tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post3915479892245386287..comments2024-01-26T10:20:37.836+00:00Comments on Diary of a Goldfish: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki MurakamiThe Goldfishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15213378454070776331noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-71166863897468314222014-07-15T16:04:49.922+01:002014-07-15T16:04:49.922+01:00At age 77 I look for writers who bring me somethi...At age 77 I look for writers who bring me something beyond the usual. Murakami's fluid style is one of the most refreshing I've come across. I don't have time to waste, therefore, I can hardly wait to read his other books. I hope the chapters left out of WB will surface. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-56913713644904000872014-06-30T18:01:42.611+01:002014-06-30T18:01:42.611+01:00If you felt empty after finishing the book, its be...If you felt empty after finishing the book, its because the book emptied you of the complexes present within the book. The complexes that were once working inside of you on an unconscious level.Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12579357041771374070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-13767267932494711962014-06-30T17:59:31.194+01:002014-06-30T17:59:31.194+01:00The book, first off, is a mirror for anyone readin...The book, first off, is a mirror for anyone reading it. All abstract things are like that. What you see in the book is a reflection of your own psyche. For me the book was about shame - specifically concerning sex and violence in the West - and redemption. It was a book that brought TO LIGHT unconscious archetypes in the Western collective consciousness. In other words, all of the characters of the book are aspects of you that were previously unconscious, both the devils and the angels. Murakami is like some kind of shaman, who is revealing to us our own violence, shame, detachment, regret, etc, personifying these things through the characters, and then helping us to integrating them by simply making us AWARE of them as distinct complexes (or as jung would say autonomous complexes).....At least that's what I got out of the book. The book is not really a "story" like in the sense that little red riding hood or something is a story. Its more like once you start reading it you are consuming a sacred plant that will help you to see various demons that live within all of us, without judgement but just to see them. The Western world has issues with sex and violence, this is just something that we were born into and is apart of all of us. The book is helping us to work that shit out....Stephaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12579357041771374070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-32053456821826098942013-12-22T12:21:47.459+00:002013-12-22T12:21:47.459+00:00I think there was a frustration gnawing at me thro...I think there was a frustration gnawing at me through the book mainly because I couldn't comprehend Toru's composure to everything unravelling around him. The "emptiness" remains at the end of the book because while at some point towards the end I felt that he was getting SOME answers, in the end he was still left with nothing concrete. Rattled me a little bit- but I guess it was good in its own way.Ninjnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-2777212348719046622013-09-11T21:40:27.632+01:002013-09-11T21:40:27.632+01:00This book has been eating at me since I read it a ...This book has been eating at me since I read it a year ago. Like most readers I was left wanting more answers and any possible closure. I was immediately hooked when his wife disappeared I found it sad and wanting our main character to get answers of his own. As a closet romantic male I felt his emptiness and was lured by the unexplainable series of events to follow; the strange phone calls, the dreams, of course every character that was introduced. In the end I suppose the abandonment felt by our main character can truly only be transmitted to us by the vague and confusing ending of this novel. As much I was want to sit down with the author and find out what really went down in that hotel room with the whisky and what happens with the rest our characters life I must appreciate the fact that no book has ever had such a lingering effect on me. I suppose that is what makes it all okay to me that we are supposed to feel this way after the long and tediously detailed read. The feeling of emptiness and loneliness feels good in a strange way. After writing this post I further more am happy that there was really no absolute conclusive ending or answer. Just wonder and openness to a strange journey we may all have one day of our own. Richyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03481631367038926575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-19213259278981529442012-12-29T08:42:47.595+00:002012-12-29T08:42:47.595+00:00I loved the book! It was a page turner, but at som...I loved the book! It was a page turner, but at some point you just have to let go-and let Murakami take you into his world.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00776027981479509831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-36873775837252470902012-07-11T17:09:07.333+01:002012-07-11T17:09:07.333+01:00If you feel "empty" after reading this b...If you feel "empty" after reading this book read it again. You missed stuff and you didn't get it. <br /> Also it is deeply entertaining, but by no means is it Jersey Shore.