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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Sviđa mi se Murakamijev stil pisanja. Ali zbilja nema dara za karakterizaciju žena. Cura od glavnog lika nije imala nikakvu osobnost, svedena je samo na seksualni objekt i imala je neko šesto čulo koje je navodilo lika na pravi put do ovce. U trenutku kad je stigao na cilj, maknuta je iz priče.
During A Wild Sheep Chase, my second Murakami book, I realised what kind of a writer I see him as. Some writers can describe the feeling of sitting at a beach and watching the waves while others can describe the beach and the waves themselves. But he, on the other hand, is someone I always see as striving to look for that space in between, inexplicable and indescribable, that exists even within our own minds. That tiny three second window - in which our minds our blank and the sea is just going through its motions - that is where Murakami thrives.
A Wild Sheep Chase is exactly like that. It nestles into the closed spaces of the ways humans think and uses what I can only describe as surrealist realism to do so. His protagonist is a man having a mid life crisis and it takes him a journey of insane proportions to truly come to terms with his life and its progress, or lack thereof. The unnamed protagonist's detachment seems to easy, too thin, and a simple examination shows the complex web of emotions within that he simply...avoids. Truly fascinating, especially considering the simple way in which it's written.
I've noticed Murakami never uses much emotion and relies on surroundings instead. Almost like film, if I may say so. Characters find themselves in places that reflect the way they feel and the way the scenes are written and dialogues are structured lend to the overall picture, resulting in some extremely atmospheric pages. My personal favourite scene was when the man in the black suit talks to the protagonist in some ultra rich house. It's a prime example of why Murakami remains as relevant as he is.
As for the surreal part, well let's just say that the title is pretty much the plot. I can't believe how much I enjoyed the little detective work that takes place in the middle of the story and how that turns into a ghost story at the end. Again, very fascinating and I am glad that it never lets you go. There are times when the book starts meandering and poring over places that it doesn't need to, but while feeling unnecessary, they don't take away much from the story.
The Wild Sheep Chase is, in short, a fantastical story that mixes up themes of mid life crises, magic, sex, history and plain old fashioned detective work. There's also a theme of going after something that promises to provide a lot but is too unreal to actually exist. I wonder if that's a common theme in Murakami's books. But the themes that are clear are all deftly handled and fittingly concluded. A plot that feels over indulgent at times and needlessly wavering at others does cast a small shadow over the entire book, but it's still excellent writing and ultimately really good story telling. I enjoyed reading this and experiencing something as unique as this. Can't wait for more.
A Wild Sheep Chase is exactly like that. It nestles into the closed spaces of the ways humans think and uses what I can only describe as surrealist realism to do so. His protagonist is a man having a mid life crisis and it takes him a journey of insane proportions to truly come to terms with his life and its progress, or lack thereof. The unnamed protagonist's detachment seems to easy, too thin, and a simple examination shows the complex web of emotions within that he simply...avoids. Truly fascinating, especially considering the simple way in which it's written.
I've noticed Murakami never uses much emotion and relies on surroundings instead. Almost like film, if I may say so. Characters find themselves in places that reflect the way they feel and the way the scenes are written and dialogues are structured lend to the overall picture, resulting in some extremely atmospheric pages. My personal favourite scene was when the man in the black suit talks to the protagonist in some ultra rich house. It's a prime example of why Murakami remains as relevant as he is.
As for the surreal part, well let's just say that the title is pretty much the plot. I can't believe how much I enjoyed the little detective work that takes place in the middle of the story and how that turns into a ghost story at the end. Again, very fascinating and I am glad that it never lets you go. There are times when the book starts meandering and poring over places that it doesn't need to, but while feeling unnecessary, they don't take away much from the story.
The Wild Sheep Chase is, in short, a fantastical story that mixes up themes of mid life crises, magic, sex, history and plain old fashioned detective work. There's also a theme of going after something that promises to provide a lot but is too unreal to actually exist. I wonder if that's a common theme in Murakami's books. But the themes that are clear are all deftly handled and fittingly concluded. A plot that feels over indulgent at times and needlessly wavering at others does cast a small shadow over the entire book, but it's still excellent writing and ultimately really good story telling. I enjoyed reading this and experiencing something as unique as this. Can't wait for more.
This well and truly is the best way to describe this book: I went to a bar for dinner because i had forgotten to thaw my chicken for cooking tonight. The bar was packed and I brought this book for something to do while drinking a beer and waiting. My server saw it and mentioned that he had a line from the book tattooed on his arm. He showed it to me, my food arrived quickly and perfectly cooked, after eating I had a second beer and finished reading it. Then i paid my check and went home.
i have my qualms with the way murakami writes women but i’ll be damned if i didn’t enjoy this book. enough to finish it in one day.
definitely reignited my enjoyment of murakami (after struggling through wind-up bird)
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have mixed thoughts on this book. I'm still processing it. It contains the familiar Murakami themes and tropes, such as loss of intimacy, feelings of unreality, mysterious women with mystical powers and vulnerabilities, vague evil forces powering political machines, ripples of dark histories, unfamiliar birds, Cutty Sark, etc. I found the Raymond Chandler influence to be most pronounced in this of the Murakami works I've read so far, including for a running commentary on the precipitation as well as for the usual colorful analogies. I caught intermittent whiffs of the Cormac McCarthy influence as well. In particular, certain passages had Suttree-like vibes, including extended colorful visual descriptions of meloncholy scenes and a passage describing the single man protagonist passing monotonous days alone. I listened to the audiobook available on Spotify, and I did not particularly like the narration style, especially the characters' voices. Overall, I found this book somewhat less inspired and a shade less expertly-crafted than the other Murakami books I've read so far (The Windup Bird Chronicles and After Dark), but still very much worth a read. I think from here I'm going to IQ84.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Amazing story that had me reading non-stop from the beginning. The ending is a bit loose but I’ve learned that this is a classic Murakami trope as it’s part of his magic realism. Coming from Norwegian woods focus on identity and love it was a semi-smooth transition although the more magical items can come as a surprise. Overall really recommend it as it’s regarded as one of his favorite books.