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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
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
This book left me kind of cold.
I'm not sure why. I really wanted to love it; I feel like I should've, based on my own tastes and the tastes his fans in general. I just didn't really care about anything except for the relationship between Hoshino and Nakata.
I guess all the weird shit was going on because the Entrance was open and it changed the world - so like some dude can make a soul flute by killing cats and if you go far enough into the woods you'll get to purgatory? Which is neat or whatever. I was more interested in the weird UFO thing that knocked all the kids out during WWII, and Nakata eating eel and talking to cats, and Oshima and that weirdo library. All of the storylines I was interested in just sort of drifted off and instead I got to read about Kafka fucking his mom and being a fifteen year old and Coming Of Age which... sure? Ok.
I don't know, maybe I just really hated the main character. Who knows. I am probably going to forget about this book entirely.
(Reading back over this, I think I probably could get more out of this book if I gave more attention to the WWII connection. The soldiers in the woods were WWII deserters, whatever happened to Nakata was during WWII... I'm really just grasping at straws. I can follow some of his themes and make tenuous connections but I am filled with this overwhelming apathy. Fuck it.)
I'm not sure why. I really wanted to love it; I feel like I should've, based on my own tastes and the tastes his fans in general. I just didn't really care about anything except for the relationship between Hoshino and Nakata.
I guess all the weird shit was going on because the Entrance was open and it changed the world - so like some dude can make a soul flute by killing cats and if you go far enough into the woods you'll get to purgatory? Which is neat or whatever. I was more interested in the weird UFO thing that knocked all the kids out during WWII, and Nakata eating eel and talking to cats, and Oshima and that weirdo library. All of the storylines I was interested in just sort of drifted off and instead I got to read about Kafka fucking his mom and being a fifteen year old and Coming Of Age which... sure? Ok.
I don't know, maybe I just really hated the main character. Who knows. I am probably going to forget about this book entirely.
(Reading back over this, I think I probably could get more out of this book if I gave more attention to the WWII connection. The soldiers in the woods were WWII deserters, whatever happened to Nakata was during WWII... I'm really just grasping at straws. I can follow some of his themes and make tenuous connections but I am filled with this overwhelming apathy. Fuck it.)
the only book I’ve read where the sentence ‘she breasted boobily towards me’ wouldn’t seem out of place :/
adventurous
emotional
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
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
In November 1944 during an outing with their teacher, sixteen Japanese children collapsed in a field and became unconscious. The teacher who was the only one who did not collapse, noticed that when it happened, they had all been exposed to a shiny airplane flying across the sky. All the children except for one eventually regained consciousness and returned to normalcy. The one child who did not regain consciousness was whisked away and never heard from again…until much later. His name is Nakata and although the incident left him mentally impaired, he has been able to talk to cats since his collapse.
Kafka Tamura is a 15-year-old runaway. He has been living in misery and isolation with his sculptor father, whom he despises and blames for his mother ‘s and sister’s absence. His alter-ego, Crow, who is much wiser and bolder, encourages him to leave home. Kafka believes that like Oedipus, he is destined to kill his father and sleep with his mother. He leaves home and journeys to a memorial library in a small, out of the way village. The library becomes a conduit for time and space in his search for physical and spiritual self-discovery in which Kafka’s and Nakata’s paths eventually cross.
Haruki Murakami novels are unforgettable experiences. They are almost impossible to adequately describe because of their complexity. Even though they are complex, it is a complexity built upon simple ideas. Many have tried to paint Murakami’s work with a specific brush. His work has been described as Meta-physical, as surreal, and as an example of Magical Realism. They are indeed experiments in philosophy and psychology, often entailing the absurd and fantastic. They are a pleasure to read and re-read.
Kafka Tamura is a 15-year-old runaway. He has been living in misery and isolation with his sculptor father, whom he despises and blames for his mother ‘s and sister’s absence. His alter-ego, Crow, who is much wiser and bolder, encourages him to leave home. Kafka believes that like Oedipus, he is destined to kill his father and sleep with his mother. He leaves home and journeys to a memorial library in a small, out of the way village. The library becomes a conduit for time and space in his search for physical and spiritual self-discovery in which Kafka’s and Nakata’s paths eventually cross.
Haruki Murakami novels are unforgettable experiences. They are almost impossible to adequately describe because of their complexity. Even though they are complex, it is a complexity built upon simple ideas. Many have tried to paint Murakami’s work with a specific brush. His work has been described as Meta-physical, as surreal, and as an example of Magical Realism. They are indeed experiments in philosophy and psychology, often entailing the absurd and fantastic. They are a pleasure to read and re-read.
I finally reached the shore in Kafka on the shore
It took me exactly 3 years and 3 months to finish this book. Maybe because I didn't want it to end. I didn't want to journey to be over. And the experience?
“It’s not something you can get across in words. The real response is something words can’t express.”
I wanted to solve the puzzle, to piece together every detail. But for me, the real magic lies in the transitions between the stories the way they’re all woven together.
Oddly enough, every time I picked it up, it felt like the book knew what I needed. Like it was quietly guiding me. I can’t explain how, but it always seemed to offer something a sentence that made sense in the moment I was in.
I’d love to hear how this book made you feel, What was your experience.
It took me exactly 3 years and 3 months to finish this book. Maybe because I didn't want it to end. I didn't want to journey to be over. And the experience?
“It’s not something you can get across in words. The real response is something words can’t express.”
I wanted to solve the puzzle, to piece together every detail. But for me, the real magic lies in the transitions between the stories the way they’re all woven together.
Oddly enough, every time I picked it up, it felt like the book knew what I needed. Like it was quietly guiding me. I can’t explain how, but it always seemed to offer something a sentence that made sense in the moment I was in.
I’d love to hear how this book made you feel, What was your experience.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-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:
Complicated