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evilyreading's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
lexybutschli's review against another edition
2.0
I love Murakami, but short stories are definitely not his forte and they don't work with his style and themes very well.
grouchomarxist's review against another edition
2.0
Placeholder review
I will write more later but for now, this was yet another disappointing Murakami. Ears. Cooking. Classical music. The endless tribulations of modern masculinity. Women as set/sex pieces. A few admirable turns of phrase. I have no idea why I keep doing this to myself by reading his stuff. I am hardly poorly read or under under educated, so I am beginning to think the problem is Murakami.
I will write more later but for now, this was yet another disappointing Murakami. Ears. Cooking. Classical music. The endless tribulations of modern masculinity. Women as set/sex pieces. A few admirable turns of phrase. I have no idea why I keep doing this to myself by reading his stuff. I am hardly poorly read or under under educated, so I am beginning to think the problem is Murakami.
graceominer's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
3.25
emilyoh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
kdgarcia614's review against another edition
3.0
At worst, the short stories in this book are mildly interesting or forgettable. At best, they’ll stick with you for years. At least, that’s my experience.
I read “The Little Green Monster” and “Barn Burning” for a high school English class, the latter of which soon became one of my favorite short stories of all time. Don’t ask me why, but I haven’t forgotten about it for over six years now. I finally decided to read the whole collection recently, and I was a little disappointed.
The collection would easily get four stars from me, even though some of the stories fell flat. I think the good ones make up for it. But Murakami sexualizes women SO MUCH in these short stories. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know what to expect with older male authors. I see it all the time. Murakami doesn’t even treat women badly, per se. But his characters are almost constantly womanizers and cheaters.
I was so intrigued by “The Window,” for example, as a story of genuine human connection, until it was ruined by “maybe I should have sex with her.” When one character is mowing lawns, he recalls having sex with a married woman whom he was working for. His characters don’t love their girlfriends, but they do love seeing them naked.
This put me off, but I still liked most of the stories. Murakami’s style really shines through as he writes about the mundane and the fantastical. It’s an easy read, although maybe not all at once.
TLDR: I’ve read works by Murakami that have substantial, multi-dimensional woman characters. This is not one of them. It’s still worth the read in my opinion, but keep that in mind. I recommend “Barn Burning” and “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl”. I was especially bored by “The Kangaroo Communiqué” and “Lederhosen”.
I read “The Little Green Monster” and “Barn Burning” for a high school English class, the latter of which soon became one of my favorite short stories of all time. Don’t ask me why, but I haven’t forgotten about it for over six years now. I finally decided to read the whole collection recently, and I was a little disappointed.
The collection would easily get four stars from me, even though some of the stories fell flat. I think the good ones make up for it. But Murakami sexualizes women SO MUCH in these short stories. Now, don’t get me wrong, I know what to expect with older male authors. I see it all the time. Murakami doesn’t even treat women badly, per se. But his characters are almost constantly womanizers and cheaters.
I was so intrigued by “The Window,” for example, as a story of genuine human connection, until it was ruined by “maybe I should have sex with her.” When one character is mowing lawns, he recalls having sex with a married woman whom he was working for. His characters don’t love their girlfriends, but they do love seeing them naked.
This put me off, but I still liked most of the stories. Murakami’s style really shines through as he writes about the mundane and the fantastical. It’s an easy read, although maybe not all at once.
TLDR: I’ve read works by Murakami that have substantial, multi-dimensional woman characters. This is not one of them. It’s still worth the read in my opinion, but keep that in mind. I recommend “Barn Burning” and “On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl”. I was especially bored by “The Kangaroo Communiqué” and “Lederhosen”.
kaceychapman04's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
chroniclerofcreepy's review against another edition
2.0
As a whole I wasn't very pleased with this collection of short stories. I thought a lot of them were too similar, or just too weird and not entertaining. However, there were some truly amazing stories that I think every Murakami fan should read:
・The Wind Up Bird and Tuesday's Women
・Sleep
・Barn Burning
・Family Affair
Sleep was particularly fantastic. I really loved that one and read it more than once.
・The Wind Up Bird and Tuesday's Women
・Sleep
・Barn Burning
・Family Affair
Sleep was particularly fantastic. I really loved that one and read it more than once.
fumblereader's review against another edition
2.0
The writer, I believe, is more adept in writing novels than short stories; thankfully stories like "Sleep", "Dancing Dwarf", "Silence" and "Elephant Vanishes" are exceptions.
*2.5
*2.5
gabrielrobartes's review against another edition
4.0
Written over a number of years and spanning his initial headlong development as a novelist. The least of them are a little dull. The best are the equal of the novels in miniature. My favourite would be the quietly devastating 'The Last Lawn of the Afternoon' , an example of how powerful and understated Murakami can be when he plays it straight.