You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Almost immediately, the tale draws comparisons to Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby. Menshiki could be a postmodern's poor man Jay Gatsby and our unnamed narrator a Nick Carraway, but as the narrative progresses, this comparison fades further and further into the background. Menshiki's mysticism and increased frenetic mindspace spirals rather quickly into mania, but our narrator's own assertions regarding Menshiki rarely provide anything more than indifferent grunts of acknowledgement. Our narrator's own fascination reverts more towards the famous aura of the painter whose home he inhabits rather than remaining fixated upon Menshiki.
Considering the novel's length, our narrator's constant circling back around to re-summarization of previously mentioned information becomes more painstakingly circular, if not metaphorical. Cutting through a few dozen pages of summarization might aid the reader's focus. But, this abridgment may negate a critical parallel not drawn until the novel's final 100 page sprint.
Interestingly enough, Murakami explicitly forces comparisons of Killing Commendatore's arc upon the likes of Dostoevsky and Kafka, beyond the superficialities of length, character name and setting. Yet, Commendatore remains pregnant with Murakami's own tropes and obsessions only to flip the proverbial script nearing the narrative's end; this acrobatic movement grips the reader better than most.
It may be a fundamental point of style, but Menshiki's characterization falls rather flat following his "pit experience". A myriad of characters encounter the pit or some form of rebirth, yet each emerges from the mystic placental waters changed, for better or for worse (half-expected Menshiki to go berserk following his hour(s) in the pit. But what does it say about Menshiki's own ability to tap into the supernatural allure of metaphorical thought if he never appears to achieve a level akin to the narrator and Mairye?
Curiosity does not always kill the cat; nor does it cure the cat. Maybe it only curdles it, splitting mind cells into microscopic divisions where ideas, metaphors and past ghosts prey.
Considering the novel's length, our narrator's constant circling back around to re-summarization of previously mentioned information becomes more painstakingly circular, if not metaphorical. Cutting through a few dozen pages of summarization might aid the reader's focus. But, this abridgment may negate a critical parallel not drawn until the novel's final 100 page sprint.
Interestingly enough, Murakami explicitly forces comparisons of Killing Commendatore's arc upon the likes of Dostoevsky and Kafka, beyond the superficialities of length, character name and setting. Yet, Commendatore remains pregnant with Murakami's own tropes and obsessions only to flip the proverbial script nearing the narrative's end; this acrobatic movement grips the reader better than most.
It may be a fundamental point of style, but Menshiki's characterization falls rather flat following his "pit experience". A myriad of characters encounter the pit or some form of rebirth, yet each emerges from the mystic placental waters changed, for better or for worse (half-expected Menshiki to go berserk following his hour(s) in the pit. But what does it say about Menshiki's own ability to tap into the supernatural allure of metaphorical thought if he never appears to achieve a level akin to the narrator and Mairye?
Curiosity does not always kill the cat; nor does it cure the cat. Maybe it only curdles it, splitting mind cells into microscopic divisions where ideas, metaphors and past ghosts prey.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Моя первая книга этого автора. 3 звезды за хорошо написанный роман. История - полный бред!!! Я всю «дорогу» мне объяснят что это было. Но вместо этого автор решил по несколько раз повторять то что и так понятно было, но ни как не объяснять уйму «невероятностей», которыми нашпигована книга.
Не знаю, соберусь ли я еще раз на такой бред! Который ни как не разъясняет автор.
Не знаю, соберусь ли я еще раз на такой бред! Который ни как не разъясняет автор.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I’m not sure how to describe this book at all. Fantasy, magic, brutalism, incredibly boring, totally fascinating. The female characters are flat and one dimensional, but relatively minor to the story. Yet somehow I kept reading for well over 700 pages. I feel like I’m a little swept up in this one and two weeks from now I might come back and slash the star rating in half, but again, plowed through this just fascinated.
Really have to gloss over the wildly inappropriate (though not sexual) relationship between the grown man and the 13 year old girl. Is this a cultural or translation thing? I don’t think so but I’m going to pretend it isn’t creepy because... i don’t think it’s meant to read that way, maybe? Maybe the author just can’t write teen girls so it’s super awkward?
Read the synopsis for the plot, but the plot is really just an outline anyway.
Really have to gloss over the wildly inappropriate (though not sexual) relationship between the grown man and the 13 year old girl. Is this a cultural or translation thing? I don’t think so but I’m going to pretend it isn’t creepy because... i don’t think it’s meant to read that way, maybe? Maybe the author just can’t write teen girls so it’s super awkward?
Read the synopsis for the plot, but the plot is really just an outline anyway.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
slow-paced
One of my fave Murakami novels. Don’t believe the haters. The first 75% is really slow, but not uninteresting. Then there is a part that is surreal, and I dislike surrealism, but it doesn’t last long. The ending is lovely.