Modern Fiction Books > Haruki Murakami Modern Fiction Books

Advantages: Beautifully written masterpiece
Disadvantages: Engrossing

...either to their job (in Hard Boiled Wonderland) or to a physical characteristic or job (in End of the World.) For example a character might be 'The Librarian' or 'The girl in the pink suit.' However this also means that the narrator remains completely anonymous. For ease of reference I shall call the protagonist the Shuffler (when describing the first book,) and the 'Dream Reader' for the other storyline. The first storyline 'Hard Boiled Wonderland' ...
...summoned on a job. Unlike other authors Murakami is content to sit back and watch a character evolve, rather than add unnecessary detail, and pointless observances. So at first all we know about the character is his exceptional mathematical ability when it comes to juggling numbers, the fact that this is somehow relevant to his job, and his sexual taste in women. And yet when he steps out of the lift, the plunge into a surreal and exotic world begins. ... Read review

Advantages: Extremely vivid surreal world.
Disadvantages: Sometimes a bit slow and attention sapping.

'Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman' is a collection of short stories written by Haruki Murakami; well known Japanese author with works such as 'Kafka on the Shore', Norwegian Wood' and 'After Dark'. Firstly a bit about the author; Haruki Murakami was born on the 12th January, 1949 in Kyoto. He became a national celebrity after the publication of his novel 'Norwegian Wood' in 1987. Since then he has famously alternated between writing short stories and ...
...such as F.Scott Fitzgerald and John Irving. He also won the Yomiuri Literary prize, whose previous recipients include Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburo Oe. Now for the book; 'Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman' was published in English in 2006 available as an audio book or in print and contains 24 stories, including all five of Tōkyō Kitanshū (Mysteries of Tokyo) an earlier collection published in 2005. The stories in 'Blind Willow, Sleeping ... Read review

Advantages: You won´t stop reading
Disadvantages: You won´t stop reading and you might have some work to do!

This is probably my favorite book by Haruki Murakami together with the Wind up Bird Chronicle. Which was the one I first read and turned me into a fan of this marvelous JAponese author. Murakami has this amazing ability to create fantastic worlds that are perfectly interlinked with reality. So once so get into the plot... you long for more fantastic surprises. He also has the ability to create stories within the main story... which makes the book ...
...in Murakami´s works... let alone this book!!! If they were paintings they would be half way between impressionism and surrealism. He creates atmospheres, and feelings and leads you through his incredible world to finally drop you back to reality once you finish reading. Reading this book you won´t gexactly gain knowledge. You´ll live fantastic experiences. ... Read review

Advantages: Quirky and Innovative storytelling
Disadvantages: Quite short

After the Quake is a collection of four or five short stories by Haruki Murakami. All of these stories are linked by the use of the 1994 Kobe Earthquake as a backdrop. These are witty and insightful stories that prove Murakami is still one of the most original writers today. There is a sense of almost childlike fantasy in these stories with characters such as the Earthquake man coming to put a little girl in a box and a giant frog who has come to ...
...warmth that is unexpected from such surreal material. The relationships between his protagonists remain believable and heartfelt throughout. All in all this is a worthy addition to Murakami's catalogue of work. It may not quite equal his previous short story collection The Elephant Vanishes or his masterpiece The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle but is no less of a great book for this. Though not his best, this collection still holds more innovation and originality ... Read review

Advantages: All sorts of literature in one book
Disadvantages: No logic at all... but that is part of its charm

This was the first book by Murakami, I read, and I find it it his most complete work up to now. In this book you will find mystery, you will find surreal worlds, you will find a fine description of everyday life in Japan and you will also find an amazing historical novel. This is the reason why I love this book. The different stories are very skilfully interlinked, and I admire the chapters on the inner Mongolia war, which are a whole book on their ...
...to write about one of the most unknown chapters in the history of the Second World War for us Europeans. If you loathe lack of logic in stories and characters, don´t go for this book. There is fantasy everywhere, although it is very well mixed with reality. Time and space melt through the different plots and make your day. ... Read review