Norwegian Wood in Around the World in 80 Books

Oct 17, 2019 Sarah rated it liked it

Manic Pixie Dream Girl meets Boy Who Has Sex With Everyone and people tell a lot of boring stories. This book is great if you like descriptions of hand jobs. Also the women’s pleasure is clearly not important at all. It had some great prose — “the silence of all the misty rain in the world falling on all the new-mown lawns of the world” — which is why it gets the third star, but overall, snore.

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Jun 27, 2013 Astrid Lim rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: literature, tragedy, asia, culture, dramatic, contemporary, psychology

Very dark and gloomy, yet really inspiring especially about life in Japanese culture. No wonder Murakami became one of the best modern classic authors nowadays. He pictured the depressing moments really well. The main character is very likable, although the sexual contents are sometimes a bit too much for my taste. Fortunately Murakami included some dark humor into the sex scenes. I think I would really interested to read more Murakamis.

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Aug 28, 2015 Jana rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: x2015-pop-sugar-reading-challenge

I really enjoyed the beginnings of the book. By the end, however, I was really turned off by the way all of the relationships in the book were conducted. I didn't like the way they treated each other. Granted this was supposed to be set in the late 60's, but I still don't care for it NOW. It also really makes me wonder if suicide is/was VERY prevalent in Japan... ...more

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Oct 19, 2021 Ann rated it it was ok

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator really fit the easygoing vibe of the lead character. I agree that this is more accessible compared to his other works and I also see the basis for the accusations of misogyny, which unfortunately can be explained away by calling it a sexual coming of age of a teenage guy from his POV.
Kafka on the Shore remains to be my fave of his. ...more

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