Reviews - What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir

4.96k reviews for:

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir

Haruki Murakami

3.8 AVERAGE

thomas_skori's review against another edition

3.0

inspiring reflective fast-paced

macca02's review against another edition

5.0

i spent the whole book trying to figure out if it was humble or narcissistic there was no resolution which was perfect

fawn_rae's review against another edition

2.0

As a writer and a runner, I thought that this book would really resonate with me. Not so. This is some extreme navel gazing, even for a memoir. Also, the author writes about running with a tone of martyrdom that was both annoying and depressing. Murakami claims to love running, but every running story he told had a negative theme/ending. :( So dissappointing.

lazydoc98's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Oh, what a book! Although I’m not a runner, you can see it as an approach, a technique, or even a philosophy that helps improve focus and endurance. In some ways, it’s quite similar to meditation. Murakami also weaves in snippets of his own life, allowing readers to see him up close. He writes about himself as if he were a character in one of his own novels, with all the rich details that make his storytelling mesmerizing. He openly shares his setbacks, self criticism, achievements, how all of this makes him feel, and what he aims to accomplish by it.

It’s a quick read, made even more enjoyable by Murakami’s smooth and eloquent writing, I finished it in just two days. This book isn’t just about running; it’s about discipline, self reflection, and the quiet determination that fuels creativity. A must read for anyone seeking insight into the mind of a writer and the art of persistence.