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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just when you think this is a normal story from murakami…
BOOM!! Weird sexual fantasies and open for interpretation endings
Still enjoyed tho
EDIT: I figured it out. Murakami writes the same book over and over again.
1. Young man who is lost/lonely
2. Young man loves western culture, music, movies, books
3. Young man finds simple woman
4. Simple woman isnt simple but incredibly 'complex'... as complex as a woman can be in a Muarakmi book
5. oh look now we're in some dreamlike state
6. Ambiguous ending
But im still an absolute fiend for it so i won't complain. I've read a 4 of his books now and i can say comfortably that the only ones that truly feel distinct to Sputnik Sweetheart are Wind-up Bird and maybe, maybe Kafka on the Shore. Norwegian wood is very similar but i think i preferred norwegian Wood to this. Was that because it was my first Murakami book?
Perhaps.
I found norwegian wood to be a lot more grounded than Sputnik Sweetheart. Arguably, Sputnik sweetheart has some of the least abhorrent women depictions that i can recall in a murakami book in recent memory.
BOOM!! Weird sexual fantasies and open for interpretation endings
Still enjoyed tho
EDIT: I figured it out. Murakami writes the same book over and over again.
1. Young man who is lost/lonely
2. Young man loves western culture, music, movies, books
3. Young man finds simple woman
4. Simple woman isnt simple but incredibly 'complex'... as complex as a woman can be in a Muarakmi book
5. oh look now we're in some dreamlike state
6. Ambiguous ending
But im still an absolute fiend for it so i won't complain. I've read a 4 of his books now and i can say comfortably that the only ones that truly feel distinct to Sputnik Sweetheart are Wind-up Bird and maybe, maybe Kafka on the Shore. Norwegian wood is very similar but i think i preferred norwegian Wood to this. Was that because it was my first Murakami book?
Perhaps.
I found norwegian wood to be a lot more grounded than Sputnik Sweetheart. Arguably, Sputnik sweetheart has some of the least abhorrent women depictions that i can recall in a murakami book in recent memory.
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Song: Space Oddity by David Bowie
Haruki Murakami’s Sputnik Sweetheart is a novel that encapsulates many ideas and concepts at once. The story (for the sake of this review, this is referring to the version translated by Philip Gabriel) is a patchwork mixture of mystery, drama, romance, and even part confession. Told through the narration of the main character (only ever referred to as K) and the occasional document or journal entry, the story largely revolves around K and his relationship with Sumire, his best friend.
The story of Sputnik Sweetheart begins with K’s rambling introduction of Sumire’s character. He details everything about her, from her family and education, to their friendship and his infatuation. Through this tirade, he also inadvertently introduces himself. They are both huge fans of novels, with Sumire spending her time as an insufferably unsuccessful writer and K drifting to whatever opportunity he’s presented (at the time, this was a job teaching elementary school) and seemingly following no other motive or passion. The main conflict of the book is introduced with the third and final main character, Miu. Miu serves as the end point to the story’s love triangle; K loves Sumire, Sumire has never felt love before Miu, and Miu doesn’t seem to desire anyone at all, despite being near 40 years old and married. The rest of the novel follows K’s perspective of Sumire and Miu’s relationship, coming to a head with a disappearance and a surreal mystery based around the three character’s pain, desires, and shortcomings.
Of this book’s strengths, there are many. Despite having a relatively uneventful story for the majority of the novel, Murakami keeps the reader enthralled through incredibly compelling dialogue and character development. This book remains very accessible while also offering a bountiful amount of literary elements and character choices to analyze and enjoy. The surrealist nature of the second half also lends itself to allowing the reader to really pick apart every little detail to forge their own understanding of the events presented. This is also not to say that the book requires a ridiculous amount of analysis, as Sputnik Sweetheart is still very enjoyable when taken at a face value.
In an unfortunate ironic twist, Sputnik Sweetheart’s biggest weakness also comes from the characters and their interactions. Murakami is somewhat known for having misogynistic themes within his writing and this novel is no exception. K has a tendency to treat women more like sexual opportunities than full people and many of the women in this book respond as he expects, falling for a man that offers them next to nothing and sees himself as intellectually above him. The sexual imagery depicted in Sputnik Sweetheart is also a bit unnecessarily grotesque, with K describing in full detail having to ‘suppress his urges’ around Sumire, something framed as the feelings of a tortured romantic but actually just being a gross lack of respect for the woman he claims to love. While it is unclear if this is a reflection of Murakami himself or just the result of having a very flawed character being the sole narrator and viewpoint of the story, it casts an upsetting shadow over an otherwise really great story.
Overall, Sputnik Sweetheart is a very compelling look into the experience of human desire and unrequited love. It offers much to the reader in terms of analysis, both good and bad. Its a great read for someone looking for a more surrealist and psychological take on the romance genre and if one is willing to confront its occasional harsh flaws with a critical mindset.
