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The first thing I would say about this novel and about a lot of Murakami's work is it's impossible to know how much of it could be lost in translation. It is impossible to know if the beauty that comes through in her writing is also evident in its original Japanese but one assumes it is. The main narrator in this book is known only as 'K', who is a teacher in love with Sumire, a young woman who wants to be a writer and is in turn in love with a wine importer called Miu, who she ends up working for. As K finds himself increasingly cut off from Sumire's life, she takes a work trip with Miu and it is here that she disappears and K is brought over to help search for her.
This novel tells the reader a lot about loneliness. The loneliness firstly of K's unrequited adoration for Sumire and Sumire's own loneliness in her feelings for Miu that causes her to go off into another world. Aside from these two, there is also Miu's loneliness caused by a traumatic experience years before, that causes the colour to seep out of her and is the root of the impossibility she has in relationships and intimacy.
This is the only book I've read by Murakami so I cannot make comparisons with his other work. The crafting of this story is perfect though and the language, one can imagine, preserved well by the translators which builds the slightly mysterious and even paranormal part of this work and entices the reader even more. The plot is never really resolved, but this fits with the mystery of this story. I will certainly be seeking out and reading more of Murakami's work.
This is probably my favourite book by this author. It tells the story of the town of Wide Acre and in particular of Julia Lacey who lives in the shadow of her aunt who was once the people of Wide Acre's leader but ended up destroying the town. Julia has dreams in which she is her aunt, and she also bears a striking resemblance to her. She grows up alongside her controlling younger cousin, Richard and they have promised as children that they will marry and make Wide Acre great again.
It is clear from the beginning of the book that Richard has a nasty personality, which can at first be passed off as childish bullying but continues well into his teens as his desire for his cousin grows. It is only after her forces her into carrying his child that a secret is uncovered which will change the fate of Wide Acre and of Richard's hopes forever.
The growth of Richard's character is done extremely well, from a child who seems to like bullying, to a teenager who hides behind a facade of goodness to an adult who will get whatever he wants. What can first be passed off as childish cruelty becomes suspicion of wrongdoing to the reader until it becomes clear what Richard's true intentions are. Similarly Julia's adoration for her younger cousin becomes damaging when she cannot find the strength to tell anyone what Richard has done to her or what she has been tricked into.
This story is as much one of love as one of extreme sadness with an emergence of hope. It shows the capability of humans to do great good as well as great evil.
This is the sequel to The Bronze Horseman, set in Russia and New York as Tatiana, believing her husband is dead attempts to forget her life in Russia and create a new life for herself and her son, Anthony in New York. Meanwhile Alexander is tried by the NKGB and placed in prison after prison before being released to a penal battalion continually forced into situations that seem impossible to remedy (which of course Alexander gets them out of being a big he-man hero and all). As the war draws to a close and Tatiana begins to see inconsistencies in Alexander's death, she begins investigating his disappearance. Her hope fades and she begins to make other personal relationships only to discover that despite having escaped a war that seemed inescapable, she is still faced with terrors she thought she had left in the Soviet Union.
After reading this book, I can definitively say that I think this could have served the purpose the first book did, as a love story. This is especially considering that it went over (in memories) the events of the first book, the necessary events that had created the scenario in this book. I also enjoyed this book far more than the first book, as the events it explained (in the first part at least) were far more realistic and were depicted in a far better way. However, I do not admire anyone who will leave their son with a friend to make their way to the communist Soviet Union, especially not if you are wanted there, as romantic as it is seen to be, I think it is also incredibly cruel to risk one's own life at the expense of a kid never knowing his mother or father but again I probably don't know enough to be making a blanket statement.Maybe my complaint on this is just indicative of the fact that the plot was very wind-y which can be good but did not suit the tone of this book, in my opinion.
I still enjoyed the book very much and would recommend it over and above the first book.
This book is a love story set during the time of the Nazi invasion of the (then) Soviet Union. Tatiana lives with her family in Leningrad and is sent out for food on the day of the announcement of the Nazi invasion. This is when she meets Alexander Belov, a captain in the Red Army who happens to also be going out with her sister. The story progresses and the Nazis get closer and closer to Leningrad until they barricade it off, leaving Tatiana and her family without necessary food and less necessary vodka. Alexander watches as rations decrease more and more and throughout the winter when people start to die. When Tatiana and her sister Dasha finally make it out, the story increasingly becomes a love story set against a backdrop of bomb blasts, low rations and the ever-present fear of discovery.
