Reviews

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

shuvtterbug's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I genuinely enjoyed this so much and I do think it may be because of how partial I am towards Sayaka Murata and her writing style. While certain stories were a bit eerie they evoked such a strong emotion in me. It’s hard for me to stop reading with Murata’s works. I especially felt that the story hatchling was one I related to the most. While I feel that there’s a real me I often am unsure of which this one is. I encourage anyone to take a stab at at least one of these short stories if not the entire collection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Cancer, Violence, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Stalking

bea112's review against another edition

challenging funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

szmnsk_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

rachjy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.75

isabellettres's review against another edition

challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.25

È surreale e distopico, ma Murata si serve del surreallismo e delle distopia per sottolineare i disagi della società odierna e mostrarli al lettore. 

Se il film “Kinds of kindness” fosse un libro sarebbe “La cerimonia della vita”.

bbqxaxiu's review against another edition

3.0

best stories imo were Body Magic and A Magnificent Spread

ashalucienne's review against another edition

4.0

Sayaka Murata always throws me for a loop with her creeping magical realism. Enjoyed this at the beginning but toward the end I felt like I didn't fully understand the reason behind the fantastical aspects of her writing. Maybe that's just me not appreciating art for what it is and always searching for something more, I don't know. But a great read either way!  

snuffmumii's review against another edition

3.0

har sådan et love/hate relationship til sayaka murata og deres fucked up tankegang

mayarosa's review against another edition

5.0

I loved every one of these stories. They are so imaginative and thought provoking. They examine our societal expectations and consider new ways of thinking, highlighting how humans are so fascinating and always changing. This was recommended online as a horror collection, which it unfortunately is not, but it was beautiful and captivating. Highly recommend.

mirivalente's review against another edition

dark lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

2.75