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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
Really more of a novella than a novel, with the flavor of Murakami's short fiction. One of his hapless protagonists puzzles through his confusion about the empty spaces in his life for a while, then the book ends.
I enjoyed the first-person POV chapters much more than the third person sections about The Rat (this book is the second in the author's "Trilogy of the Rat"). It's not thrilling reading, but you get the idea that there is a lot to unpack here, and a great deal of insight into the aimlessness of just living, without a connection to another human being or a sense of your proper place.
Pinball plays the role of a lost love for the narrator, and I really enjoyed the brief sections describing his obsession with the game. While certainly not as weird as anything in Murakami's best-known novels, the story has a sort of fuzzy, other-worldly quality that puts you in the frame of mind of the two lead characters, both of whom don't quite seem able to connect with the world.
Though never officially released in the U.S., you can easily find this online as a PDF. It's very short, so unless you're a hardcore collector, I wouldn't bother importing the English version (produced for Japanese students learning English) from Japan (though I do wish I'd thought to look for it when I was there last year... would have been a nice souvenir to go along with my stuffed Totoro and clear commuter umbrella).
I enjoyed the first-person POV chapters much more than the third person sections about The Rat (this book is the second in the author's "Trilogy of the Rat"). It's not thrilling reading, but you get the idea that there is a lot to unpack here, and a great deal of insight into the aimlessness of just living, without a connection to another human being or a sense of your proper place.
Pinball plays the role of a lost love for the narrator, and I really enjoyed the brief sections describing his obsession with the game. While certainly not as weird as anything in Murakami's best-known novels, the story has a sort of fuzzy, other-worldly quality that puts you in the frame of mind of the two lead characters, both of whom don't quite seem able to connect with the world.
Though never officially released in the U.S., you can easily find this online as a PDF. It's very short, so unless you're a hardcore collector, I wouldn't bother importing the English version (produced for Japanese students learning English) from Japan (though I do wish I'd thought to look for it when I was there last year... would have been a nice souvenir to go along with my stuffed Totoro and clear commuter umbrella).
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
More of the same inconclusive pondering from Hear the Wind Sing. Would’ve DNFed if it wasn’t so short. I really hope his books get better once he includes multiple povs or actual plots that differ from his day to day life.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book is really about nothing and doesn't really have anything that i can recommend
reflective
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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
O QUE FOI AQUELE FINAL, SENHOR? O que cacete aconteceu com o Rato? Não ficou claro e eu li umas 500 vezes, nossa... que livro maravilhoso! <3
Good ol' aimless self-absorbed youth. Quite bored out of my mind reading this.
To be fair, more than the text itself, I think it really came down to how my state of mind was when I picked up the book. With a wine glass in hand, and some soft jazz in the back, the empty prose was quite tantalizing. But those are rare occasions. On my daily commutes, I'd often find that the option to stare lifelessly into a sea of strangers miles more fascinating than choosing to take this book out of my bag.
The character archetypes and themes so amusingly overused in Murakami's work seem to take shape here. It's still a work-in-progress at this point, unfortunately, but this book was definitely a harbinger of better things to come.
To be fair, more than the text itself, I think it really came down to how my state of mind was when I picked up the book. With a wine glass in hand, and some soft jazz in the back, the empty prose was quite tantalizing. But those are rare occasions. On my daily commutes, I'd often find that the option to stare lifelessly into a sea of strangers miles more fascinating than choosing to take this book out of my bag.
The character archetypes and themes so amusingly overused in Murakami's work seem to take shape here. It's still a work-in-progress at this point, unfortunately, but this book was definitely a harbinger of better things to come.