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What Members Thought
To be honest, I see why Murakami didn't necessarily want these books translated, they are not his best writing. My favorite Murakami books are Windup Bird Chronicle and 1Q84. But still enjoyed these stories. I loved the introduction he wrote for this book. He mentions one of my Favorite Baseball managers: Charlie Manuel (who managed the Phillies when they won the World Series in 2008). Charlie Manuel played baseball in Japan, and Murakami had an epiphany during the game to write, and Hearing th
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As debut novels, these aren't bad. The writing style is short and to the point while the stories themselves ramble and probably don't have much of a point beyond describing an aimless phase in two young men's lives. Hear the Wind Sing is the stronger novel, but both are very much anchored in the themes Murakami carries across his work. I didn't expect to find as much "Murakami" in these pages as I did. In other words, I was surprised at how recognizable these books were.
In the end, I'm left thi ...more
In the end, I'm left thi ...more
As a huge Murakami follower, I was disappointed. I know this is a reprint of his first novel, but it definitely didn't need to be published at all--it's so inferior to most of his other work. I think it was a bit of a ploy for income now that his name is established.I'll still read anything he puts out, but meh, I don't recommend this one at all.
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Overall I thought this was really good and I liked it a lot. The characters were intriguing and the plot was good.
This book is nowhere near as excellent as "Kafka on the Shore" or "Wind Up Bird Chronicle" or "1Q84" or "Norwegian Wood", but I don't really care. I love to visit Murakami's world, even in a less than stellar book.
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Jun 17, 2015
Ching-In
marked it as to-read
Aug 15, 2017
Terri
marked it as around-the-world
