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brown_booktuber's review against another edition
3.0
I know this man is popular on tumblr
All jokes aside. He’s far better in short bursts. It also gives him less time to be lecherous.
All jokes aside. He’s far better in short bursts. It also gives him less time to be lecherous.
lemonpasta's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
darumah's review against another edition
3.0
The problem with short story collections is they are almost always hit or miss and while this one had a few really great stories, most were mediocre.
sogojoan's review against another edition
5.0
So far my fav. piece of work from a Master. Some stories are so surreal yet they touch your feelings at the core of your soul.
jonkmcconk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My first Murakami, and I'm pleased to report that I really enjoyed this. Having seen two incredible screen adaptations of his work, I thought I should start with the collection containing the original story of my favourite - in this case, "Barn Burning." It's a haunting narrative on both page and screen, but the other stories here are also excellent. Not all of them land as impactfully as othees, but that's an occupational hazard of short fiction collections. There are no stories here that I didn't enjoy at least a little bit, and the best of the bunch are nothing short of captivating ("Sleep"), heartrending ("A Slow Boat to China") or laugh-out-loud funny ("Family Affair"). Kudos to the translators who manage to capture such a natural tone while still feeling grounded in a consistent, slightly surreal vein that seems to characterise Murakami's work. I've immediately set my sights on some of his longer stuff.
joshrskinner's review against another edition
3.0
Liked the story ok, loved Murakami's storytelling. I will definitely give Murakami another try.
josetinocoperez's review
4.0
85/100.
Antología de Murakami de 17 relatos donde el surrealismo brilla con luz propia, imprimiendo fuerza a la mayoría de ellos. Son narraciones poderosísimas. Sin embargo, no todas tienen la misma calidad, por desgracia. Alguna que otra (la inmensa minoría) se queda por debajo de relatos potentísimos como "Sueños", "El elefante desaparece", "El enano bailarín" o "Asunto de familia".
Es mi primer acercamiento a Murakami y salgo enamorado.
Antología de Murakami de 17 relatos donde el surrealismo brilla con luz propia, imprimiendo fuerza a la mayoría de ellos. Son narraciones poderosísimas. Sin embargo, no todas tienen la misma calidad, por desgracia. Alguna que otra (la inmensa minoría) se queda por debajo de relatos potentísimos como "Sueños", "El elefante desaparece", "El enano bailarín" o "Asunto de familia".
Es mi primer acercamiento a Murakami y salgo enamorado.
pris_asagiri's review against another edition
4.0
I'm no literary scholar, so this review does not contain any illuminating insight on the deep, profound meaning of these short stories by Murakami, should any exist. All I can say is that each story effected me intensely, so much that I had to stop and digest each one individually, letting each story's impact slowly sink in. The oddness of these stories is that that are so ordinary. It is almost as if Murakami reached inside your brain and wrote down those random, weird thoughts that cross your mind ocassionally. The kind of thoughts that you think are interesting for about 5 minutes until you realize how uninteresting they really are. And yet, by the end of each story, you're not where you expected to be. He either leaves you gasping for breath or dangling out a window, wondering if he's going to come back and get you.
Part daydream (or nightmare as the story may be), part fairytale, each story encompasses the realness of being human. The person (whom I can't remember his name) who recommended this book said it was a good one to start with if you were new to Murakami. And I would have to agree. I'm not sure if diving straight into [b:The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle|11275|The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle|Haruki Murakami|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166468418s/11275.jpg|2531376] without proper guidance I'd have been able to get all that he puts into his stories without knowing his writing style.
"The Silence" is probably my favorite of the stories. It's the most "realistic" and the issues he raises are interesting to think about. "The Second Bakery Attack" was quite humorous. "Sleep," "The Little Green Monster," and "The Dancing Dwarf" I found to be disturbing in that he strips bare the cruelty of man, yet cushions you by placing them in these fantastic settings. The latter two have an almost Brothers Grimm/Aesop Fables feel to them.
I recommend this to most readers. I definitely count myself as a fan of Murakami and look forward to reading more of his works.
Part daydream (or nightmare as the story may be), part fairytale, each story encompasses the realness of being human. The person (whom I can't remember his name) who recommended this book said it was a good one to start with if you were new to Murakami. And I would have to agree. I'm not sure if diving straight into [b:The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle|11275|The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle|Haruki Murakami|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166468418s/11275.jpg|2531376] without proper guidance I'd have been able to get all that he puts into his stories without knowing his writing style.
"The Silence" is probably my favorite of the stories. It's the most "realistic" and the issues he raises are interesting to think about. "The Second Bakery Attack" was quite humorous. "Sleep," "The Little Green Monster," and "The Dancing Dwarf" I found to be disturbing in that he strips bare the cruelty of man, yet cushions you by placing them in these fantastic settings. The latter two have an almost Brothers Grimm/Aesop Fables feel to them.
I recommend this to most readers. I definitely count myself as a fan of Murakami and look forward to reading more of his works.