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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I'm feeling stupidly proud of myself for getting through this big boi in less than a week, maybe I ignored my children too much?
I thought this was one of Haruki Murakami's weaker novels. It's slow and repeditive and not much happens. It's the story of a painter and his house in the woods. It's about his friends and the strange real and fantasy people he meets. It never delves too far into the fantasy stuff though, it talks more about the food he eats and the music he listens too. I liked the main character, I liked his optimism and humility.
Some thoughts on Haruki Murakami's writing in general that stood out for me when I read this follow. I love the way he writes. I really like his rambling internal monologues and his main characters are generally so likeable. I like the slow pace and the repeating things. I think he has great skill at describing places and atmosphere. Murakami's imagination is so admirable, absurd and interesting. The worlds he sreams up are surreal and unlike others I come across.
I just so dearly wish that Murakami had more in common. I don't give a shit about jazz and classical records. I'm not into cars, war history, how to prepare fish or coffee or whisky.Murakami writes about what he likes, fair enough, I just wish we liked more of the same things.
Oh and boobs, he really likes boobs and writes about them so much.
I thought this was one of Haruki Murakami's weaker novels. It's slow and repeditive and not much happens. It's the story of a painter and his house in the woods. It's about his friends and the strange real and fantasy people he meets. It never delves too far into the fantasy stuff though, it talks more about the food he eats and the music he listens too. I liked the main character, I liked his optimism and humility.
Some thoughts on Haruki Murakami's writing in general that stood out for me when I read this follow. I love the way he writes. I really like his rambling internal monologues and his main characters are generally so likeable. I like the slow pace and the repeating things. I think he has great skill at describing places and atmosphere. Murakami's imagination is so admirable, absurd and interesting. The worlds he sreams up are surreal and unlike others I come across.
I just so dearly wish that Murakami had more in common. I don't give a shit about jazz and classical records. I'm not into cars, war history, how to prepare fish or coffee or whisky.Murakami writes about what he likes, fair enough, I just wish we liked more of the same things.
Oh and boobs, he really likes boobs and writes about them so much.
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I've read the reviews on Goodreads and major publications and however, this book ranks along with his others doesn't matter. Much in life is subjective. We are prone to compare, forcing linearity where it doesn't exist.
To quote Ursula Le Guin: "Only here. Now and then. Moments of unconditional existence. Delight."
To quote Ursula Le Guin: "Only here. Now and then. Moments of unconditional existence. Delight."
This was such a disappointment. Such a disappointment, in fact, that I couldn't bring myself to finish it.
Re-read Wind Up Bird Chronicle or 1Q84 instead of this.
Re-read Wind Up Bird Chronicle or 1Q84 instead of this.
this was sooo good. very mysterious and descriptive. the descriptions were so interesting, i especially loved the descriptions of peoples outfits and food.
the full circle at the end connecting menshiki and the narrator was great with their daughters.
i love that it was an “homage to great gatsby” that was very clear and i love the great gatsby so this was fun!!
the full circle at the end connecting menshiki and the narrator was great with their daughters.
i love that it was an “homage to great gatsby” that was very clear and i love the great gatsby so this was fun!!
I started my Murakami journey at a weird spot with Dance Dance Dance, not really knowing much about the author and accidentally jumping in halfway through a series. But the book came at a weird point in my life and its dreamy vibe led to it being very important to me, allowing me to develop a love of Murakami's prose. As such, I wanted to continue reading from this author and I thought that Killing Commendatore would be a good next step given that it was about art and war, both of which are topics which interest me. However, I left this novel a little underwhelmed.
I wanted to like it a lot, and there are themes within it that I think are really cool and I enjoyed a lot. But the slow pace of the novel and the veil of mystery which I couldn't really penetrate through meant that the beginning of the book, where the protagonist goes on a road trip of self discovery, became my favourite part. And yet I still had a whole book to get through. The middle portion of the novel was something of a slice of life, meeting the very small cast of characters which lived around the protagonist's home and their quirks, while he developed a routine in the house he was living in. However, the pace was so slow for me that this book took really long for me to read. So long, in fact, that it kind of put me in a reading block, which is not what you want a book to do. Plus, the messages in the ending were unclear and it somewhat felt as if I'd started watching the end of a movie without watching the rest. The thing was that in this case I did watch the rest of the movie and yet I still didn't really get what was going on.
