Reviews

Die Chroniken des Aufziehvogels by Haruki Murakami

bantwalkers's review against another edition

3.0

I like a lot of things about this book. Its strangeness. Its search for a real truth and a real reality. Its brutalness. But it's also a hard book to wrap one's head around. Where is it going? What does it mean? And sometimes it meanders almost cruelly to nowhere.
However, the characters are strong, and amidst the strangeness there are a few good mysteries that kept me rapt.
And it does try to address more important things than, say, a Dan Brown novel. I just think it was a little too frustrating for most readers. Me included.

dcunitz's review against another edition

4.0

"If I'm pessimistic, then the adults in this world who are not pessimistic are a bunch of idiots."

tonycarr72's review against another edition

3.0

Yeah....weird and not sure if i liked it or if i think it is so-so,.....

jaysteady's review against another edition

3.0

So an overall good reading experience, but I came out of this story with a lot less clarity about what was happening than I'd normally like to.

I enjoyed Haruki's beautiful writing style, I found it engrossing and penetrating. The atmosphere of the Tokyo suburb lingered during my time away from the novel and evoked a lot of emotion from me.

I admit that before this reading experience I would become disinterested in a book after finding out that they included magical realism, but I will no longer do that. This book has been a doorway for me to a different form of fiction.

With that being said, I would personally prefer a bit more of a concrete plot for me to five it a four or five star. (Three stars for me is a "liked it" rating.)

sjw203's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

lina973's review against another edition

5.0

I cannot express how much I love Murakami’s writing. I loved how in depth each character was explored and felt completely immersed in this surreal and unusual story. The mundane events of everyday life are slightly warped to take on a whole other meaning and journey.

cjvphd's review against another edition

challenging funny mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

pepper_roni8's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

michael_taylor's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective

3.5

This book really runs the gamut of how I feel about Murakami. Sometimes I love him. When he's weaving together threads of semi connected surrealism I'm all in.  Gimme those weird dreams and half-visions and cats with crooked tales!

Sometimes I can't be bothered with his digressisions. Why were Creta & Malta Kano in this book? They all but vanish and then kinda (maybe?) matter towards the end. Sometimes, the side plots are far, FAR more compelling than the main story (Loved the Lt. Well stuff.

I think he's an author with a unique prose that isn't much concerned with how (or even if) the reader picks up what he's putting down. In this particular case, it didn't work as well for me as it could have. 

sillytoiler88's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.25