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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed the book and I think it’s really well written but it’s not my favorite among his works. Partly because I felt it was a bit derivative of his other books, and the only really unique element was the artist as a protagonist.
Full review: https://princessandpages.wordpress.com/2019/02/02/book-review-killing-commendatore-by-haruki-murakami/
Full review: https://princessandpages.wordpress.com/2019/02/02/book-review-killing-commendatore-by-haruki-murakami/
I've read this during my final exams (graduating yay) and it took me about...a month? to read it. I get that the story is dragging a lot, and that really there isn't much happening, but I still enjoyed it. It felt like a break from focusing on chemistry and other classes.
I also liked the Commendatore a lot.
So, I think it's more the context in which I read this book than the actual book itself that made me enjoy it so much. I don't know if I ever wanna reread it and destroy my experience with it.
Some things are best left untouched after having been put down, so I think I'll value this as "the book I read during graduating".
I also liked the Commendatore a lot.
So, I think it's more the context in which I read this book than the actual book itself that made me enjoy it so much. I don't know if I ever wanna reread it and destroy my experience with it.
Some things are best left untouched after having been put down, so I think I'll value this as "the book I read during graduating".
I am constantly amazed by Murakami's inventiveness. What appears at first to be a straightforward tale is subsumed by ideas and metaphors becoming a magical tale of possibility
I only just finished about an hour ago, and as with every Murakami novel my thoughts on this book are sure to change in the coming days/weeks/months. I'm reading the other reviews and so many people were unhappy with the quality of the writing, but I loved it. It was too long for what it ultimately was in the end, but I still enjoyed the time spent reading it. I never felt frustrated or like it needed to hurry up. I love the simplicity of the main character, others call him boring. I usually don't like it when novels end a little loosely, but it worked well for this story. If I had a friend who wanted to start reading Murakami I wouldn't suggest this as the first one to go for. But anyone who has enjoyed others of his books might like this one as well. It's just a mammoth of a book so be warned!
Ending was bad. Book kind of boring, I usually like Murakami’s convoluted plots but this one seemed meaningless.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
I did find this book slow and convoluted at first, but the end wraps so beautifully back to the beginning. I think there are layers of meaning that go missed in an action-hungry read. This book is about questioning meaning and metaphor - from the [admittedly very repetitive] set-up in Book One compared to that physical repetition in the layering of oil paints, the method is part of the meaning. The littlest things (literally) appear in the beginning and the end if you read carefully, and each repetition adds more dimension. As a Murakami fan, I think that this novel closes the loop in your typical, post-modern non-event way. The meaning is the journey of questioning and exploring what is real. I think of it like an oil painting... layers of meaning, revision and re-iteration. Richly allusive, internally and to Western classics in form and substance. A metaphor for itself in so many ways.
Muotokuvien maalaamiseen erikoistuneen taiteilijan puoliso ilmoittaa haluavansa eron. Mies lähtee ensin vanhalla autollaan matkalle, jossa ajelee ympäri Japania umpimähkään. Palattuaan hän muuttaa pois kotoaan ystävänsä isän vanhaan, vuoristossa sijaitsevaan, eristyneeseen taloon. Isä on aikoinaan ollut hyvin kuuluisa taiteilija, joka sairastuttuaan dementiaan asuu hoitolaitoksessa. Talossa on taitelijalle sopiva studio ja on hyvä, että joku asuu siellä, jotta talo pysyy kunnossa. Kyseessä on siis molempia osapuolia hyödyttävä sopimus. Kun taiteilija on asunut talossa jonkin aikaa ja hänen elämänsä on asettunut urilleen, hän on saanut työtä läheisessä kaupungissa opettamassa piirustusta ja hän on saanut itselleen rakastajattaren, hän herää yölliseen kellon soittoon. Ääni ei näytä tulevan mistään talon sisältä. Seuraavana yönä kello soi taas samaan aikaan. Tästä alkaa ajoittain surrealistiseen vivahtava ja fantastinen varsinainen kirjan tarina, joka on taattua (mutta toisaalta niin tyypillisen tavallista) Murakamia. Kirjan teemat ja osa yksityiskohdista ovat jossain määrin tuttuja muista kirjailijan kirjoista: yksinäinen, itseään etsivä mies; talo yksinäisellä paikalla vuoristossa; fantastisen surrealistiset tapahtumat, joille ei ole kunnon selityksiä; niin raju seksiuni, että unen näkijää mietityttää oliko se jollain tasolla totta. Teemojen ja yksityiskohtien toistumisesta huolitta kirja oli hyvin kiehtova ja mukaansatempaava, etenkin taiteeseen ja taiteen tekemiseen liittyvä pohdinta oli kiinnostavaa ja nautittavaa. Kyseessä oli erittäin lukemisen arvoinen teos sivumäärästään huolimatta.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No