Paige Turner's comments (member since Aug 01, 2007)

Paige Turner's comments from the Murakami fans group.

I love Banana Yoshimoto!

I wasn't a big fan of After Dark because it felt more like an outline and contrived. The other one that I just couldn't get into was A Wild Sheep Chase. I tried reading it twice and both times I got really bored in the middle of it. It just seemed to be plodding along and it wasn't going anywhere. I like slow novels, but for some reason this one just wasn't doing it for me.

I did love Norweigan Wood, Wind up Bird Chronicle, and Dance Dance Dance. I think Dance Dance Dance is my favorite so far.

Has anyone read his newest book? After Dark? I am finishing it right now. It's not one of my favorites, but I'm glad I read it. I seems to have lost of of his thoughtfulness and pacing.

I think that Kobo Abe is similar to Murakami, in that his novels take a somewhat ordinary situation and then twists it into something extraordinary. A lot of his themes are about isolation, feeling opressed and trying to get out of a difficult situation. When I read something by this author, I often feel all of those emotions. He does a great job at evoking those emotions in the reader. Some novels I've read by him are Kangaroo Notebook and Woman in the Dunes. Most memorable was Woman in the Dunes.

I think Murakami has also been compared to Vonnegut. A more reaching comparison might be Chuck Palaniuck (sp?).

My first Murakami book was also, "The Wind-up Bird Chronicle". It took me a long time to get through the book, but I was really entranced when I read it. I read part of it on a 2 1/2 hour plane trip and I was so engrossed in it that the woman next to me asked what book I was reading. After that I read "Dance, Dance, Dance" and then "Norweigan Wood". I am going to read "A Wild Sheep Chase" soon and then I'd like to read "After Dark".