Murakami
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You are currently reading a thread in /lit/ - Literature
You are currently reading a thread in /lit/ - Literature
I didn't enjoy Colorless Tsukuru all that much, but I don't want to give up on Murakami. The beginning of the book was promising, but it just didn't pick up from there I've read/watched multiple reviews of the book and most, especially seasoned readers, seem to dislike it which reassures me; I like his style and the way which he describes a character's emotions, which was what mostly captivated me.
Any suggestions on which book to read next? A friend recommended I read Sputnik Sweetheart, which I already had in mind, so I'll probably be going for that; still I would appreciate any feedback or opinions on his work.
Damn, hillary clinton whipped sanders ass! President Trump coming next year.
I just read Wind-Up Bird which is supposed to be his best and thought it was forgettable garbage.
Just read Pynchon for your pop-culture infused magical realism, OR trash them both and read real literature.
>>7816781
I just finished his running book, which left me wanting to read his fiction.
I'll probably go chronologically.
>>7816899
Norwegian Wood was his first I'm pretty sure, and people are really divided over it.
Something else I'd like to mention is how many times he mentions boobs in Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, it's ridiculous; even when he's hugging a female friend out of an act of compassion and understanding he has to mention her tits. Safe to say this guy isn't an ass man.
>>7816781
If you want something shorter (more a novella), go with South of the Border, West of the Sun. If you want something longer, go with Kafka on the Shore. I would avoid The Wind Up Bird Chronicle for now.
Kafka on the Shore will "pick up" more, and have more introspection and dynamic characters. It's also quite a bit weirder, though, so be prepared.
South of the Border, West of the Sun reads more like Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, mainly because the protagonists are very similar. Love and sex are also more pronounced themes than they are in Kafka on the Shore, which focuses more on love in a maternal sense.
I will say, though, that from your description you may remain conflicted about Murakami. His protagonists are all very similar, and in most cases they lack the spectacular climax you may expect. This is supposed to more accurately portray life and how mundane human existence is, but it isn't for everyone.
colorless is fucking awful. it gets better from there, though not exceptionally so.
>>7816910
Reminds me. I'm reading 1Q84 at the moment ( I know, I know) and there's these two protagonists and one is this crazy assassin ex-cultist chick who murders abusive husbands and the other is the blandest, most tedious and unsympathetic kind of stock Murakami lead. And the stock Murakami lead befriends this autistic teenage girl who was raped as a child and his chapters never fail to describe how large and soft her tits look. And then they fuck. This is the first time I've actually been mad at a Murakami novel - half of it is this interesting stuff about alternate worlds and murdering people and the other half is fap fantasy trash. I wish he could have tried a little more with this one.
>>7816904
Hear the Wind Sing was his first.
>>7816789
;_;
>>7816781
i highly highly highly highly recommend Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World. it's a mystery fantasy novel. so much fun. i would come home from work fucking excited to continue reading it.
>>7816904
norwegian wood was his 5th novel can u shut the fuck
>>7817905
>Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Not him, but I looked it up and it honestly sounds like a less interesting version of Baldr Sky. Might as well enjoy sex with cute anime girls and intense mecha battles when reading something cyberpunk and dealing with virtual worlds.
>>7817161
Idk im a guy and i think about tits a lot esp when im in their presence, even if its just a friend, so idk, i think hes just being realistic yunno
>>7818078
Yeah, but it's kinda weird that the narrator thinks about the tits of a teenage girl he knows is fucked in the head. I mean, that could work if the weirdness was played up, but the protagonist in question is so apathetic and the narration and narrative so neutral that it doesn't feel like Murakami is aware of the implications it has for his character.
>>7817161
There are some badass Tamaru scenes in the third book, though.
>>7818011
nigga that look dumb af and in no way comparable to Hardboiled gtfo kthx
>>7816781
Do Sputnik. It's short and good. If it doesn't work for you, stop.
You are reading the wrong Murakami family.
I'm pissed he never fucked the reverse trap in Kafka on the Shore
I thought that's where we were leading to, and I feel cheated.
>>7821191
Fan fiction time?
i liked colourless tsukuru. it made me sad in that comfy way. any other books that do this?
particular ones about lost loves or the past?
(read Norwegian wood but preferred CTT)
Wind-up Bird was mostly a boring slog for me, the main plot was boring and all that saved it was the subplots (Mamiya's story, the zoo)
Hard-Boiled Wonderland is really good though.
>>7817161
Murakami's sex scenes piss me off so much - in every fucking book he makes two people who shouldn't really have sex and who's sex doesn't benefit the novel in anyway, yet he describes it in great detail. The protags of the books are mostly boring fucks who in real life wouldn't be getting laid atall, nevermind banging all these asian chicks with large soft tits and perfect figures.
>>7817161
1Q84 is all over the place in quality.sometimes it delivers in atmosphere and supernatural but the length and pacing and some of the chracters can be shit. still,I actually liked it, Tamaru and the ugly investigator were some of my favorite characters.
And the tits paragraphs were great, it was from the perspective of a young straight man. What did you expect? u gay nigga?
This man, in our country he is nothing. He is baka kami.
>>7822348
That's what bugs me. 1Q84 is being set up as a love story between Aomame and Tengo - so why did Tengo need to fuck Fuka-Eri? On top of the whole "man boning a married woman is great I sure don't have any thoughts at all about her poor husband" thing it just makes Tengo seem like an asshole, which would be fine if such a portrayal seemed to be intentional - but it really, really doesn't.
>>7822435
The ugly guy is my favourite. All of his scenes are gold. And I like loving descriptions of tits as much as anyone else, I just feel that with Fuka-Eri the effect was less arousing and more repetitive. I didn't find this autistic girl with the personality of a small child hot, sorry to say.
Read Dance Dance Dance. It's a PoMo for me.
>mfw the ending was sloppy surreal nonsense
>>7823985
Yeah, Ushikawa is the best part of that book. I'm like 75% of the way through it right now and I'm basically just reading for his segments. I feel like it would be a lot better if it hadn't been serialized, it really shows.
>>7823985
Especially since we're supposed to hope that the two end up together but Tengo being a dick and Aomame being boring I couldn't give less of a fuck. I agree with you on Fuka-Eri too, that's probably the perfect summation of her.
The three aforementioned main characters sucked but the rest were great - as mentioned, Ushikawa, and I liked the old woman too.
>>7823819
I giggled.
A Wild Sheep Chase and Dance Dance Dance are great, they're fun and thoughtful. South of the Border, West of the Sun is brilliant, though, probably my favourite. Moody, introspective, thoroughly existential, depressing and truthful...it's one of the best contemporary novels about middle-aged male anomie, and that's saying something in a literary world where so many novels are about conflicted middle-aged dudes.
>the last 200 pages of 1Q84 are the two protagonists waiting for each other in two apartments less than a kilometer apart while Tamaru and Rich Old Lady solve every problem for them and absolutely fucking nothing happens
>>7817161
1Q84 is a strange, strange book. The ending is full on blue balls, and yet after finishing, I legitimate missed the characters. I missed their thoughts and interactions.
Overall, it doesn't fit anywhere on my list of top reads. The actual EXPERIENCE of reading it though? That was very otherworldly.
