The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. by Haruki Murakami

[prendrelemick]

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. By Haruki Murakami.


This is not a casual read. Set a couple of weeks aside if you're going to start, be prepared to lose your way more than once. With a book like this, you must trust the author and hope he knows what he is doing, and that he will resolve everything in the end.

The twists and turns of the plot are impossible to record here and I am not sure they are all relevent. Toro Okada, the main protagonist, leads an ordinary and blameless life. Then his wife disappears. His efforts to find her are unfocused and surreal, involving sitting at the bottem of a dry well for days, researching the war in Manchuria and meeting people with psycic abilities. Most of the book is spent relating these character's seemingly unconnected stories, but he needs to hear them in order to have the strengh and knowledge to find the place where his wife is and bring her back to the normal world.

As you read you really have to keep faith that this is going somewhere, fortunately the writing is of a high quality, and all the characters are interesting and have interesting stories to tell, so you have enough to keep you going to the end.

I will give it a 7 out of ten, a difficult read but worth it, - just.

[Dark Muse]

I really enjoyed this book, I loved the wild ride that it took the reader on, but then I was always drawn to the bazzar and the surreal. But I found it quite refreshingly unique, and so unlike anything else I have read before, I found it quite engaging and captivating.

[prendrelemick]

I too enjoy the surreal and unusual, I love it when I have no idea what will happen next. I found this just a little too far out though. However I will definately visit the author again, he is an accomplished writer.

[sixsmith]

Thanks for this. I own this novel and 'Norwegian Wood'. The latter was very bland fare indeed so i've been holding off 'Wind Up...' Given your comments, i'll probably keep it up.

[TheFifthElement]

Ah The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is one of Murakami's best, in my opinion. But that scene in Manchuria does give me the shivers, you know the one I mean ;)

[karo]

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle was the first of Murakami's works I read, and now I'm hooked. I moved on to Kafka On The Shore, and now I'm reading Wild Sheep Chase, its sequel Dance Dance Dance is next. Murakami is often praised for his originality, and I'd have to agree. I've never read anything quite like it.

[prendrelemick]

Ah The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is one of Murakami's best, in my opinion. But that scene in Manchuria does give me the shivers, you know the one I mean ;)

The-Boris the Manskinner-episode, a bit gory that one.

[scaltz]

I really don't know why people find this book boring! Having said that, I was a bit reluctant on buying this book when I saw the sheer number of words that were literally compressed on a single page! However, as soon as I started reading, it turned out to be a genuine page turner. It's not really the plot which makes you read it (heck the plot can be boring as hell if one's not used to it!) but the pacing is beautifully executed (on a lesser degree in it's translated version of course but still beautiful) and how the plot is skillfully woven (I don't know if it's impulse writing or analytic writing but it's still beautiful).

[tonywalt]

The best of Haruki Murakami.

[Prince Smiles]

Thanks for your review and thoughts Prendrelemick.

Just finished the three books of 18Q4 a couple of weeks back, and was mightily impressed with them. In fact, I might go as far to say they're a masterpiece of story telling.

I also read, 'South of the Border, West of the Sun' several years ago, and remember being impressed that as well.

Reckon I'll give The Wind-up Bird Chronicle a day in court.