I interpret The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle as being about the effect of trauma on a person’s psychology and spirit, and how one can overcome it. Murakami’s approach, putting much of the action in a psychological space (i.e., one that is not real, but has ties to reality), allows for this topic to be investigated in its natural habitat, so to speak. By exploring trauma from perspectives of victim and perpetrator, on both a personal and national scale, Murakami created a truly unique work for making very deep and difficult questions accessible to the reader.

-Philip

Loved it. I’m a surrealist at heart, and so Murakami’s writing appeals to me a great deal. For me, the three books of his that i have read are about two things (broadly speaking), first an appreciation for the things that surround one on a daily basis, and also breaking the assumptions that one makes about reality, and not taking facts about your existence for granted. The thing about Murakami’s writing that i like so much is that it really melds the two together. It’s possible to appreciate genres like fantasy, because they’re weird and different, but often, i find that stories try very hard to make themselves seem weird and different, and thus, not something that one can relate to very well.

I loved it too, for pretty much the same reasons as Sternberg and notheory. It was this book that got me into reading Japanese liturature. There is something in it that is different yet still very real. There was something very planned about how the book was written and yet it still seemed very spontanious and stream of consciousness. I guess what attracted me the most about this book was the overlying philosophy of “if you want to move up in the world, climb the highest tower. If you want to go down in the world, climb to the bottom of the deepest well,” and how the book took the main character through a figurative and literal interpritation. That really stuck with me.

I was disappointed after reading the Windup Bird Chronicle. I loved the book during the read but couldn’t get over the anti climatic ending. However, its been close to a year since I read the book and looking back I remember it fondly. The scenes in the well and the stories of the solider stick out in my mind as being exceptional. Put a reminder in iCal to look back on the Windup Bird Chronicle in 6 months and see if you still feel the same. It wouldn’t surprise me if by then the story has settled in. I felt the same way about Hard-boiled Wonderland. I am currently reading Norwegian Wood and wonder if I will feel the same about this book.

I loved it as well. I agree with Brad that the scenes with the soldier are incredible. This is the only Murakami I’ve read and it came on a recommendation, and I can say I don’t regret it at all.

I’ve only read Murakami’s short stories but I really enjoyed them. I like the way he takes an image and uses multitudes of the same image to unify the story. Murakami’s “The Second Bakery Attack” is a great short story that can be found in some places online. Look for his fish and water themes!

after reading all of Murakami’s other novels, i still really enjoyed Wind up Bird Chronicles. As with most murakami novels, i mostly enjoyed it because of the really well developed characters and the general style of murakami. As far as the plot went I think it’s a further explanation about his general way of life, since Winding Up was a theme in previous stories, as were wells and suddenly being possesed by a strange new power.

It seems like he wove together various other plots or sub plots from all his other stories into this one huge novel

For me, Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is Murakami’s most frustrating book. It’s frustrating because there’s so much to love about it, but the way the story is told will challenge even the most patient of readers. In other words, it doesn’t feel tight. I think it loses a lot of steam near the end. Besides that though, there’s more story and insight and pure Murakami Metaphysical goodness in it than any of his other books.

My personal favorite is Sputnik Sweetheart. It’s tight.

You know, I sort of like Murakami the way I like Kafka. Because, in a sense what he describes is reality. Or, the perception and nature of peoples reality. (Less so with Murakami than Kafka though, Kafka was definatly describing reality. Murakamai seems to be using a poetic buffer at times to make what he says easier to swallow.)

Well, my two øre at least.

I enjoy Murakami just because he challenges our perceptions and ingrained ideas about what is real, what can and cannot happen; he forces you to accept the improbable. He forces your mind to think in a different way than normal. That alone, the expansion of consciousness, is worth slogging through his more difficult sections, in my opinion.

hair different styles latest styles hair