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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
125th book of 2020.
There's a level of symmetry that the first Murakami I read was his short story collection [b:Men Without Women|33652490|Men Without Women|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1483232988l/33652490._SX50_.jpg|43247031], and now I am reading another, with nearly all of his novels finished. After reading that first collection I began my journey, starting with his first novel, [b:Hear the Wind Sing|226973|Hear the Wind Sing (The Rat, #1)|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1209948233l/226973._SX50_.jpg|2902423], to read everything he wrote in order of publication. I still have two collections left after this, so maybe I can read those when all the novels are finished.
The stories in this collection were:
- The Wind-Up Bird and Tuesday’s Women
- The Second Bakery Attack
- The Kangaroo Communique
- On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning
- Sleep
- The Fall of the Roman Empire…
- Lederhosen
- Barn Burning
- The Little Green Monster
- Family Affair
- A Window
- TV People
- A Slow Boat to China
- The Dancing Dwarf
- The Last Lawn of the Afternoon
- The Silence
- The Elephant Vanishes
I don't have that much to say on them, on the whole. The first story is simply a slightly altered version of start of [b:The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle|11275|The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327872639l/11275._SY75_.jpg|2531376] - or maybe a slightly different translation. Either way, if you've read the novel there isn't too much reason to read the short story. Some of the stories are better than others, of course. It is all just classic Murakami: music, girls, swimming, running, reading, whiskey, beer, more music, things vanishing and dreams... Enough to make your head spin, but in a good way - in a comforting way.
There's a level of symmetry that the first Murakami I read was his short story collection [b:Men Without Women|33652490|Men Without Women|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1483232988l/33652490._SX50_.jpg|43247031], and now I am reading another, with nearly all of his novels finished. After reading that first collection I began my journey, starting with his first novel, [b:Hear the Wind Sing|226973|Hear the Wind Sing (The Rat, #1)|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1209948233l/226973._SX50_.jpg|2902423], to read everything he wrote in order of publication. I still have two collections left after this, so maybe I can read those when all the novels are finished.
The stories in this collection were:
- The Wind-Up Bird and Tuesday’s Women
- The Second Bakery Attack
- The Kangaroo Communique
- On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning
- Sleep
- The Fall of the Roman Empire…
- Lederhosen
- Barn Burning
- The Little Green Monster
- Family Affair
- A Window
- TV People
- A Slow Boat to China
- The Dancing Dwarf
- The Last Lawn of the Afternoon
- The Silence
- The Elephant Vanishes
I don't have that much to say on them, on the whole. The first story is simply a slightly altered version of start of [b:The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle|11275|The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327872639l/11275._SY75_.jpg|2531376] - or maybe a slightly different translation. Either way, if you've read the novel there isn't too much reason to read the short story. Some of the stories are better than others, of course. It is all just classic Murakami: music, girls, swimming, running, reading, whiskey, beer, more music, things vanishing and dreams... Enough to make your head spin, but in a good way - in a comforting way.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
I know this man is popular on tumblr
All jokes aside. He’s far better in short bursts. It also gives him less time to be lecherous.
All jokes aside. He’s far better in short bursts. It also gives him less time to be lecherous.
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
The problem with short story collections is they are almost always hit or miss and while this one had a few really great stories, most were mediocre.
So far my fav. piece of work from a Master. Some stories are so surreal yet they touch your feelings at the core of your soul.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
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:
Yes
My first Murakami, and I'm pleased to report that I really enjoyed this. Having seen two incredible screen adaptations of his work, I thought I should start with the collection containing the original story of my favourite - in this case, "Barn Burning." It's a haunting narrative on both page and screen, but the other stories here are also excellent. Not all of them land as impactfully as othees, but that's an occupational hazard of short fiction collections. There are no stories here that I didn't enjoy at least a little bit, and the best of the bunch are nothing short of captivating ("Sleep"), heartrending ("A Slow Boat to China") or laugh-out-loud funny ("Family Affair"). Kudos to the translators who manage to capture such a natural tone while still feeling grounded in a consistent, slightly surreal vein that seems to characterise Murakami's work. I've immediately set my sights on some of his longer stuff.
Liked the story ok, loved Murakami's storytelling. I will definitely give Murakami another try.