My (new) flatmate lent me this book. This series is one of her favourites. I enjoyed parts of it, and other parts less so. The book starts off realistically but as the love story spirals out of control so do the historical inaccuracies and the unlikely scenarios that Tatiana and Alexander find themselves in. A part of the book towards the end consists of 100 pages of just sex and nothing else. Although the desire in this book makes sense, the presence of this and the absence of any other part of the setting made me believe it less. The two main characters, for me, were also not believable. Tatiana seemed to reserve herself and then dramatically come out of her shell, she then fell pregnant after months and months of starvation. Some people are incredibly fertile, but not that fertile. The likelihood that she could then also suffer what she did and come out nearly unscathed was also unrealistic.
Despite this, I do realise that this story was above all a love story. The love part was done very well and with a good accuracy for the time (the notion of Alexander owning Tatiana did niggle my inner feminist a bit but it was like that back then I imagine). The continued reference to the book of poems which serves as hope not just through the poetry but also through the secretive storing of money was a nice image. The descriptions of Leningrad also built a good picture in my head and I would say they are also accurate as Simons grew up in Leningrad. I would recommend this book but people should keep in mind it is fiction, it is unrealistic in parts and it is above all else a love story. I'm currently reading the sequel.
I actually read this novel when I was a teenager but didn't remember it very well. I've also seen the film which is amazing just like the book. It weaves a story of the 2nd World War and its effects in both Italy and Greece, and paticularly on the Greek island of Cellaphonia during its Italian occupation and then after Italy and Nazi Germany split after Mussolini was overthrown. It contains blissfully humourous rants and raves which really make you question the dictator's sanity or even humanity. The book starts off with a young woman, Pelagia and her father Dr Iannis who treats the island's various ills. It takes you through the war experiences of Mandras, a love interest who finds out the true valor that lies in being a soldier. It also gloriously features one of the most loveable characters, a gay soldier named Carlo.
The story takes a twist when Captain Corelli is stationed at Cellaphonia and is living in Dr Iannis' house. A love story begins to unfold with the complexities of loyalty to Greece torn with the occupation by Italy. All the characters suffer as the war takes more of a hold and all are portrayed in different ways. The mandolin played by Captain Corelli is seen as a beautiful thing among all the ugliness which is also helped by a choir of Italian and German soldiers. One of the more interesting characters was a German soldier, eventually forced to betray his Italian friends in the name of his country. There is such a readiness these days to label all Nazi soldiers as evil but the German soldier's uncertainties and complexities are also shown especially towards the end of the book.
The bit that annoyed me was the end, all very romantic and everything but so idealistic which I suppose is an element of the time the book was written for. However, the language throughout the book, the new characters introduced and the historical accuracy are things that makes this book such a stellar read. A must-read if you haven't already, a true classic.
This beautifully written book tells the story of a girl raised in Chile by English merchants. She grows up learning all the ways of being a lady but finds the strong emotions of her mind beckoning her elsewhere. After the acquisition of California by the USA, people all around her including her first "true love" scramble to get on the boats to California inspired by the gold rush. Eliza finding herself heart broken decides to follow her heart - all the way to California.
One of the things that impressed me most about this book was the descriptive nature in which it was told. Every character had a background that remained essential to the plot, and to why they did certain things or did not do others. Interestingly, the man who ends up tending to Eliza when she is a stowaway on a boat (Tao) and Eliza herself both journey to where the gold rush is taking place but neither of them are there for gold. Eliza striving for the love she has lost and Tao not wishing to become rich without the work he believes in - a sort of healing practice. One of the things I took away from this book was the love Eliza held for years of a perceived gentleman, when what she doesn't realise is how much a person can keep hidden even when the depths of intimacy have been reached.
The ending of this book seemed in one way complete and perfect but in another way annoyed me a hell of a lot. Ends were tied up but not shown to the author although earlier references in the book let you know what happened when looking back on it. Would recommend this author and this book to anyone, I enjoyed this story immensely (far more than The Infinite Plan).
