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[Porcile]

I think I'll grab this Friday before I go away on holiday. The hardcovers are super sexy!

 

[Chance Hale]

I was kind of confused when this came in the mail because I've been reading the Barbara Stanwyck biography and this hard cover's size(dimensions, not page count) is tiny in comparison. Almost cute!

 

[BlazingDarkness]

So I just sat and read the whole book in a 5 hour sitting.
I love it.
It's got pretty much none of the surreal/magical trappings of Murakami, but instead it's extremely introspective and touches on some emotional themes that I can really relate to.
A real pleasure to read. I'll post more impression tomorrow, now I need to sleep.

 

[demon]

Really looking forward to starting this, so glad the impressions have been largely very positive. I received my copy yesterday and it really is a very nice looking book. Probably going to start something else tonight or tomorrow since I just finished Mind-Fuck Bi...er, Wind-Up Bird last night and want to take a short break from him.

 

[BlazingDarkness]

Really looking forward to starting this, so glad the impressions have been largely very positive. I received my copy yesterday and it really is a very nice looking book. Probably going to start something else tonight or tomorrow since I just finished Mind-Fuck Bi...er, Wind-Up Bird last night and want to take a short break from him.

I read Wind-Up Bird just 2 days ago, Colorless is so very different there's really no issue of too much Murakami all at once.

 

[BlazingDarkness]

So here's a few thoughts I have on the book for anybody still considering whether or not to give it a go, I'll spoiler anything that gives detail on plot points;

- The writing is great, it's typical Murakami in that there's a combination of perhaps verbose description (often regarding Murakami's oft-discussed theme of two-selves) and much simpler dialogue. Because Colorless has none of the surreal aspects associated with many of his novels, I'd say the dialogue and interaction between the characters plays the central role in pushing the plot forward (similar to After Dark). This is something I really enjoyed about reading it, I found myself looking forward to every dialogue scene, whereas in something like the Wind-Up Bird, it tends to be the case that you're often reading a combination of mundane and surreal scenes that are spliced together, with Colorless, you'll find that each bit of dialogue is designed to develop the plot. The translation is good, thought I noticed the word 'taciturn' used excessively.

- The plot is very simple, there's a clear sense of character development for Tsukuru as he discovers more about what happened in the past, this is quite a breath of fresh air Many Murakami novels tend to have lots of plot threads intertwining, sometimes with little closure or explanation of their relevance with one another, this isn't really the case with Colorless. There are a few aspects that aren't explained (spoilers)

Spoiler

such as Shiro's reasoning for accusing Tsukuru, and Haida's sexuality

and Midorikawa brings the surreal Murakami to the surface, but there are clear reasons why the reader (and Tsukuru) has no explanation for these, so it's not just a case of Murakami leaving things vague. I'm reading some sentiment that the ending is abrupt, and offers no closure, but I really disagree with this, the last few paragraphs in particular really serve to show Tsukuru's internal development as a result of his journey - a lot of Tsukuru's introspection really resonated with me.

- Characters outside of Tsukuru don't see much development, I enjoyed reading their interactions with him, especially with Sara, and for the most part the dialogue is grounded in reality. You could argue that the people around Tsukuru, and from his past, are rather one-note, especially his four friends - who're given quite typical personalities. But I believe this is deliberate, (there's even a passage that notes there's the typical 'jock' etc.) as this is then contrasted against their matured selves later in the novel. Ultimately though, all of the characters in Colorless serve to flesh out the character of Tsukuru, and his development in the plot.

- Overall, the novel has a very introspective feel to it, it is an easy read, and I recommend sticking 'Lu Mal du Pays' on loop as you read it, as I'm sure Murakami wrote this under the spell of that particular piece, which is quite central to the plot!

I realised the stickers in the first editions of the novel relate to the five different friends, so I had some fun earlier deciding which stickers best suit which part of the cover lol Quite an ingenious way of making the reader think about the novel actually!

 

[Porcile]

ah, I saw the book in WH Smiths today and wondered what the stickers on the inside were about.