The story of Sputnik Sweetheart begins with K’s rambling introduction of Sumire’s character. He details everything about her, from her family and education, to their friendship and his infatuation. Through this tirade, he also inadvertently introduces himself. They are both huge fans of novels, with Sumire spending her time as an insufferably unsuccessful writer and K drifting to whatever opportunity he’s presented (at the time, this was a job teaching elementary school) and seemingly following no other motive or passion. The main conflict of the book is introduced with the third and final main character, Miu. Miu serves as the end point to the story’s love triangle; K loves Sumire, Sumire has never felt love before Miu, and Miu doesn’t seem to desire anyone at all, despite being near 40 years old and married. The rest of the novel follows K’s perspective of Sumire and Miu’s relationship, coming to a head with a disappearance and a surreal mystery based around the three character’s pain, desires, and shortcomings.
Of this book’s strengths, there are many. Despite having a relatively uneventful story for the majority of the novel, Murakami keeps the reader enthralled through incredibly compelling dialogue and character development. This book remains very accessible while also offering a bountiful amount of literary elements and character choices to analyze and enjoy. The surrealist nature of the second half also lends itself to allowing the reader to really pick apart every little detail to forge their own understanding of the events presented. This is also not to say that the book requires a ridiculous amount of analysis, as Sputnik Sweetheart is still very enjoyable when taken at a face value.
In an unfortunate ironic twist, Sputnik Sweetheart’s biggest weakness also comes from the characters and their interactions. Murakami is somewhat known for having misogynistic themes within his writing and this novel is no exception. K has a tendency to treat women more like sexual opportunities than full people and many of the women in this book respond as he expects, falling for a man that offers them next to nothing and sees himself as intellectually above him. The sexual imagery depicted in Sputnik Sweetheart is also a bit unnecessarily grotesque, with K describing in full detail having to ‘suppress his urges’ around Sumire, something framed as the feelings of a tortured romantic but actually just being a gross lack of respect for the woman he claims to love. While it is unclear if this is a reflection of Murakami himself or just the result of having a very flawed character being the sole narrator and viewpoint of the story, it casts an upsetting shadow over an otherwise really great story.
Overall, Sputnik Sweetheart is a very compelling look into the experience of human desire and unrequited love. It offers much to the reader in terms of analysis, both good and bad. Its a great read for someone looking for a more surrealist and psychological take on the romance genre and if one is willing to confront its occasional harsh flaws with a critical mindset.
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My favorite lines:
"So what's the point of your story" she asked me.
"The part about being alert," I replied. "Not prejudging things, listening to what's going on, keeping your ears, heart, and mind open."
"So what's the point of your story" she asked me.
"The part about being alert," I replied. "Not prejudging things, listening to what's going on, keeping your ears, heart, and mind open."
Well that ended abruptly. This was the first book I read on my kindle and you can't really tell how far along you are unless you check. I got to the last page and went to move to the next page but there wasn't one. I was pretty confused and actually went back to the table of contents to make sure I hand't missed something. I'm not really mad at the ending it was just so sudden it took me by surprise. Also possibly the least closure from an ending ever? I'm exaggerating but man he really left the whole mystery dangling in the air. That can be fun but the fact that basically the next chapter - if there had been one - would have provided some answers really makes it sting.
The characters were all really likable and sort of boring in a good way. They felt like normal boring people, with a few eccentricities that made them remarkable. When I say normal boring people, I really just mean that they felt natural and recognizable. I liked the narrator character a lot, he had a nice even keeled reasonableness but was still fun and not overly stoic. Sumire was quirky and interesting but not unnaturally so. Miu was mostly underdeveloped until pretty late in the story but generally she was likable but unremarkable. Other than one big thing but it's more of a plot point than a character trait.
Reminded me a lot of [b:1Q84|10357575|1Q84 |Haruki Murakami|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316729331s/10357575.jpg|18160093] in some very obvious ways, namely, the perspective narration, the lingering mystery. Maybe these and other things are just generally present in Murakami books but I can't really make that call from just reading two.
The characters were all really likable and sort of boring in a good way. They felt like normal boring people, with a few eccentricities that made them remarkable. When I say normal boring people, I really just mean that they felt natural and recognizable. I liked the narrator character a lot, he had a nice even keeled reasonableness but was still fun and not overly stoic. Sumire was quirky and interesting but not unnaturally so. Miu was mostly underdeveloped until pretty late in the story but generally she was likable but unremarkable. Other than one big thing but it's more of a plot point than a character trait.
Reminded me a lot of [b:1Q84|10357575|1Q84 |Haruki Murakami|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316729331s/10357575.jpg|18160093] in some very obvious ways, namely