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-45821019678522571602012-06-01T15:54:04.175+01:002012-06-01T15:54:04.175+01:00I also felt very empty after finishing the book, b...I also felt very empty after finishing the book, but i fekt like murakamis writing was absolutely amazing, even thought it was slow and at times tiring, his minimalist use of language and simple yet deep images grabbed me to the book. Also, everything in the story is linked, with no no exception, which i also found genius. An analysis of this book is almost impossible, but i completely agree with your point of view, toru's search for his feeling and himself. But in my perspective, as in many of his other books, he deals with loneliness, depression, exlusion and characteristcs of the japanese culture and lifestyle.iza17https://www.blogger.com/profile/02198861508313012684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-24652785443516240422012-05-06T17:55:32.529+01:002012-05-06T17:55:32.529+01:00For me, this book has been life changing. I finish...For me, this book has been life changing. I finished it about 9 months ago. Not directly this book but 'something' (that often moves it's characters) prompted me to leave my career, my life and head out back-packing for several months, five months to be exact. Later I moved to another country, and decided to do nothing. All old dreams appear meaningless. Happy to see that many of you felt empty. <br /><br />This is one of the best book I have read. Quite engaging, for me it was a page turner. Probably I was not reading it, I was taking a journey within.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-38070465497846767352011-05-03T13:17:18.824+01:002011-05-03T13:17:18.824+01:00just about finished my 4th read of this book and t...just about finished my 4th read of this book and thought i'd look to see what others think - wanted to know if i should read something into the book that i'm unable to see. can see that it could change someones life, can't see how anyone could ever think it boring. very thought provoking, occasionally hilarious, often smile inducing. beautifully written and translated.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-89969295391676803002011-02-04T06:41:58.561+00:002011-02-04T06:41:58.561+00:00This is amazing storytelling at its best, there is...This is amazing storytelling at its best, there is no need for an all-encompasing ending that ties all knots. If anything, such an ending would ruin the sheer purpose of the novel. The genius of the writing kicks in every now and then throughout the book, in deep and dark philosophical investigations (or trips) on humanity, life and the creative process. It involves many pieces of information and conjectures that the author manages to weave into the narrative of the book, he is able to convey he perceives humanity in the twentieth century and its links to the recent past. The themes of these books are many, 600 pages are too few and a single read cannot convey half of whats being said and pondered upon.Dannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-18259961953843408242010-01-15T18:59:48.636+00:002010-01-15T18:59:48.636+00:00I felt the emptiness after finishing the book (not...I felt the emptiness after finishing the book (not 10 minutes ago, mind you) that is referred to in other posts, but I think it is a good emptiness, a cathardic emptiness. Murakami's books, at least to me, never validate the thoughts I had going in, rather they challenge them, and that challenge can be disconcerting. However, I look forward to letting the story marinate in my brain for a while, and for me to see more angles in it then ever before. It's true, those wanting a bit of mindless literary excitement will be perhaps disappointed by the book's opaqueness at times, those looking for a challenge to their perceptions and a cracking good read at the same time would do well to invest the time and energy needed to appreciate a great novel like this.Sam Dolgoffnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-74557053228319813282009-10-01T05:25:40.411+01:002009-10-01T05:25:40.411+01:00I loved this book!! It wasnt even taunting that is...I loved this book!! It wasnt even taunting that is was 600 or so pages, it was easy to read!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08740463529352317319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-53558568865252647492009-09-20T01:48:37.053+01:002009-09-20T01:48:37.053+01:00This book is amazing. I felt like it was completel...This book is amazing. I felt like it was completely engaging, more so than most authors I've read. <br /> I think both the profound nature of the content and how Harukis' writing unfolds in front of you, are genius hands down.<br /> Its unfortunate that not all people connect with the experience but its an uncomfortable one to give in to. Its easier to analyze aesthetics then to give in to such a strange often disturbing world. <br /> If you can give into a world thats fantastical, fatalistic, gruesome to borderline morbid, and unnerving, and still keep the faith that you will be all the better for having done it. You might gain alot from this book. <br /> Alas it is not a book for everyone. You should feel out Murakamis' writing style before you commit to one of his larger works.