Norwegian Wood |
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Haruki Murakami
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Pages: 400 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0099448823
Pub: Vintage
Pub date: 2001-05-17
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 2405
Editorial Review:
"I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me" "Norwegian Wood" (Lennon/McCartney).
With Norwegian Wood Murakami, best known as the author of off-kilter classics such as the Wind Up Bird Chronicle, A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard Boiled Wonderland, finally achieved widespread acclaim in his native Japan. The novel sold upwards of 4 million copies and forced the author to retreat to Europe, fearful of the expectations accompanying his new-found cult status.
The novel is atypical for Murakami: seemingly autobiographical, in the tradition of many Japanese "I" novels, Norwegian Wood is a simple coming of age tale set, primarily, in 1969/70, the time of Murakami's own university years. The political upheavals and student strikes of the period form the backdrop of the novel but the focus here is the young Watanabe's love affairs and the pain (and pleasure) of growing up with all its attendant losses, (self-)obsessions and crises.
The novel is split into two volumes and beautifully presented here in a "gold" box containing both the green book and the red book. Young Japanese fans became so obsessed with the work that they would dress entirely in one or other colour denoting which volume they most identified with. And the novel is hugely affecting, reading like a cross between Plath's Bell Jar and Vizinczey's In Praise of Older Women, if less complex and ultimately less satisfying than Murakami's other, more allegorical, work. He captures the huge expectation of youth, and of this particular time in history, for the future and for the place of love in it. He also saturates the work with sadness, an emotion that can cripple a novel but which here underscores the poignancy of the work's rather thin subject matter. --Mark Thwaite
Reader Reviews:
His finest accomplishment! (0/0 people found this helpful)
Among his many fine novels, "Norwegian Wood" is in my opinion Haruki Murakamis finest accomplishment and the most treasured book in my collection. I would also like to recomend "After the Quake".
Sorry for arriving late to the party... (0/0 people found this helpful)
I have lived in Japan for nearly a decade, during which time I have read dozens of books ON Japan but very little Japanese Literature. The main reason was that having encountered many incidents of shoddy translation I was waiting to read Japanese Literature in Japanese. Unknowing of this wish, my girlfriend kindly sent me this Vintage edition translated by Jay Rubin and as both a 'courtesy' to her and a way to understand her better I decided to give it a read. What I could not have imagined soon became crystal clear, firstly the translation is EXCELLENT, Rubin has done an outstanding job, and secondly, Murakami, as story teller of the first degree. Sure, this simple narrative is neither original or outstanding structurally, but it is in other numerous regards. Murakami's strength as a story-teller is his ability to suck you in and hold you there - front row seats all the way. As the plot unravels before your eyes you feel you know these characters he has drawn, that you know them far beyond the surface of which you have been told, that you know their inner core and their deepest hopes and fears. Because the writing is not unnecessarily uncomplicated, the pages just race by and this fluidity means you can finish this in three good sittings. All this leaves you feeling with a strange sense, of actually having know these characters - who could forget the lasting images of Storm-trooper, Midori et al., and in the end, a sense of loss when the final page comes around. All in all, an excellent novel and one worth reading whether you have an interest in Japan or not - actually that's an interesting disparity worth highlighting, the fact that people often read 'Asian' literature because they have an interest in Asia, but seldom read American Literature because the have an interest in America... Finally as an addendum, it should be pointed out that the late '60s backdrop that this is 'supposedly' set against, is no more than a piece of cloth hung from the ceiling to obscure the mess behind - this reads as absolute contemporary literature and with the exception of the odd 'Peace' or 'Right-on' it has no visible setting, nor leaves no particular after-taste.
I could not put it down (once I had picked it up) (0/0 people found this helpful)
I struggled at times with this book. When I had had a break from it, I found it hard to pick it up. Once I had it in my hands it was hard to put down again!
Watanabe, the main character, is a likeable and loyal student caught up in a set of relationships which he can just about understand. Around him whirl a few convincing characters (not many - it is fairly claustropbobic in that respect) and from his relationship with them, we learn a lot about him - a young man in turmoil in a student world which is also in a state of upheaval.
His loyalty shines through as he seeks to balance an increasing number of contradictory pressures in his complex love life. Somehow he pulls it off as the tale reaches its conclusion as he comes to grips with both death and then hope for a long-term relationship.
The author manages to pull off a tight story line in a believable way and gets you to engage well with Watanabe and all the other characters. There are very few occasions where the story drifts and he leaves you with plenty to mull over in terms of relationships.
Do not pick this up if you want action - but go for it if you want to have to dig back to your life as a student in your late teens, early twenties.
Fantastic.. (0/0 people found this helpful)
The premises for this is a young student falling in love with his best friends girlfriend after he commits suicide. What ensues, is a deftly written bittersweet story about unattainable love.
What I really adore about Murakami's character's is that they contain within themselves, so much gravity - so consistent and full of character themselves. They are distinctly larger than life, people you 'wish' existed.
All in all, a fantastic read - thoughtful, poignant, funny and charming.
Go down easy (1/1 people found this helpful)
"Norwegian Wood" follows the life and loves of a young student finding his way in late 60s Japan (although the setting for this simple tale could really be anywhere, anytime). The story is straight forward chronologically and told in the first person with Murakami's typical easy almost random style but with less surrealism than present in some of his other novels. Recommended as a good first excursion into the world of this great author.
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Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
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