Norwegian Wood in Around the World in 80 Books

Aug 26, 2012 Steve rated it did not like it

Shelves: did-not-finish, fiction

Pretty much unique in that it's the only book I can recall where I quit reading at about the same spot. I wasn't even sure I had started reading this before, though some of the early scenes did seem familiar. But then Bingo! Reiko! Norwegian Wood deserves more than one star, but it has now bored me to tears twice, so it gets the GR death star as a result. I'm going to listen to some Beatles and find a book where stuff happens. ...more

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Jan 30, 2014 Karen rated it liked it

I don't know what I thought of this book. I love the melody of Norwegian Wood by the Beatles (I think the lyrics are somewhat silly), and the book was made into a movie. I just finished 1Q84, so you would think I would want to take a break from Murakami for a while, but I wanted to see what his other books were like. I liked 1Q84 so much better than this book. Murakami is a wonderful writer, but I didn't think much of the characters in this book. The women all seemed to be weak and needy. The me ...more

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Jul 02, 2008 Nadia rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-reads-for-2008, literature

The novel is a nostalgic story of loss and sexuality. The story's protagonist and narrator is Toru Watanabe, who looks back on his days as a freshman university student living in Tokyo. Through Toru's reminiscences we see him develop relationships with two very different women — the beautiful yet emotionally troubled Naoko, and the outgoing, lively Midori.

The novel is set in Tokyo during the late 1960s, a time when Japanese students, like those of many other nations, were protesting against the ...more

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