 

[Phillip E.]

This arrived today and I can't wait to dive in. The U.S. cover is great in person: Chip Kidd never disappoints.

 

[Fireblend]

So the consensus is it's better than 1Q84? I loved Norwegian Wood, Kafka, The Wind Up Bird, After Dark, Hardboiled Wonderland, etc. But I really couldn't read through all of 1Q84 =/

 

[Draconian]

So the consensus is it's better than 1Q84? I loved Norwegian Wood, Kafka, The Wind Up Bird, After Dark, Hardboiled Wonderland, etc. But I really couldn't read through all of 1Q84 =/

I don't think 1Q84 has much of a consensus at all. I've heard it called everything from brilliant to way too long and tedious. I'm gonna try to get to it this year and see for myself.

 

[demosthenes]

I don't think 1Q84 has much of a consensus at all. I've heard it called everything from brilliant to way too long and tedious. I'm gonna try to get to it this year and see for myself.

Hmm, I fucking loved 1Q84

 

[BlazingDarkness]

So the consensus is it's better than 1Q84? I loved Norwegian Wood, Kafka, The Wind Up Bird, After Dark, Hardboiled Wonderland, etc. But I really couldn't read through all of 1Q84 =/

They're too different to compare tbh.
If you like NW and AD though, Colorless should be something you enjoy.

 

[War Peaceman]

So the consensus is it's better than 1Q84? I loved Norwegian Wood, Kafka, The Wind Up Bird, After Dark, Hardboiled Wonderland, etc. But I really couldn't read through all of 1Q84 =/

I think you'll like it then.

It is a nice novel, very simple and nothing mindblowing but comforting. But Murakami really needs to improve on writing female characters, jesus. It is somewhere in the middle of his volume of work and is closest to Sputnik Sweetheart and Norwegian Wood.

Spoiler

I really thought we would see Haida again. Bit strange that he didn't appear. Was also expecting a Sputnik Sweetheart-esque ending but it never arrived.

That meeting with Eri was beautiful :'(

 

[dakkumauji]

Finished reading this today and thought it was really good. Definitely one of Murakami's most grounded work but it definitely had me interested after a while.

I really liked Tsukuru's journey and his interactions with the other people he meets. I would agree that the other characters did feel one note but considering the story always felt like it was on Tsukuru it makes much sense they didn't get developed much.

Spoiler

I thought the meeting with Ao, Aka and Eri again were all just wonderful. Eri especially, it was probably my most favorite moment in the novel.

Spoiler

Kinda disappointed that Haida didn't appear again though.

Spoiler

I was a little surprised but then again kinda expected to get a non definitive ending but did felt it worked pretty well with the novel.

A great read, definitely look forward to his next novel.

 

[BlazingDarkness]

Yeah I'd have loved to have seen more of

Spoiler

Haida

because It seemed to develop something quite interesting and then was cut short. Though when you think about it, that's the kinda thing that happens in life, so in that sense I can understand what Murakami did.

 

[MDSVeritas]

So I saw this thread, never read or heard of Murakami, thought it sounded interesting and went in for a copy. I'm now up to Chapter 12 and the story is just getting very interesting. The book thus far as been a really relaxing read. Both the way Murakami writes and the translation have made for something that's really easy to go for hours on end making my way through. The character interactions are really interesting. Sometimes they get a little too overly-philosophical as opposed to more personal-sounding for my tastes but for the most part the character interactions were really interesting to read, especially with

Spoiler

his old friends

. I'm really looking forward to seeing with how more of the interactions go and how the story develops.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

I finished it over the weekend. It's not Murakami's best book, but it's also not his worst. I liked it more then 1Q84, and it was definitely a good read. Plus I love the jacket and book design and how it ties in with the story.

 

[ponpo]

Better than 1Q84 aka the worst Murakami novel.

I actually liked it quite a bit but by the end I was like 'where is part 2?'; feels like too much is missing.

Also this seems really different from other Murakami works because the protag is actually trying (really hard) to pursue a relationship by the end. In previous works the protagonists seem pretty disconnected or at least apathetic to whether or not they are in a relationship with someone and this feels like the opposite.

 

[sharnaak]

I read the italian version a week ago or so, it's a good read but far from his best books.

I had the feeling of reading once again norwegian wood pretty much, the key characters are just way too similar, just in a little different setting.
The writing is nothing less than what you would expect of Murakami, but while reading I had the feeling that it was supposed probably to be a short story and that it was turned into a novel in a second moment.

There are a lot of good parts as well of course,

Spoiler

I loved the meeting scenes with Aka Ao and Eri and the Haida short story.

I still would recommend it, it's an easy to enjoy story for any Murakami reader.

Btw the italian cover is pretty much the same as the japanese one I think.

 

[ponpo]

Someone explain the lewd Haida 'dream' to me.

 

[Unit 33]

This is the first Murakami book that I have read,
so I was kinda prejudiced after people telling about the surrealist fantasy elements of his books.

Spoiler

I really expected Haida's tale of the pianist to tie into the central story arc, but as the chapters continued I was content with the simple growth of the Tsukuru character. Did Haida's apparition suggest he was now the seer of colours/auras, having had it passed from his father (who in turn had convinced the pianist to give it to him)?
I suppose the mystery just added weight to Tsukuru's/the reader's overall confusion…

I was also convinced there would be a twist about Shiro's rape that would indicate the identity of the rapist…

I guess open-ended story-arcs is a common feature of existentialist novella etc,
allowing more reader interpretation.

I enjoyed it a bunch.

 

[The Dennis System]

I quite liked this book, but I was expecting the second half to be completely different.

Spoiler

I'm used to a lot of fantastical stuff in Murakami's other books, and in the first half of the book it seems like he sets a lot of fantastical stuff into motion, but none of the crazy stuff I was expecting to happen ever happens. I thought that the mystical aura seeing ability of the jazz pianist guy would somehow be passed on to Tsukuru. I thought that maybe Tsukuru really was raping people, including Haida, in some sort of alternate world, and that when he got the jazz pianist guy's powers he would be able to see this alternate world, and find out the heinous stuff he'd done there, and then kill himself or allow himself to die from curse or something like that. If nothing else, I definitely thought he'd see Haida again. It's fine that he went another way with it though. Although it did feel like there were a lot of threads left hanging.

 

[War Peaceman]

This is a nice interview about this book (which I really recommend):

http://www.theguardian.com/books/20...ess-tsukur-tazaki-and-his-years-of-pilgrimage

This particular quote is so Murakami I had to laugh:

"Once I talked to a very famous therapist in Japan," he says, "and I said to him that I don't dream much, almost nothing, and he said: 'That makes sense.' So I wanted to ask him: 'Why? Why does it make sense?' But there was no time. And I was waiting to see him again, but he died three or four years ago." He smiles sadly. "Too bad."

Oh, and on a similar note, I'd really recommend Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball 1973. I have heard they are getting a retranslation, but even if they aren't, they are really nice. They are clearly a prototype of his later styles but they have a looser, wittier feel to them. They are also incredibly short.

 

[NateDog]

Saw this when browsing recently and it was the only book that caught my eye, was €24 though. Looked online and found it for £8 on Amazon, had to order it, looking forward to giving it a read, haven't really picked up reading again since I finished university in May.

 

[Max]

I really enjoyed that this book was more grounded in reality, it really re-established my fondness of Murakami since reading 1Q84.

Pretty well forced myself to pick up this book, and glad I did.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I should cop this.

 

[Devo]

I powered through this one. As soon as I picked it up, it was impossible to put down. After having read 1Q84 previously (hefty read, but I really enjoyed it), it was nice change of pace to get back into a 'realistic' style of writing.

As with most Murakami books after finishing it left me pondering about myself, choices, and life in general. Powerful stuff as per usual.

I also decided to listen to Liszt's "Years of Pilgrimmage". Also wonderful. It's been on regular rotation since I started reading.