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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I found the end unsatisfying, but I really enjoy Murakami's style of writing. 3.5 stars.
Can’t wait to read the second part of this book, it absorbed me from the start. Murakami, you outdid yourself.
3.5
I did really enjoy this novel, however, it is definitely not my favorite Murakami and the pacing was very slow on this one.
Story wise this one actually had quite some elements that I enjoyed: we are following a portrait painter whose wife breaks up with him because she's been having an affair. Our protagonist decides to quit his career and after a couple of months of wandering settles down in the old home of a famous Japanese painter to see if he can find a new direction for his painting. He is quickly commisioned for one final portrait and in taking on this job gets involved in some intricate web of relations in the neighborhoud. He also discovers a secret painting by the former occupant of the house and through his fascination with this painting gets sucked into a world unlike our own when a bell starts to ring out in the woods near his house in the middle of the night.
However, I felt like the story was just always starting up. the sort of quiet anticipation phase seemd to last forever. ANything that happened always still felt like mere set-up and while the atmosphere created was enjoyable, it also didn't encourage me to read at any remarkable pace.
If you're a Murakami fan: read it and make up your own mind. there are plenty of elements to this book that are still enjoyable. If not, maybe try some of his other works first as I don't think this is a standout.
As for our protagonist: I did enjoy him as a character. As a portrait painter he spends his life observing people and is an interesting lens through which to look at this cast of characters, however, he seems unchanged throughout this book. Even though he goes through a cathartic journey near the end of this novel, this journey seems to have left him unmoved, or even to have made him flee the possible changes his life path could go down.
A final observation
So an enjoyable read, but nothing outstanding and not fully satisfying
I did really enjoy this novel, however, it is definitely not my favorite Murakami and the pacing was very slow on this one.
Story wise this one actually had quite some elements that I enjoyed: we are following a portrait painter whose wife breaks up with him because she's been having an affair. Our protagonist decides to quit his career and after a couple of months of wandering settles down in the old home of a famous Japanese painter to see if he can find a new direction for his painting. He is quickly commisioned for one final portrait and in taking on this job gets involved in some intricate web of relations in the neighborhoud. He also discovers a secret painting by the former occupant of the house and through his fascination with this painting gets sucked into a world unlike our own when a bell starts to ring out in the woods near his house in the middle of the night.
However, I felt like the story was just always starting up. the sort of quiet anticipation phase seemd to last forever. ANything that happened always still felt like mere set-up and while the atmosphere created was enjoyable, it also didn't encourage me to read at any remarkable pace.
If you're a Murakami fan: read it and make up your own mind. there are plenty of elements to this book that are still enjoyable. If not, maybe try some of his other works first as I don't think this is a standout.
As for our protagonist: I did enjoy him as a character. As a portrait painter he spends his life observing people and is an interesting lens through which to look at this cast of characters, however, he seems unchanged throughout this book. Even though he goes through a cathartic journey near the end of this novel, this journey seems to have left him unmoved, or even to have made him flee the possible changes his life path could go down.
A final observation
Spoiler
at the end he decides to return to his wife. This is the right decision and is also the natural progression of the story. However, he basically decides to return to the life as it was before: back to his wife, back to his portrait painting even though he started off wanting to see what was possible for him in the artistic realm. And thus Murakami is, unconsciously I hope, equating a return to a life with his wife with a return to mediocrity. I would've liked to see in those final pages how he had also found himself drawing more complex paintings and see him decide that that was most likely the path he would continue on, now that he was finally ready for itSo an enjoyable read, but nothing outstanding and not fully satisfying
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
I was incredibly put off by this book. Firstly, when you've read one Murakami and soaked in its novelty, you realise a lot of his other works are the same, particularly that of his artsy male protagonists that all have an interest in vinyl and music. I really tried to give this a chance both times I've DNF'd, particularly because the first chapter is so striking.
But it's the way the women are written. I was incredibly put off by how casually the protagonist is fine with marrying his wife because she looks like his dead sister, and how Murakami chose to discuss his late little sister having barely reached puberty is.......
Kafka on the Shore's sexualisation at least felt justified in its narrative themes. Here it was just egregious and a very bad case of men writing women. I couldn't finish this book, and I don't think I want to give it that chance.
But it's the way the women are written. I was incredibly put off by how casually the protagonist is fine with marrying his wife because she looks like his dead sister, and how Murakami chose to discuss his late little sister having barely reached puberty is.......
Kafka on the Shore's sexualisation at least felt justified in its narrative themes. Here it was just egregious and a very bad case of men writing women. I couldn't finish this book, and I don't think I want to give it that chance.
Murakami is always enchanting - I cannot stop reading even when I am extremely annoyed with him - but I think he’s only sometimes profound. This book was not one of my favorites, but it was still a great weekend vacation read. Long and weird enough to get totally sucked in to his liminal, pleasantly lonely spaces. I read Murakami for his introvert fantasies more than anything. And I try to ignore or...set aside...what seems to me some real pervert warning signs. In this book, though, it was impossible to ignore. I think both the main character and author are completely oblivious to how most situations in this book should be perceived - a 36-year-old man wants to hang out, explicitly alone, with a 13-year-old girl and talk about her boobs. And, honestly, that’s one of the least troubling aspects. I’m fascinated with why we keep reading Murakami - one of the worst writers of sentences, one of the most repetitive writers in both his descriptions and plots, and still one of the most engrossing storytellers there is....it’s weird.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-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:
Complicated
Murakami is one of my favorite writers, but this novel greatly disappointed me. It's a slow read, and nothing remotely exciting happens until around page 200. Even then, it's still a struggle to get through. There are so many elements and characters that feature prominently in this novel, but their significance or the connections between them are never fully flushed out. I wish I had a more glowing review, or perhaps I missed what Murakami was trying to do, but I could've skipped this one.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated