An Honest Review of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (1994-1995)
Suggestions:
- Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
- Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Thanks for watching and feel free to comment below!
#Murakami #japanese #booktube #bookreview

[@laioren]

I think your review is spot on. This may sound strange; I'm glad Haruki Murakami exists, but I don't think he's for me. I absolutely adore Norwegian Wood. It's one of my favorite fiction novels of all time. But I hated 1Q84. I think if it had been 4 million less pages, I wouldn't have disliked it so much. But after getting done with it I immediately had the thought, "That wasn't worth it." I haven't read "His Years of Pilgrimage," but "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" was definitely closer to 1Q84 for me than it was another NW. In fact, other than NW, I don't think I've like anything I've read by him except for "Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche" which is a non-fiction work where he interviewed survivors of the 1995 terrorist chemical attack. I still think of those stories often, and it has permanently unsettled me.

[@ToReadersItMayConcern]

It can feel at times like once you get Murakami there's not much else to get, the substance not being particularly deep beyond surreal emotion. Another great review!

[@s_b_books]

I'm definitely finding that to be the case. The more I read of Murakami, the more I find he's just making variations of a singular novel.

[@leopercara3477]

That's the problem with this author. All his books are the same. It can be comforting if you like the book, but if you don't it can be grating and predictable, making it boring. Have you read the other Murakami? Ryu Murakami. His books are crazy, in a more perverse way than Haruki.

[@s_b_books]

I have not read the other Murakami. Though I did read the insane novel Earthlings by Sayaka Murata.