Product Description
Japan's most widely-read and controversial writer, author of A Wild Sheep Chase, hurtles into the consciousness of the West with this narrative about a split-brained data processor, a deranged scientist, his shockingly undemure granddaughter, and various thugs, librarians, and subterranean monsters--not to mention Bob Dylan and Lauren Bacall.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 135 reviews)

another catching Murakami adventure

The story might seem a bit crazy first (a guy neurologically trained to shuffle experimental data, a professor who does research on sound-removal, and his lonely grown-up grandchild), but Murakami knows how to make it sound realistic and breadth-taking. On the other side the story tells about some of the problems of every-day people, not in a soap-opera style, but between the lines of saving the world.

October 22, 2008

Another trip down the rabbit hole

As the fifth Murakami that I have read, this is my favorite. All of Murakami's works share elements such as having a 30something seemingly nondescript protagonist, an underage secondary love interest (the "girl in pink" in this case), frequent references to total darkness and subterranean existence, transfer to and from an alternate world, fast food, and nighttime Tokyo. "Hard Boiled Wonderland..." is a dystopic tale of an alternative near-future, reminiscent of some of Margaret Atwood's best or of "Brazil", riffing on the nature of perception and reality, popularized most recently by "The Matrix". "Hard Boiled Wonderland..." is the only Murakami novel that can be compared in theme and tone with the work of another Japanese modern master, Kazuo Ishiguro. Although all of Marakumi's novels are hard to put down, this one is full of suspense and fast-paced, more like an adventure or sci fi thriller, so enjoyable that 100 pages goes by in a flash, and you wish it would last another 400 pages. A must read for Murakami fans, and perhaps a good first novel for the uninitiated.
October 06, 2008

bits missing

I am about to finish reading the Japanese text, using the English translation as a help. The novel is OK, but what I noticed is that entire bits of it are missing in the translation. Not just sentences here and there - sometimes entire scenes. That happens over and over again. Sometimes boring bits are cut, sometimes obscure ones, but also funny ones. Not sure why. Maybe a page limit was imposed on the translator (the English edition I have does have exactly 400 pages). Other than that, it is a good translation.
September 14, 2008

A wonderful novel about the mind and the desire for immortality

A wonderful and weird novel about the mind and what the desire for immortality entails (compare with Borges' short story 'The Immortal', you won't be disappointed). Fans of Philip K. Dick and Jonathan Lethem's 'Gun, With Occasional Music' will like this, I know I did. The first 100 pages or so can be hard going, at this point the novel seems to lack direction, but be patient and you will be rewarded. I am now eager to read Murakami's other works.
May 28, 2008

Patience is a virtue

This book requires some patience. My friend, who usually does not enjoy reading, recommended this book to me because it is one of his favorites. However, if you stick with it, I think it's quite a rewarding book. This is the only book I've read by this author, and I can't even imagine what I might have missed by reading a translation, but the author's mind is just incredible. I've recommended this book to others, and it's universally been a struggle in the beginning, but every person who stuck with it (for at least six chapters) felt this book was worth the struggle.
May 24, 2008

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