Haurki Murakami

[David Dawson]

Completely agree with the Norwegian Wood recommendations.

[roguexunited]

I've only read After Darkand I absolutely loved it. The first time I read it was 3 years ago, and each year I read it again. Mostly because there is a lot of covert themes and details, that with the passing years, I am able to discover. Also, I adore fairy tale retellings, and Murakami in this book combines Japanese and European tales, and my favorite part is discovering how the tale has been modernized. Read it if you have a chance. In English I have the Jay Rubin translation, and I was very satisfied with it.

[qwietstorm]

I began reading one of his works: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. However, I found myself losing interest in the plot because his style of writing is somewhat disorganized in my opinion. I am a fan of Japanese literature/fiction. I just wasn't captured by this particular novel. Maybe, I will check out some of his other works and compare.

[Grizzly]

When it comes to Murakami, I really want to like him.

That said, I gave 1Q84 a shot (never finished, summer reading assignments proved to be quite the cockblock) because a friend's recommendation, but 100 pages in and I still didn't give a damn about the characters. Maybe it's the work of the translator, but I just couldn't get into it.

It's a damn shame though, because everyone tells me he's fantastic. I plan on giving Norwegian Wood a go just because it also happens to be the title of my favorite Beatles song. But if that doesn't pan out, I doubt I'll read anything else by him any time soon.

[David Dawson]

I plan on giving Norwegian Wood a go just because it also happens to be the title of my favorite Beatles song.

To be fair, that's not really a coincidence. Which maybe bodes well for you enjoying it.

[Grizzly]

To be fair, that's not really a coincidence. Which maybe bodes well for you enjoying it.

Ah, I'm glad to hear that. Look forward to reading it even more now.

[adi63]

I recently finished What I Talk about When I Talk about Running and Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. I recommend them wholeheartedly! The first one will make sense only if you are a runner or looking to become one. The second is a gem, a captivating story of adulthood. Murakami deconstructs the life of Tsukuru all the way back to childhood and recovers the adult. An amazing novel!

[CCtheBrave]

The more outlandish his books are the better.

I completely agree! I read the wind up bird chronicles and it was a little slow for me, and there were too many plot holes for such a long novel; however, Murakami's short stories are absolutely amazing! If you get a chance, check out his shorter works, I think the format of a short story lends itself very well to his writing style.

[sydneypro_27]

Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite authors. He has a certain way of describing things that doesn't try to be anything more than it is. He delves deeply into things that authors normally don't pay attention to. I am currently reading his book The Windup Bird Chronicle and I love it. It is unlike any book that I have read. It is complex and interesting and it gives you this feeling like theres always a deeper meaning but it's just out of reach. He has a way of telling you a lot of information without telling it all. The story is always moving and changing and developing and I don't think it's everyone's style, but it's definitely mine.

[drewsadinosaur]

I came across Murakami when looking through a list of recommended books. The first book I read was his combined Wind/Pinball that was at my library, technically this was the first two books in his Rat trilogy. I loved these books. They were both very interesting and I felt like they were relatable yet abstract enough to keep my interest. Then, I read The Wild Sheep Chase. Wow, was that a turn of events. The third book was VERY abstract. It was like Murakami had minor breakdown and just decided to throw some magic into the mix. Don't get me wrong, the book was still interesting and I still think Murakami is a great writer, but that turn was just so sharp. I also read Dance, Dance, Dance but can't really remember much of it, which is unfortunate. Although, I do recall being somewhat disillusioned.

[Cyndel Maria]

I love him. Whenever someone asks for intellectual reads and good thinkers he's definitely top ten.

[Athena Moon]

His line of work is most mysterious. I have never been full of his books. He always left me craving for more. Even though his characters live in bizarre worlds, Murakami manages to bring sense of reality. Definitely recommending!

[Alice Heritage]

I have only read "Norwegian Wood" but on the strength of that, i would recommend him. He is billed as surreal but does provide a lot of very "real" details. A real bonus is that Japanese really does seem translate very well into English.

[Arrigo_Lupori]

I have read both Kafka on the Shore and Norwegian Wood and I am absolutely in love with his writing! I have to say I liked Kafka on the Shore more than the other one, but both were extremely enjoyable. I liked the first one more because it had much more of an ethereal, spiritual vibe to it. He's definitely one of the authors I look up to the most.

[DancingLady]

I have listened to the audio version of several of his books and I have to give him a mixed review. I enjoyed and learned from his writing about Japanese culture and ways of thinking and I would say that is very valuable as I live in a small community that doesn’t currently have many people of Asian heritage, so I am limited in what I can learn first hand. He is a very good writer in his style and the story line is always captivating.

What I have to criticize is the sexual content, which is excessive and explicit. I found myself having to fast forward often and miss bits of the story because I do not want to fill my mind with pornographic filth. For me, that content is so incredibly negative that it effectively offsets the positive. I do not plan to read or listen to any more of his works because I have heard enough to know that this type of content is to be expected in anything he writes.