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amydarcy's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
was this a fever dream? 100%
did i completely understand it? nope
did i enjoy it? strangely yes
murakami’s writing is simple but whimsical and quite witty at times. idk where i stand on the misogyny allegations - the way he writes women is unnecessarily sexualised (not sure how the 16yr old’s “girlish breasts” were relevant to the plot there haruki). on the other hand, i found the female characters way more interesting and complex than most of their male counterparts
did i completely understand it? nope
did i enjoy it? strangely yes
murakami’s writing is simple but whimsical and quite witty at times. idk where i stand on the misogyny allegations - the way he writes women is unnecessarily sexualised (not sure how the 16yr old’s “girlish breasts” were relevant to the plot there haruki). on the other hand, i found the female characters way more interesting and complex than most of their male counterparts
indiarose's review against another edition
4.5
a journey and a half; spiralling but contained; visiting a well in three parts
melissa_cosgrove's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Animal death, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual violence, Incest, and Abortion
thechanelmuse's review against another edition
I really don't know how to rate this book. It's one of the weirdest novels I've ever read. There are so many layers to The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle that it's hard to truly describe what it's about. It primarily focuses on the protagonist's journey through self-discovery, and ties in metaphysics, the experiences of other characters, stories within stories, and much more. Some chapters are intriguing, some parts are disturbing, and others are mundane at times, which kind of made this book feel even longer than 600+ pages. In the end, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle leaves you with more questions to be asked rather than answers that are given. That's not a bad thing though.
jwproctor's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
alisonlunch's review against another edition
3.0
Dreamlike and surreal, engaging from a technical standpoint but his women need work
gouricanread's review against another edition
3.0
Every single time I have read a Murakami book since 2022, I swear that it is my last one. For me, Murakami used to have some sort of magic when I read his work. 1Q84 and The Elephant Vanishes are still two of my favorite books of all time. It used to get me out of slumps. But now, whenever I read his male characters, I feel like giving up right away. The past couple of Murakami books have not done it for me. His male characters are insufferable and his female characters feel like they are shells of real human beings. This book did not have enough to be this long. I loved the first 400 pages of it but it progressively got worse until it got to page 900.
So far, In the order of how much I liked them, the Murakami books I have read are:
1. 1Q84
2. The Elephant Vanishes
3. After Dark
4. Wind up bird chronicle
5. After the Quake
6. Kafka on the Shore
7. Sputnik Sweetheart
8. South of the border, west of the Sun
I think I'm done with his writing. Toodles.
So far, In the order of how much I liked them, the Murakami books I have read are:
1. 1Q84
2. The Elephant Vanishes
3. After Dark
4. Wind up bird chronicle
5. After the Quake
6. Kafka on the Shore
7. Sputnik Sweetheart
8. South of the border, west of the Sun
I think I'm done with his writing. Toodles.
nbsquare's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
immaculate lynchian vibes
emselilly's review against another edition
3.0
Very dream-like. I still absolutely adore the writing of Murakami and when I read the first page it feels comforting, because it's so familiar. I've bookmarked loads of bits where I just love the thoughts that are going on and it's so imaginative. However compared to Norwegian wood and Kafka, this has been my least favourite so far perhaps as the most obscure and dream-like one. Still really enjoyed reading it, and if I wasn't comparing it to his other books it would probably be 4 or 5 stars tbh!