I just finished reading Haruki Murakami's masterwork 1Q84. I became acquainted with his work in the past couple of years, reading several of his novel...moreI just finished reading Haruki Murakami's masterwork 1Q84. I became acquainted with his work in the past couple of years, reading several of his novels. My favorite was Kafka on the Shore, and it still may be my favorite, though this one comes close.
In Japan this was released as three books; in the US it is compiled as one book of 925 pages, translated by two different translators. The book is typical Murakimi in that in has interesting, perhaps eccentric characters and anything can happen--anything. The plot involves a strange cult, a woman who works as an assassin on the side, a man who is talked into rewriting a strange novel written by an odd young woman, and an alternate world with two moons. There are little people who emerge from a dead goat, and later from a dead man, an unusual detective, a dying father, and much more.
Murakami writes with a slow rhythm and a simplicity that lulls you and entices you in spite of the often bizarre occurrences. Yet it's all believable, in an odd way. Sometimes I had to check to make sure I could still only see one moon.
It is an alternate world story, a detective story, and ultimately a very moving love story.
However, I had a huge problem. The first two books (translated by Jay Rubin) captivated me. When I started the third book, though (translated by Philip Gabriel), it was like hitting a brick wall. Suddenly the book moved nowhere. It was repetitive, boring, and repetitive. There were times I wanted to throw the book against the wall it was so exasperatingly uneventful. I wondered if the fault lay with the translator (doubtful) or whether Murakami had written two books then realized he didn't have enough to fill a third book. Needless to say, a deft and ruthless editor would have helped.
Even so, I kept with it, and am glad I did. Yes it was repetitive and uneventful for the first half of the third book, but perhaps that feeling was the author's goal after all--the feeling of being trapped in a strange world, almost unable to breathe, unable to find what you are looking for, until finally, about halfway through the final book, things start moving dramatically again, leading to an ultimately satisfying conclusion.
If you've never read Murakami, this may be tough slogging. But I recommend it nevertheless, perhaps after reading Kafka on the Shore I will never forget Tengo and Aomame and the world with two moons.(less)
This is a gritty and very moving literary thriller set in Russia, Afghanistan, and New York in the 1960s and 1980s, and makes a powerful conclusion to...moreThis is a gritty and very moving literary thriller set in Russia, Afghanistan, and New York in the 1960s and 1980s, and makes a powerful conclusion to the "Leo & Raisa" trilogy begun with Child 44 and continued in The Secret Speech. Tom Rob Smith skillfully creates characters you care about struggling to maintain sanity in horrible circumstances. The history woven throughout is fascinating. Highly recommended.(less)
This is an unforgettable book about America at the turn of the last century. Skillfully told and breathtaking in its scope.
I must say that...moreThis is an unforgettable book about America at the turn of the last century. Skillfully told and breathtaking in its scope.
I must say that the first half was totally engrossing, but it got a little tougher in the second half. I think whole chapters could have been left out. And yet the breadth of it is amazing, it's like you are soaking in the era. Gold rush, Spanish American War, yellow journalism, Cuba, the philippines, African American culture post Reconstruction, the white overthrow of the elected government of Wilmington, NC, the early days of movie making, Mark Twain, the assassination of McKinley, on and on, yet woven into a compelling narrative. I learned some history for sure.
This book is getting rave reviews (the one in the NYTimes caused me to buy it) but I don't hear much about it otherwise. It is a rough read, and you have to wrestle with it in more ways than one, but well worth the effort. Like reading a cinder block, it's so fat.
It takes dedication to read this, and it's not for everyone, but I admire it greatly.(less)
Wow. Â I just finished Haruki Murakami's novel Kafka on the Shore. Â I think it's my new favorite book. It's quite fantastic. Kafka is a 15-year-ol...more Wow. Â I just finished Haruki Murakami's novel Kafka on the Shore. Â I think it's my new favorite book. It's quite fantastic. Kafka is a 15-year-old Japanese boy who runs away and tries to put the pieces of his life together. Meanwhile, Mr. Nakata is a simple minded man who is also on a mission. He can also talk to cats and cause fish and leeches to fall from the sky. If you haven't read it, I know it sounds crazy, and it is. But it is quite moving. Though it weakens a bit toward the end, I think it is the only book that left me in tears when it was over. I plan on reading it again someday. I imagine it will be a wholly different experience. Â HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.(less)
Having read a glowing review in the NYT Book Review, and having just been to Paris for the first time last fall, I was excited about getting Ted Moone...moreHaving read a glowing review in the NYT Book Review, and having just been to Paris for the first time last fall, I was excited about getting Ted Mooney's new novel "The Same River Twice" from the library. It is extolled as a "literary thriller," and Mooney is a master wordsmith. Some of his descriptions are breathtaking.
I jumped into this book and found myself thoroughly immersed in the multifaceted plot and characters. A French woman, a dress designer, is paid as a courier to bring some historic and artistic banners out of Russia to a Paris art dealer, and ends up in a sticky situation in more ways than one. Her American filmmaker husband, meanwhile, while trying to work on his latest art film, discovers that some DVDs of one of his earlier now classic films include an ending very different from his own--yet nicely produced. Why?
There are other layers going on and you find yourself struggling to keep all the loose ends together. But about halfway through the book, the characters start doing surprising and unsympathetic things, and it only gets worse. Ultimately I found it disturbing, or at least unsatisfying. I wondered if I was the only one who felt this way, given the rather positive review I'd read, and checking a bunch of Amazon reviews confirmed my own disappointment in the book. It's not bad as thrillers go, but ultimately it's difficult to believe the characters or what happens with them. And the motif set up by the title (and several deja vu experiences throughout the book) never quite hits home. But it was nice to experience Paris again.(less)
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