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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Well, I understand why it’s a classic.
A deeply rewarding and fantastical meander around the mundane through the supernatural, uncovering shattered psyches recovering from the traumas of war and empire, this novel was an adventure I won’t soon forget. At times humorous, violent, fantastical, observational, and experimental, this novel kept me pulling at the next pages while in an almost flow state of deep reflection.
I’m left with many remaining questions, but also deep appreciation for the road that brought those questions around.
This one certainly will warrant a re-read
A deeply rewarding and fantastical meander around the mundane through the supernatural, uncovering shattered psyches recovering from the traumas of war and empire, this novel was an adventure I won’t soon forget. At times humorous, violent, fantastical, observational, and experimental, this novel kept me pulling at the next pages while in an almost flow state of deep reflection.
I’m left with many remaining questions, but also deep appreciation for the road that brought those questions around.
This one certainly will warrant a re-read
This was unsettling from the first few pages — honestly I’m still not totally sure what happened, but that’s kind of the point. You feel just as lost and unmoored as the narrator does.
There’s a surreal quality to the writing that I really enjoyed, but there are some brutal scenes in here. The skinning chapter? Absolutely horrifying.
It’s one of those books that feels more like an experience than a story. You don’t read it to get answers; you read it to sit in the discomfort and let the weirdness sink in. And it does sink in. It stays with you.
Not always an easy read and not something I would be inclined to read again or recommend too freely, it is definitely not for everyone, but I’m glad I read it. Unsettling in the best and worst ways.
If you were to ask me "whats this book about?" there isn't a conclusive answer I could give. We follow a journey that has no exact destination, not much of a conclusion, and a whole lot of side stories along the way. It's surreal, it's unusual, and yet somehow also very ordinary. The writing is wonderful, the images are vivid, and the characters, well they're unique to say the least. Some side stories dragged a little (war/combat details aren't something I generally go for) but I enjoyed every bonkers moment of it. 5/5.
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book is too long and basically nothing happened. the main character has the personality of a wet paper towel.
Been a while. Not progressing. Not getting the traction I expected. I am a Murakami fan through and through, but I guess I have read enough of him at this point. Gonna give this up.
At least for now.
At least for now.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An exstremely complex and amazing book with an ending that makes you question everything that you have hitherto read: did he die at the bottom of the well (the last 3 chapters are definitely just him slowly dying and imagining some sort of alternative universe where he gets back everything that he has lost)? Was he actually an awful human being? Did we, the readers, get fooled by the MC’s conspiracies and thus experienced reality through his insanity?
Definitely a book that I would read again in a year so I could get a better understanding of the storyline and its hidden meanings.
Definitely a book that I would read again in a year so I could get a better understanding of the storyline and its hidden meanings.
Jeg er langsomt ved at bevæge mig ind i magisk realisme, og Murakami er altid et godt sted at starte. 4 stjerner :)