Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars, rounded down. I read The Wind Up Bird Chronicle and absolutely loved it—weird fiction is absolutely my jam, and I especially love weird fiction that incorporates Japanese folklore. But, this book was kind of boring.
It started off great: runaway teenage boy with a mysterious voice inside him, switching from 1st person to 2nd person POV, a super cool old library: SOLD. Talking cats? Yes. An old, unsolved wartime incident involving a group of children who lose consciousness without explanation? Okay! Every chapter gets weirder and weirder, and I am here for it.
But about halfway through the story, I got incurably bored. All this premise, and the buildup kind of fizzled out. I almost didn't finish it. I think the tipping point was the one-two punch of some (very minor) feminist characters who were presented as humorless shrews out to ruin all of literature, coupled with the "reveal" of a trans character who was misidentified as homosexual. And the point of the reveal was, "because I am not actually a MAN, I can't be sexist." This wasn't even a major plot point, and I realize Murakami was trying to do something here that didn't necessarily have anything to do with feminism and gender identity... but it was just too problematic to really get past.
But, even then, I stuck it out. And I was still bored.
I wonder if it was the translation, but the dialogue was terrible. I think it was supposed to feel whimsical and humorous, but it just didn't work. There were also a LOT of characters explaining big philosophical ideas to other characters and/or summing up great works of literature, which felt pedantic. A lot of telling vs. showing.
I won't give up on Murakami. But I don't recommend this one.
It started off great: runaway teenage boy with a mysterious voice inside him, switching from 1st person to 2nd person POV, a super cool old library: SOLD. Talking cats? Yes. An old, unsolved wartime incident involving a group of children who lose consciousness without explanation? Okay! Every chapter gets weirder and weirder, and I am here for it.
But about halfway through the story, I got incurably bored. All this premise, and the buildup kind of fizzled out. I almost didn't finish it. I think the tipping point was the one-two punch of some (very minor) feminist characters who were presented as humorless shrews out to ruin all of literature, coupled with the "reveal" of a trans character who was misidentified as homosexual. And the point of the reveal was, "because I am not actually a MAN, I can't be sexist." This wasn't even a major plot point, and I realize Murakami was trying to do something here that didn't necessarily have anything to do with feminism and gender identity... but it was just too problematic to really get past.
But, even then, I stuck it out. And I was still bored.
I wonder if it was the translation, but the dialogue was terrible. I think it was supposed to feel whimsical and humorous, but it just didn't work. There were also a LOT of characters explaining big philosophical ideas to other characters and/or summing up great works of literature, which felt pedantic. A lot of telling vs. showing.
I won't give up on Murakami. But I don't recommend this one.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
I really enjoyed this. It perfectly mixed the real world and a think later of fantasy. The two narrators were distinct and interesting, and all the supporting characters were so fun to read about too. Some of the sexual parts were a little jarring but you kind of learn to expect it from a Murakami book.
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
1. này nhé, đây có lẽ là tác phẩm mình thích nhất của murakami. nhưng đọc xong thì có lẽ mình nên lùng thêm các bản dịch khác, hoặc thơ văn dương tường.
2. mình thích mạch kể chuyện của nakata hơn hẳn là tamura. những nhân vật tôi của murakami, mình cảm không được.
3. có một ít xây dựng nhân vật ấy, đó là điều mình thích. murakami khá thích cái kiểu vạch một số phận trước cho từng người, rồi từ đó bẻ họ lại theo hướng đi đó, nên nhiều lúc thật hơi bí quá. vẫn có một vài vấn đề ông giải quyết vẫn chưa tròn vẹn, mình thật, không thích.
đây dù gì cũng là một cuốn sách hay, phần dịch kĩ lưỡng cực. nếu không nhờ quyển này thì mình thề mình sẽ chẳng bao giờ tìm đọc tiểu thuyết murakami nữa.
2. mình thích mạch kể chuyện của nakata hơn hẳn là tamura. những nhân vật tôi của murakami, mình cảm không được.
3. có một ít xây dựng nhân vật ấy, đó là điều mình thích. murakami khá thích cái kiểu vạch một số phận trước cho từng người, rồi từ đó bẻ họ lại theo hướng đi đó, nên nhiều lúc thật hơi bí quá. vẫn có một vài vấn đề ông giải quyết vẫn chưa tròn vẹn, mình thật, không thích.
đây dù gì cũng là một cuốn sách hay, phần dịch kĩ lưỡng cực. nếu không nhờ quyển này thì mình thề mình sẽ chẳng bao giờ tìm đọc tiểu thuyết murakami nữa.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced