or whatever – but I just couldn’t stand any of the sex scenes, particularly with Miss Saeki, the 50-something librarian who gets it on over and over again with the 15-year-old protagonist even though he and she both know she might be his long-lost mother.
6. The unrelenting use of women as sex dolls, cooks, cleaners, and completely vacuous shields for a 15-year olds' inner world and sexual fantasies.
After the first 100 pages I thought that I might end up giving this book three stars. Another 100 pages on, I decided two stars. By page 331 I decided one star, and by the end of this frustrating, pretentious, and completely unsatisfying book, I felt the people who gushed over this book need therapy, more interesting hobbies, and are simple strangers to me
In the end, love or loathing of a book is entirely subjective, and scores of critics loved this one. But if I’d wanted to find meaning in a random jumble of junk, I would have had more luck going to the thrift store and sifting through the bric-a-brac box than wasting time on Mr. Murakami’s sexist and drivel-filled brain-omelette.
There was so much to hate about this book. Here are just a few things:
1. Boring, unnecessary descriptions – that do nothing to further the story – of what people are wearing, what Kafka likes to do during his workout, what he decides to eat, what he is listening to on his Walkman...
2. The gratuitous cat torture scene. Johnnie Walker cuts the hearts out of living cats and eat them so that he can collect cat souls to make a special kind of flute. There is no point to this scene – we never hear about Johnnie or his cat-flute again.
3. The annoying way characters – Oshima in particular – deliver sermons about philosophy, art, literature and classical music. It took me right out of the story (tangled mess though it was) and smacked of “Look at me – aren’t I clever?”
4. The screechy-preachy scene with the “feminist” caricatures in the library.
5. Hate to be ungroovy or whatever – but I just couldn’t stand any of the sex scenes, particularly with Miss Saeki, the 50-something librarian who gets it on over and over again with the 15-year-old protagonist even though he and she both know she might be his long-lost mother.
6. The unrelenting use of women as sex dolls, cooks, cleaners, and completely vacuous shields for a 15-year olds' inner world and sexual fantasies.
After the first 100 pages I thought that I might end up giving this book three stars. Another 100 pages on, I decided two stars. By page 331 I decided one star, and by the end of this frustrating, pretentious, and completely unsatisfying book, I felt the people who gushed over this book need therapy, more interesting hobbies, and are simple strangers to me
In the end, love or loathing of a book is entirely subjective, and scores of critics loved this one. But if I’d wanted to find meaning in a random jumble of junk, I would have had more luck going to the thrift store and sifting through the bric-a-brac box than wasting time on Mr. Murakami’s sexist and drivel-filled brain-omelette.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Pedophilia
i_webb's review against another edition
1.0
Unbelievably bad. Took 2 separate holds in Libby to finish and ended zooming at 2.25x speed. Writing style was so boring. Worst worst worst. Love yourself and do not read ❤️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Transphobia, Incest, and Pedophilia
lio_ramon_dolor's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Violence, Death, Sexism, Blood, Gore, Misogyny, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: War
anamelon's review against another edition
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? N/A
0.25
One of those books where if there was an accidental fire in a library and this was the only book that was burnt, the library would actually become better.
This book was mostly a bunch of nonsensical drivel built up to look like a well put together castle meant to give you the impression that it is actually grand and outstanding.
Reading this was a huge waste of time. The writing itself was mediocre with no nuance or any type of impressive prose.
The only mildly interesting plot points were the initial interviews of the children fainting and following Nakata's journey and his dynamic with Hoshino, though even that turned quite insipid towards the end.
I can definitely see why Murakami is said to be the Colleen Hoover of Japan. Bad pacing, bad storytelling, flat characters, no real character to the story itself just an air of pretentiousness to the story made to make you think "this is so intellectual I could never understand it".
I always try finding any type of positivity from books I read, even those I hate with a passion like Prince Harry's "Spare" which was so bad to the point of hilarity, at least. I can't even say that for this book, just relies on a bunch of shock value one after the other to make it memorable in some way because God knows its writing isn't enough to be remarkable. Only time I've read Murakami and I wish for anyone else to spare themselves and not make the same mistake
This book was mostly a bunch of nonsensical drivel built up to look like a well put together castle meant to give you the impression that it is actually grand and outstanding.
Reading this was a huge waste of time. The writing itself was mediocre with no nuance or any type of impressive prose.
The only mildly interesting plot points were the initial interviews of the children fainting and following Nakata's journey and his dynamic with Hoshino, though even that turned quite insipid towards the end.
I can definitely see why Murakami is said to be the Colleen Hoover of Japan. Bad pacing, bad storytelling, flat characters, no real character to the story itself just an air of pretentiousness to the story made to make you think "this is so intellectual I could never understand it".
I always try finding any type of positivity from books I read, even those I hate with a passion like Prince Harry's "Spare" which was so bad to the point of hilarity, at least. I can't even say that for this book, just relies on a bunch of shock value one after the other to make it memorable in some way because God knows its writing isn't enough to be remarkable. Only time I've read Murakami and I wish for anyone else to spare themselves and not make the same mistake
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, and Animal cruelty
sara_malo's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Incest, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Sexual assault and War
mx_sunshine's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
A slowly unraveling mystery that remains engaging throughout the length of the book.
I was impressed how the surrealistic story was kept grounded by the realistic characters.
My favourite characters were Oshima and Nakata. I loved reading about the interviews conducted by the US in relation to the Rice Bowl Hill Incident. I loved Nakata and Hoshino’s friendship and all of the conversations with cats. I loved the descriptions of the Komura Memorial Library.
I honestly wouldn’t have given this book a chance if I was given a summary of events. I would’ve been put off by many of the situations. I would’ve felt guilty at the idea of enjoying literature that depicted such disturbing scenarios. But I found it difficult to assign responsibility to any of the characters. The power balance between characters was constantly changing. Not sure I’d be open to recommending this due to the content, but I’ll definitely be reading more of Murakami’s work.
I was impressed how the surrealistic story was kept grounded by the realistic characters.
My favourite characters were Oshima and Nakata. I loved reading about the interviews conducted by the US in relation to the Rice Bowl Hill Incident. I loved Nakata and Hoshino’s friendship and all of the conversations with cats. I loved the descriptions of the Komura Memorial Library.
I honestly wouldn’t have given this book a chance if I was given a summary of events. I would’ve been put off by many of the situations. I would’ve felt guilty at the idea of enjoying literature that depicted such disturbing scenarios. But I found it difficult to assign responsibility to any of the characters. The power balance between characters was constantly changing. Not sure I’d be open to recommending this due to the content, but I’ll definitely be reading more of Murakami’s work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Incest, Animal cruelty, Rape, Death of parent, and Pedophilia
vbarsi's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book reminded me of a mix of Moonrise Kingdom, meets Everything, Everywhere all at once, meets The Boy and the Heron
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Animal death, Death, Animal cruelty, Medical content, Blood, Pedophilia, and Incest
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
shebert's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
I did not like this book. It did not sit well with me. I don't care that certain scenes are meant to be metaphors - they are gross.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Misogyny, Death, Incest, Murder, and Pedophilia
bubble0nex's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
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
5.0
what the actual fuck
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Gore
Minor: Incest