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nathanstrachan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-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? No
3.75
smashtheredorb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
trin's review against another edition
3.0
I should note at the outset that this is the book I brought with me to jury duty, so my opinion may be influenced somewhat by the fact that I read it while waiting endlessly in a freezing courthouse, sitting on a series of hard, uncomfortable benches, and surrounded by moronic people with no understanding of the justice system, all of whom seemed to be under the impression that the voir dire was their own personal free therapy session. Ahem. That said, this was not one of my favorite Murakami books. It’s nominally the story of Toru Okada’s search first for his lost cat and then for his lost wife, but from this stem sprout a number of side stories, many of which I found far more interesting than the main narrative, and not all of which I felt really came together. There were still some amazing moments—the Manchurian sections were brutal and evocative (at times perhaps too evocative—I won’t be eating peaches again for a while), and May’s morbid musings were a treat—but other aspects of the narrative seemed to drop away with barely a trace, and the mystical aspects of this story didn’t work for me as well as those in, say [b:Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World|10374|Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World|Haruki Murakami|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166154603s/10374.jpg|2531870].
So: still glad I read it, wish I’d read it under better circumstances, but nevertheless, probably won’t be rereading it any time soon.
So: still glad I read it, wish I’d read it under better circumstances, but nevertheless, probably won’t be rereading it any time soon.
modestmatt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jmm's review
3.0
I enjoyed parts of this book (especially the story around Lieutenant Mamiya, Cinnamons character) but fail to see, how many of the other parts of this story are tied together (Malta and Creta Kanos existence, the meaning of Torus exchanges with May Kasahara.
Many of the motifs encountered in this book (the world that can only be entered from the bottom of the well, the work that Nutmeg and him are doing, the blue mark) might somehow connect to japanese folklore, but to me they are "a riddle I still have to solve".
The call of the windup bird seems to me to indicate the loss of free will and destiny taking over. Sometimes the call of the windup bird coincides with horrible events, such as the killing of the soldiers disguised in baseball clothing. But in other parts the windup bird calls out at seemingly random points in the story with no apparent reason of special meaning.
Because some of these things bugged me more than they should, I read up on the translation history, and it seems that some of my irks with this story could be due to the parts left out during the initial english translation (as the german translation I read was based on this one).
[careful, minor rant on edits during translation ahead]
It seems like the major turning point for Toru's character, when he starts to take charge of his situation, was left out, because it was tied to the story of Creta asking him to leave Japan with her:
> I cannot run away, and should not run away. That was the conclusion I reached. No
> matter where I might go, that would always chase me down. No matter how far.
This also explains why the existence of the Kano sisters was not clear to me at first. Creta Kano originally held a much more prominent role but was demoted to a minor characters, because the translator thought "the clairvoyant Kanō sisters detract from the book".
What I conclude from this experience is that for future books that are translated, I need to research first, how closely those translations follow the original. I'm not saying that translators in general are wrong when they take some freedom in the translation, but it definitively detracted from my experience of this book.
Especially when editors/translators cut or rearrange the book, because of some bs marketing reason ("we cannot sell something that exceeds some arbitrary length"), this almost always cripples the story in some way. Do what you are told to (publish the book or not) and please leave the content of what you are publishing up to the original author.
Many of the motifs encountered in this book (the world that can only be entered from the bottom of the well, the work that Nutmeg and him are doing, the blue mark) might somehow connect to japanese folklore, but to me they are "a riddle I still have to solve".
The call of the windup bird seems to me to indicate the loss of free will and destiny taking over. Sometimes the call of the windup bird coincides with horrible events, such as the killing of the soldiers disguised in baseball clothing. But in other parts the windup bird calls out at seemingly random points in the story with no apparent reason of special meaning.
Because some of these things bugged me more than they should, I read up on the translation history, and it seems that some of my irks with this story could be due to the parts left out during the initial english translation (as the german translation I read was based on this one).
[careful, minor rant on edits during translation ahead]
It seems like the major turning point for Toru's character, when he starts to take charge of his situation, was left out, because it was tied to the story of Creta asking him to leave Japan with her:
> I cannot run away, and should not run away. That was the conclusion I reached. No
> matter where I might go, that would always chase me down. No matter how far.
This also explains why the existence of the Kano sisters was not clear to me at first. Creta Kano originally held a much more prominent role but was demoted to a minor characters, because the translator thought "the clairvoyant Kanō sisters detract from the book".
What I conclude from this experience is that for future books that are translated, I need to research first, how closely those translations follow the original. I'm not saying that translators in general are wrong when they take some freedom in the translation, but it definitively detracted from my experience of this book.
Especially when editors/translators cut or rearrange the book, because of some bs marketing reason ("we cannot sell something that exceeds some arbitrary length"), this almost always cripples the story in some way. Do what you are told to (publish the book or not) and please leave the content of what you are publishing up to the original author.
adelina_alexandru's review against another edition
5.0
Each book this man writes is an experience in itself. Just when you think you don't understand anything that's happening, have a little patience. There's true magic in the ordinary.
The end of an era... and the finale is so worth it!
All the strings are connected and the well fills with water.
The end of an era... and the finale is so worth it!
All the strings are connected and the well fills with water.
leminhhien0301's review against another edition
I just find the book quite slow. I want to like it but It doesn't quite attract me to read it more.
cieldemayo's review against another edition
« […] la vérité n'est pas forcément dans la réalité, et la réalité n'est peut-être pas la seule vérité. » (p. 818)
nwold87's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0