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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"Why do people have to be this lonely? What's the point of it all? Millions of people in this world, all of them yearning, looking to others to satisfy them, yet isolating themselves. Why? Was the earth put here just to nourish human loneliness?"
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Haruki Murakami was introduced to me by a close friend of mine, I tried to read this book once before but couldn't finish it fully. Now I understand that when I had tried to read it it wasn't the right time for me to do so. I've finished the book and all I can say is that I find everything very confusing and very relatable at the same time.
I think this is common with murakami, weird confusing books with a weird and confusing ending. And even though I didn't understand every word and every type of philosophical methaphor put into this book, I found it the most relatable.
The whole concept described marked a change in my sixteen year old brain, and I couldn't be happier for the effect it did on me.
I think this is common with murakami, weird confusing books with a weird and confusing ending. And even though I didn't understand every word and every type of philosophical methaphor put into this book, I found it the most relatable.
The whole concept described marked a change in my sixteen year old brain, and I couldn't be happier for the effect it did on me.
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
Bitter-sweet and melancholic. Ghostly connections between characters whose existences and memories all have a hint of the unreal.
Got me thinking about friendships, love and loss.
Loses a few points for Murakami's slight obsession with women's bodies.
Got me thinking about friendships, love and loss.
Loses a few points for Murakami's slight obsession with women's bodies.
i bought this at daikanyama t-site in tokyo. practically finished it on the subway ride home and is one of the most memorable books i read in high school. finished it on the plane home, but this book really saved me from going crazy at the time. cute book… weird ass murakami…
Oh to be a female main character in a Murakami book where you are over sensationalized for your big brain thoughts, and your extraordinary gift at being so ordinary that it makes you something awe-inspiring and poetic. What's it like?
I joke at Murakami's predictable fascination with the female sex, but also this book was one of his softer, more gentle surreal pieces and I found myself really comforted by his characters in this piece. Sputnik Sweetheart does have a subtle similarity to Norwegian Wood, but I would say this one reads easier and has an ending that makes more sense. I found the dialogue more playful and fun to read in this one and I enjoyed the mild characterizations within each of his characters.
Always a subdued, desaturated piece that leaves you feeling a bit breathless and empty but also filled with ideas and questions and thoughts that you didn't have before and I don't honestly know why I enjoy that feeling so much.
Also my girl Laika the space dog was mentioned which therefore automatically gives this book many stars. I once was late for work because I was uncontrollably sobbing over that dog. Which has nothing to do with this review, but I wanted to share with someone.
I joke at Murakami's predictable fascination with the female sex, but also this book was one of his softer, more gentle surreal pieces and I found myself really comforted by his characters in this piece. Sputnik Sweetheart does have a subtle similarity to Norwegian Wood, but I would say this one reads easier and has an ending that makes more sense. I found the dialogue more playful and fun to read in this one and I enjoyed the mild characterizations within each of his characters.
Always a subdued, desaturated piece that leaves you feeling a bit breathless and empty but also filled with ideas and questions and thoughts that you didn't have before and I don't honestly know why I enjoy that feeling so much.
Also my girl Laika the space dog was mentioned which therefore automatically gives this book many stars. I once was late for work because I was uncontrollably sobbing over that dog. Which has nothing to do with this review, but I wanted to share with someone.
Did Murakami know about demisexuality in 1999? As far as I know, it didn't have a name back then, but people clearly experienced it. Sumire doesn't experience sexual attraction except very rarely and after making someone's acquaintance. It was an interesting choice.
Sometimes, when you’re reading a Murakami novel, he will make a very specific observation about one of the characters. Something that feels like going for a walk in the park, and then turning a corner to see your reflection in a store window, and noticing you’re still in your pyjama pants. You were walking around in a much more exposed state than you thought you were, and it’s not embarrassing per se, it’s your lack of awareness that shocks you. That other people were able to see a more intimate part of yourself, one that you weren’t purposefully sharing, without your knowledge.
The rest of this novel is very standard for his writing, but after having read a bunch of his novels, I don't really care that much about the plot and just let the imagery and the words wash over me. There are a few scenes that take away from the overall melancholy of it because they're either weirdly explicit or, but Murakami is nothing if not consistent in that regard. Thankfully, so's his atmosphere.
Sometimes, when you’re reading a Murakami novel, he will make a very specific observation about one of the characters. Something that feels like going for a walk in the park, and then turning a corner to see your reflection in a store window, and noticing you’re still in your pyjama pants. You were walking around in a much more exposed state than you thought you were, and it’s not embarrassing per se, it’s your lack of awareness that shocks you. That other people were able to see a more intimate part of yourself, one that you weren’t purposefully sharing, without your knowledge.
The rest of this novel is very standard for his writing, but after having read a bunch of his novels, I don't really care that much about the plot and just let the imagery and the words wash over me. There are a few scenes that take away from the overall melancholy of it because they're either weirdly explicit or
Spoiler
borderline rapey, I mean, what the hell do you mean "you won't be able to control yourself"? What are you, a dolphin?
Reading Murakami is like going to my favorite cafe and hanging there for a while, and leaving with a little smile on my face.