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-7447794174775564932008-09-29T05:33:00.000+01:002008-09-29T05:33:00.000+01:00Take your politically-correct sexual side-blinders...Take your politically-correct sexual side-blinders off.<BR/><BR/>I get really tired of hearing criticism about novels or films that have a male point of view about sex that can be paraphrased roughly as: 'How dare they have a male perspective on sex that doesn't fit my own paradigm!'<BR/><BR/>Given all of the broad perspectives and cross-generational guilt and social malaise that this book conveys as part of its central theme, don't you think that the sexual politics of the book might be slightly more complex than Murakami vicariously getting his rocks off through his protagonist? <BR/><BR/>And don't you think that perhaps the book might be getting at something bigger than sexual politics? <BR/><BR/>This is a deep, complex an frustrating book that your post rather poorly reduces to a one-dimensional account of a subject that is probably of tangential importance to the author, at best.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-31804161179539359012008-07-22T02:22:00.000+01:002008-07-22T02:22:00.000+01:00to hear. to HEAR!to hear. to HEAR!Jonathan Mendelsohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10841420446081494306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-5934308860856655432008-07-22T02:21:00.000+01:002008-07-22T02:21:00.000+01:00I like here this kind of opinion cause while I wou...I like here this kind of opinion cause while I wouldn't dare claim that all 600 pages of Wind Up are entertaining or stimulating I would argue that this book like so so many of Murakami's is the kind of book that changes the way I dream. I think this is a guy digging beneath the surface of things in ways we've never seen before. I think this writer will win the Nobel Prize. Have you read Kafka on the Shore? Have you read Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World? Or Norwegian Wood? <BR/><BR/>Ok, so I'm a die hard fan. But I think this is the kind of writer who resonates, which is why his books show up on staff picks tables in the various English speaking countries I've visited (ok, really just Canada and America).Jonathan Mendelsohnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10841420446081494306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-48881851170231784282008-06-05T07:30:00.000+01:002008-06-05T07:30:00.000+01:00I tend to think that one of the main themes in the...I tend to think that one of the main themes in the book is the rejection of a societal 'norm' for success or lifestyle. Toru defies the norm by quitting his job, and digging deeply into his own lucid, underground world. His wife also bucks what is her expected norm by cheating on Toru and giving herself to other men, seeking out pleasure rather than a stable home life. Malta and Creta's stories also relate, they had a difficult life struggling to be normal (enduring pain for Creta and Malta's supression of her powers), but when they decided to go down a different path (Malta embraces her powers and flees home, developing herself, Creta decides against life altogether) they become more and more 'successful' or happy from their own standpoint.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-15199071632841187242008-06-03T20:35:00.000+01:002008-06-03T20:35:00.000+01:00I agree with both of you, I was quite annoyed when...I agree with both of you, I was quite annoyed when I discovered that two chapters had been cut out, although i did find it quite a long book.<BR/><BR/>I recently read another of Murakami's books, "Norwegian Wood", and really enjoyed it. It's very different from The Wind Up Bird Chronicle, but more of a page turner, and is brilliantly written/translated. (It also made more sense to me)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-2904648463642572082008-01-15T19:03:00.000+00:002008-01-15T19:03:00.000+00:00I felt empty after finishing reading this book als...I felt empty after finishing reading this book also. I suspect it is because Jay Rubin, the translator, made the cuts (for the publisher's irrational ridiculously stupid word limit for the translation) from the end of the book. Great description of "verbose and minimalist". It is what made the novel coherent even through the bizarre events and following the thoughts of the character. Meandering internal dialogue usually lose me. Jay Rubin, briefly describes what he cut in Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words but does not summarize the key events of the missing chapters.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10557263.post-11744656380192382392007-03-28T01:49:00.000+01:002007-03-28T01:49:00.000+01:00Goldfish, I intend to agree with your analysis. I...Goldfish, I intend to agree with your analysis. I just finished The Wind Up Bird and took to the internet because I felt empty after finishing it. Im still uncertain what Murakami wanted me to learn, if anything. For me the greatest value of the text was its perspective on post WWII Japan. Unlike many novels I read, I am close to concluding that this was a mere story of conjencutre and little meaning, although I hope to find my inital pereception to be false.The Jawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03631069381515620317noreply@blogger.com