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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
wow.. what a journey! Murakami's imagination is really extraordinary.
It took me time to finish this book, the start was not so engaging I would say, but reaching the middle of the story, I just couldn't stop reading.
"whether something is logical or isn't, what's meaningful about it are the effects."
It took me time to finish this book, the start was not so engaging I would say, but reaching the middle of the story, I just couldn't stop reading.
"whether something is logical or isn't, what's meaningful about it are the effects."
What worked well:
- Life of an artist / making art for art's sake v. money
- Homage to Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, a book I was quite fond of in my teens.
- The setting - outside Tokyo, for a change. Murakami has written many urban novels, and I liked the change of scenery in this rural forested setting in the mountains.
- "the Commendatore" as an embodied idea, taking the form of artistic figure from music and painting. I liked this, as well as the "double metaphor" in the fantasy landscape.
- Familiar Murakami tropes of music, subterranean settings (this time a pit in the ground), details about food/cooking, historical sub-stories
- More resolution at the end than any other Murakami novel
- a hilarious call out when one character tells another character to "stop repeating everything I say!" This is a common criticism in Murakami's style - he repeats and summarizes a lot, and the fact that this character said that so pointedly seemed like Murakami's conscious nod to that tendency.
- This book, more than any other I've read, makes several references to how the names of characters are spelled. Several mentions of "it is written with the character for..." While I am unfamiliar with Japanese language and characters, I liked this extra linguistic care. It added a deeper element.
Not so much / Not quite:
- The 13-year-old girl's singular preoccupation with her breasts. Come on, Haruki - this is a common critique in your work (portrayal of female characters), and this was annoying an unnecessary.
- Wanted more history of Amata's time in Austria in WWII. Recalling the long historical passage in Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore, and I would have liked a little more.
- Nothing new - but while I like Murakami's detailed descriptions of all the foods, I really don't like his details about each article of clothing that his characters wear.
I saw elements of 1Q84 and Wind-Up Bird Chronicle the most in this novel. It shows a new direction in his later works, and I am intrigued to see how/if this morphs in future writings.
- Life of an artist / making art for art's sake v. money
- Homage to Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, a book I was quite fond of in my teens.
- The setting - outside Tokyo, for a change. Murakami has written many urban novels, and I liked the change of scenery in this rural forested setting in the mountains.
- "the Commendatore" as an embodied idea, taking the form of artistic figure from music and painting. I liked this, as well as the "double metaphor" in the fantasy landscape.
- Familiar Murakami tropes of music, subterranean settings (this time a pit in the ground), details about food/cooking, historical sub-stories
- More resolution at the end than any other Murakami novel
- a hilarious call out when one character tells another character to "stop repeating everything I say!" This is a common criticism in Murakami's style - he repeats and summarizes a lot, and the fact that this character said that so pointedly seemed like Murakami's conscious nod to that tendency.
- This book, more than any other I've read, makes several references to how the names of characters are spelled. Several mentions of "it is written with the character for..." While I am unfamiliar with Japanese language and characters, I liked this extra linguistic care. It added a deeper element.
Not so much / Not quite:
- The 13-year-old girl's singular preoccupation with her breasts. Come on, Haruki - this is a common critique in your work (portrayal of female characters), and this was annoying an unnecessary.
- Wanted more history of Amata's time in Austria in WWII. Recalling the long historical passage in Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore, and I would have liked a little more.
- Nothing new - but while I like Murakami's detailed descriptions of all the foods, I really don't like his details about each article of clothing that his characters wear.
I saw elements of 1Q84 and Wind-Up Bird Chronicle the most in this novel. It shows a new direction in his later works, and I am intrigued to see how/if this morphs in future writings.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reading Murakami is like edging. Except you never cum. And instead of fucking someone gorgeous, you are fucking your grandad. He also shat himself halfway through.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Took me so long to read but I think the fact that my copy is a hardback had something to do with it. Wouldn't recommend as your first murakami book but I thought the fantastical elements were a bit easier to follow than Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki.
Also the extent that murakami self inserts in all his books is so funny. Why on earth would a 13 year old girl be so well-versed in classical music that she can distinguish the most obscure composers?? Regardless its kind of expected at this point and a good book nonetheless
Also the extent that murakami self inserts in all his books is so funny. Why on earth would a 13 year old girl be so well-versed in classical music that she can distinguish the most obscure composers?? Regardless its kind of expected at this point and a good book nonetheless
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the way Mirakami floats between realism and fantast. Unexpectedly funny. You really get itnto the protagonist’s mind. Only negative is the abismal way women are portrayed in this book, which keeps it from a 5
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Murakami doesn't write a story. He writes of Journey and that's what you get in this book too. I don't love the ending necessarily. I took 1 month 15 days to finish this book, but I loved going through this book. I loved the Journey of the artist and the mysterious events that follow. But it also felt weird reading some parts that talk about physical features of women's body.