I don't know about Killing Commendatore, honestly. There were some parts of it which I really liked but to me it was so bloated that I don't really have many kind thoughts about it. I think that maybe its not my kind of book, because the pacing and the overall ideas of the novel really didn't come across to me, and as such I found that the book was kind of disappointing. I think I was going into the novel looking for the same feeling that Dance Dance Dance gave me, and the only part I really got that in was the very beginning of the book. Then again, I can barely remember anything that happened in Dance Dance Dance, I just remember the feeling it gave me, so I'm not really sure if I'll ever find that feeling I'm looking for again. I'm not sure if I could wholeheartedly recommend Killing Commendatore because it was such a time commitment that turned out to be somewhat disappointing, but it also feels wrong to give it any lower than 3 stars. I don't know why, I think that Murakami has some influence over me.
Has this review kind of become a review for Dance Dance Dance? Yes. And I don't think I mind that, given that I don't remember anything about it and in order to write an actual review about the book I'd need to read it first, which I'm scared to do because it might break the feelings and manufactured nostalgia which I've developed towards it. So yeah.
I wanted to like it a lot, and there are themes within it that I think are really cool and I enjoyed a lot. But the slow pace of the novel and the veil of mystery which I couldn't really penetrate through meant that the beginning of the book, where the protagonist goes on a road trip of self discovery, became my favourite part. And yet I still had a whole book to get through. The middle portion of the novel was something of a slice of life, meeting the very small cast of characters which lived around the protagonist's home and their quirks, while he developed a routine in the house he was living in. However, the pace was so slow for me that this book took really long for me to read. So long, in fact, that it kind of put me in a reading block, which is not what you want a book to do. Plus, the messages in the ending were unclear and it somewhat felt as if I'd started watching the end of a movie without watching the rest. The thing was that in this case I did watch the rest of the movie and yet I still didn't really get what was going on.
I don't know about Killing Commendatore, honestly. There were some parts of it which I really liked but to me it was so bloated that I don't really have many kind thoughts about it. I think that maybe its not my kind of book, because the pacing and the overall ideas of the novel really didn't come across to me, and as such I found that the book was kind of disappointing. I think I was going into the novel looking for the same feeling that Dance Dance Dance gave me, and the only part I really got that in was the very beginning of the book. Then again, I can barely remember anything that happened in Dance Dance Dance, I just remember the feeling it gave me, so I'm not really sure if I'll ever find that feeling I'm looking for again. I'm not sure if I could wholeheartedly recommend Killing Commendatore because it was such a time commitment that turned out to be somewhat disappointing, but it also feels wrong to give it any lower than 3 stars. I don't know why, I think that Murakami has some influence over me.
Has this review kind of become a review for Dance Dance Dance? Yes. And I don't think I mind that, given that I don't remember anything about it and in order to write an actual review about the book I'd need to read it first, which I'm scared to do because it might break the feelings and manufactured nostalgia which I've developed towards it. So yeah.
Killing Commendatore: Or, For Whom the Bell Rings
This is my first Haruki Murakami novel and I went in knowing nothing about the author or his writing style. So paint me surprised when this novel absolutely blew me away. I was immediately captivated by Murakami's writing style and everything he described: the setting, the paintings, the characters. It was wordy, but it enthralled me for some reason. It felt super intimate and real and I learned so much, not only about another culture, but about just life and art.
This nameless main character felt super relatable even though I'm not a Japanse artist going through a divorce living in an old house atop a hill. If you can believe, it was still relatable and the way Murakami laid things out and let them settle and be explored on their own time was really cool. I loved the little fantastical elements as well. Life is hard to explain and art is one of the ways we can try and make sense of it all. This book helped me do that.
P.S. The two-faces theory presented in this book was really cool and I think it's definitely true. Beginnings and Endings don't have to be the same. #NonSymmetry
This is my first Haruki Murakami novel and I went in knowing nothing about the author or his writing style. So paint me surprised when this novel absolutely blew me away. I was immediately captivated by Murakami's writing style and everything he described: the setting, the paintings, the characters. It was wordy, but it enthralled me for some reason. It felt super intimate and real and I learned so much, not only about another culture, but about just life and art.
This nameless main character felt super relatable even though I'm not a Japanse artist going through a divorce living in an old house atop a hill. If you can believe, it was still relatable and the way Murakami laid things out and let them settle and be explored on their own time was really cool. I loved the little fantastical elements as well. Life is hard to explain and art is one of the ways we can try and make sense of it all. This book helped me do that.
P.S. The two-faces theory presented in this book was really cool and I think it's definitely true. Beginnings and Endings don't have to be the same. #NonSymmetry
Lately, I’ve been delaying marking books as “read” on my GR until I’ve written a full-formed review of them. This plan has proved its failure as I’ve been incapable of writing the perfect review for the imaginary audience in my head.
I’m in a +3-year writer’s block. Somehow becoming aware that I might have an audience (1 person) has somehow demotivated me. Wanting to sound perfect made writing a review become a chore rather than a personal pleasure.
Hence comes my decision to re-convince my brain that writing is something I enjoy. The plan consists of one step only, writing whatever comes to mind, no filtering, and no meaningful structure is needed. I’ll save the fancy reviews for my not-gonna-happen bookstagram.
I am writing this as a review of Killing Commendatore because this book reminded me of how beautiful it is to lose yourself to the muse and not to care about the outcome. The outcome will just be as beautiful as the journey, hopefully.
Themes I really liked in the book: Loneliness, loss, portraying feelings through magical elements, the description of the artistic process, Alice in wonderland remake …. Etc.
For a relatively long time now, I kind of lost my voice to the pit. I sadly didn’t have a magical journey that sparked my awakening but at least here I am. Or whatever. Closure.
I’m in a +3-year writer’s block. Somehow becoming aware that I might have an audience (1 person) has somehow demotivated me. Wanting to sound perfect made writing a review become a chore rather than a personal pleasure.
Hence comes my decision to re-convince my brain that writing is something I enjoy. The plan consists of one step only, writing whatever comes to mind, no filtering, and no meaningful structure is needed. I’ll save the fancy reviews for my not-gonna-happen bookstagram.
I am writing this as a review of Killing Commendatore because this book reminded me of how beautiful it is to lose yourself to the muse and not to care about the outcome. The outcome will just be as beautiful as the journey, hopefully.
Themes I really liked in the book: Loneliness, loss, portraying feelings through magical elements, the description of the artistic process, Alice in wonderland remake …. Etc.
For a relatively long time now, I kind of lost my voice to the pit. I sadly didn’t have a magical journey that sparked my awakening but at least here I am. Or whatever. Closure.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Phew. How do you describe a book like this? I absolutely love the surrealism in all of Murakami's work, and it is in no short supply here. Turning his eye on art and creativity as the subject is interesting. Ultimately though, this book is very much more of Murakami. That means great things (like the aforementioned surrealism) and bad things, like his very complicated and potentially misogynistic approach to woman.
Ultimately I think this is a book that followers of Murakami will like for being another entry in his work. It does not elevate his ideas, it merely shows his strengths and weaknesses. That being said, Murakami has such a way of writing, such a way of dropping these profound little observations throughout his novels that I almost take them for granted, that I cant help but give this a 4. He truly does feel singular in his style and approach, even if it sometimes leaves me wanting more (seriously, Murakami, do better with your female characters).
Ultimately I think this is a book that followers of Murakami will like for being another entry in his work. It does not elevate his ideas, it merely shows his strengths and weaknesses. That being said, Murakami has such a way of writing, such a way of dropping these profound little observations throughout his novels that I almost take them for granted, that I cant help but give this a 4. He truly does feel singular in his style and approach, even if it sometimes leaves me wanting more (seriously, Murakami, do better with your female characters).