Norwegian Wood (1987)

This is a really interesting book. It's unusual. Most of it is just dialogue where characters deal with the tragedies of life in conversations that seem unrealistically uninhibited.

The author seems to be presenting a critique of the facade most people offer up in their everyday interactions. Instead, he's saying that people should be genuine, open and honest with each other, and open and honest with themselves. It's really a fantastic and beautiful sentiment. ( )

I feel like there should be some sort of blurb on the cover when an author departs from their usual style - not because authors should stick to the one thing, obviously, I don't think they should - because after reading Murakami's other books, with their dreamlike, mystical atmospheres and bizarre surreal characters and occurences, this book feels like a letdown. It's not Murakami's fault that he wanted to write a normal coming of age novel about a young man having mild existential crises and sleeping with different women. It's not his fault that I hate coming of age novels about young men sleeping around. This book is probably a better book than I think it is. But I hate it. ( )

OK: I am not a sheltered japanese teenager who might have identified with the revolting main character, but this book was awful. I had to skip through the second half of the book looking for passages which were not about penises, as I was so bored. I guess it might work on the level of a text warning of the boredom of self regard - but it's not for me - and the author was 38 when he wrote this - should have known better! I'm glad I read one of his later books first because I enjoyed that one and after this I would never have touched another. ( )

This is my 2nd Murakami novel and it won't be my last! A cerebral, sexual and disturbing look into mental illness, love, and loss. John Greene's "Looking for Alaska" comes to mind only Murakami takes you into the soul of the characters and reveals them to you as they are - human and flawed.

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I like the protagonist's news reporter style of living life, just reporting on the facts and taking events as they happen. He's a lucky guy to find love but he had a great approach. ( )