How do you guys feel about this cat? I'm looking to read something by him. I don't read much so my favorite authors are entry level guys like Vonnegut and Salinger.
An English major friend of mine is hugely into him. From his description, Vonnegut and Salinger sound in the same ballpark. Another friend read one of his books and didn't care for it. That friend also hated Catcher in the Rye and its slice of life style.
Meanwhile, Lovecraft is also awesome, but a whole other ballgame.
Sarcasm was lost on you. Fuck Lovecraft, Vonnegut, Nabokov, Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker) and all of the other bullshit authors who you see on /book/ all the time.
aint nothin' wrong with a little dosteovsky. "notes from the underground" anyone? Vonnegut's good too... not big on lovecraft myself, but i've never really given him a try. seems to esoteric for me; as if the story might alienate me and I won't know what the fuck is going on.
>>12
who the hell even recommended you one of his russian-language novels, there's no way they've read much nabokov
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Anonymous2009-05-11 22:41
>>12
No one did, I thought I'd try it after reading Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Bulgakov, Pushkin, Solzhenitsyn, Chekov, and Pasternak. I was disappointed.
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Anonymous2009-05-12 5:26
>>14
Of course you're going to be disappointed by first reading works written by masters of the Russian language and following it up with Russian-language works by someone who was known far more for his works in English. You seem to be familiar enough with the English language to read a novel written with it so if you ever want to form a real opinion of Nabokov's abilities, you'll want to read Lolita and Pale Fire. Those are his most highly regarded works and their cumulative brilliance outweighs any unremarkability with which he may have scarred the face of literature.
OP here:
ok so general consensus in this thread seems to be that I am a casual who would enjoy murakami. Someone mentioned windup bird chronicles so I'll be sure to check it out.
>>4
Actually now that you mention it I do like slice of life type books. Are there any Novels you could recommend in that vein of storytelling?
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Anonymous2009-05-17 13:34
>>19
1. Go to Library/Book store and get Norwegian Wood.
2. Read it.
3. ???
4. Assume fetal position and cry bricks.
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Anonymous2009-05-17 16:06
For reference and because I'm bored, a quick review of every Murakami book I have read for your pleasure.
Norwegian Wood - This is the first book of his that I read, and it really blew me away. I used this to jumpstart myself into reading (beforehand I hardly read), and it worked wonders. The story is great, very slice-of-life-ish, and gives off a vibe of depression and loneliness. Assuming that you are a typical 4chan loser, you will love this.
The Wind Up Bird Chronicles - A lengthy read (600pg I think). I enjoyed most of the ending, but once it hit the 3rd part (last 200pg), everything started to take an undesirable fictitious turn. The ending is awful, by the way. Not recommended unless you just have to read everything Murakami has done.
Kafka on the Shore - A really good read. This book is practically up to par with Norwegian Wood, as it is the same slice-of-life writing Murakami is so adept at. Successfully pulling off one of his weird "metaphysical" scenes is probably his biggest feat here, considering his last attempt ruined TWUBC.
after the quake - A collection of short stories. Bad, for the most part. If you don't know, the stories all have some connection around the Kobe (?) earthquake back in 1996 (?), and he uses the incident as a catalyst for some kind of despair or trouble in a character's life. Out of the six or so stories, I only recall moderately enjoying one. Not suggested.
>>21
>I enjoyed most of the ending
Whoops, change that to beginning.
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Anonymous2009-05-18 16:18
>>21
Alright. Kafka on the Shore it is then. I'm not big on romance focused books but if I like Kafka I'll check out Norwegian Wood.
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Anonymous2009-05-19 14:19
Hey guise I got Wind-up Bird Chronicle sitting here. Looks pretty big, just finished House of Leaves so that's no problem. I was thinking about reading it but my mom stopped reading because it was boring. What up?
TWUBC was boring to your mom probably because of the extremely slow, slice-of-life intro that spans the first 300 or so pages. The story will progress almost like adetective story--one finding new clues until the climax at the very end. TWUBC replaces the tension found in such detective novels with mindless chatter, near-useless character development, and metaphysical garbage. I'll admit to liking the intro simply because I enjoy Murakami's SoL writing style, but when he tries to take a simple story and turn it 180 it does not turn out well.
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Anonymous2009-05-19 22:47
My favorites are:
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Sputnik Sweetheart
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Anonymous2009-05-19 23:42
the wind-up bird chronicle was the most satisfying ending i have ever found in a book... i guess it depends on the person.
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Anonymous2009-05-20 22:55
>>25 the first 300 or so pages
...That's the first half.
I've only read Hard Boiled Wonderland and The End of The World, but it was very entertaining and engaging even though it was over the top surreal. I can't imagine what Murakami's slice of life is like. I'll have to give it a chance.
>>32 is close.
Not his worst; but quite far from his best.
My roommate and I are both huge Vonnegut lovers and he agrees with >>34 though personally I'll stand by Bluebeard
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Anonymous2009-06-16 6:10
I heard dance dance dance was supposed to be good. I might try hard boiled wonderland as my first Murakami book soon.
NO. As an avid Haruki Murakami buyer I can state that Hard-Boiled Wonderland was my least favourite of his books. Terrible, esoteric, and just did not have any underlying quality of the rest of his work. Like he shit it out one evening.
What I'd suggest is starting from the source, and if you want to read Dance Dance Dance - you have the read the Trilogy of the Rat first; Hear The Wind Sing, Pinball 1973 (If you can find it over the internet, it tends to run high priced due to a short print run or just steal an e-book), A Wild Sheep Chase and then finish it off with Dance Dance Dance.
Therefore you get the Trilogy of the Rat out of the way, and then the final book chronicling the Protagonist's final bout. Dance Dance Dance being possibly my favourite book.
Or I'd highly suggest going through his short stories; An Elephant Vanishes -- Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. To get a short feel of his style and if you will like it.
Possibly the easiest way to pick up Haruki Murakami would be Kafka on the Shore, or go through his short stories. Build yourself up if you like him enough, because most people can never make it through The Wind-up Bird Chronicle's.
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Anonymous2009-06-20 20:02
Just started Norwegian Wood-- my third time now. This book is absolutely essential Murakami reading.
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Anonymous2009-06-20 23:30
Cats Cradle was definitily Vonneguts best, but I personally liked SH-Five