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ノルウェイの森 #1
ノルウェイの森 Vol. 1
1987年9月、講談社から書き下ろし作品として上下二分冊で刊行された。1991年4月に講談社文庫として文庫化、2004年9月に文庫改訂版が出された（なお、単行本にはあとがきが付されているが、文庫版には掲載されていない）。
執筆はギリシャ、シチリア、ローマで行われた。そのため、引き続いてロンドンで執筆した『ダンス・ダンス・ダンス』と共に「異国の影のようなものが宿命的にしみついている」「結果として書かれるべくして書かれた小説」「もし日本で書かれていたとしたら、（中略）これほど垂直的に「入って」いかなかったろう」と村上は『遠い太鼓』に書いている。1987年3月7日、早朝から17時間休みなしで第一稿を深夜に書き上げる。直後の日記に「すごく良い」とだけ書き記した。3月26日、第二稿完成。すべてボールペンで手書き。
学生運動の時代を背景として、主人公「僕」と、友人の恋人「直子」を軸に、様々な思春期の葛藤や人間模様、恋愛、喪失感などを巧みに描き、非常に広く読まれている。後述のように上巻は、片山恭一『世界の中心で、愛をさけぶ』に抜かれるまで、日本小説単行本の発行部数トップであった。
主人公の通っている「東京の私立大学」は村上の母校早稲田大学を、「主人公が入っていた寮」は入寮していた和敬塾をモデルにしている。なおこの作品は村上の実体験を基にした「自伝的小説」であるとも見られるが、本人はこれを否定している。
元となる作品として短編小説の「螢」（『中央公論』1983年1月号初出）がある。また、短編小説「めくらやなぎと眠る女」も本作にまとまっていく系統の作品だが、「螢」とは違って本作との間にストーリー上の直接の関連はないという。
1989年、アルフレッド・バーンバウムの翻訳による英訳版『Norwegian Wood』が出版された。しかし同氏の英訳書はその後絶版となり、現在はジェイ・ルービンが翻訳したもの（2000年刊行）が流通している。アメリカ、イギリス、カナダ、オーストラリアなどの英語圏のほか、フランス、ドイツ、イタリア、ロシア、中国、台湾、韓国などでも翻訳されている。ノルウェー語にも翻訳された。
執筆はギリシャ、シチリア、ローマで行われた。そのため、引き続いてロンドンで執筆した『ダンス・ダンス・ダンス』と共に「異国の影のようなものが宿命的にしみついている」「結果として書かれるべくして書かれた小説」「もし日本で書かれていたとしたら、（中略）これほど垂直的に「入って」いかなかったろう」と村上は『遠い太鼓』に書いている。1987年3月7日、早朝から17時間休みなしで第一稿を深夜に書き上げる。直後の日記に「すごく良い」とだけ書き記した。3月26日、第二稿完成。すべてボールペンで手書き。
学生運動の時代を背景として、主人公「僕」と、友人の恋人「直子」を軸に、様々な思春期の葛藤や人間模様、恋愛、喪失感などを巧みに描き、非常に広く読まれている。後述のように上巻は、片山恭一『世界の中心で、愛をさけぶ』に抜かれるまで、日本小説単行本の発行部数トップであった。
主人公の通っている「東京の私立大学」は村上の母校早稲田大学を、「主人公が入っていた寮」は入寮していた和敬塾をモデルにしている。なおこの作品は村上の実体験を基にした「自伝的小説」であるとも見られるが、本人はこれを否定している。
元となる作品として短編小説の「螢」（『中央公論』1983年1月号初出）がある。また、短編小説「めくらやなぎと眠る女」も本作にまとまっていく系統の作品だが、「螢」とは違って本作との間にストーリー上の直接の関連はないという。
1989年、アルフレッド・バーンバウムの翻訳による英訳版『Norwegian Wood』が出版された。しかし同氏の英訳書はその後絶版となり、現在はジェイ・ルービンが翻訳したもの（2000年刊行）が流通している。アメリカ、イギリス、カナダ、オーストラリアなどの英語圏のほか、フランス、ドイツ、イタリア、ロシア、中国、台湾、韓国などでも翻訳されている。ノルウェー語にも翻訳された。
302 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 1987
116 people are currently reading
946 people want to read
About the author
Haruki Murakami
604 books132k followersHaruki Murakami (村上春樹) is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been best-sellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Gunzo Prize for New Writers, the World Fantasy Award, the Tanizaki Prize, Yomiuri Prize for Literature, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, the Noma Literary Prize, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Kiriyama Prize for Fiction, the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Fiction, the Jerusalem Prize, and the Princess of Asturias Awards.
Growing up in Ashiya, near Kobe before moving to Tokyo to attend Waseda University, he published his first novel Hear the Wind Sing (1979) after working as the owner of a small jazz bar for seven years. His notable works include the novels Norwegian Wood (1987), The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1994–95), Kafka on the Shore (2002) and 1Q84 (2009–10); the last was ranked as the best work of Japan's Heisei era (1989–2019) by the national newspaper Asahi Shimbun's survey of literary experts. His work spans genres including science fiction, fantasy, and crime fiction, and has become known for his use of magical realist elements. His official website cites Raymond Chandler, Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan as key inspirations to his work, while Murakami himself has named Kazuo Ishiguro, Cormac McCarthy and Dag Solstad as his favourite currently active writers. Murakami has also published five short story collections, including First Person Singular (2020), and non-fiction works including Underground (1997), an oral history of the Tokyo subway sarin attack, and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (2007), a memoir about his experience as a long distance runner.
His fiction has polarized literary critics and the reading public. He has sometimes been criticised by Japan's literary establishment as un-Japanese, leading to Murakami's recalling that he was a "black sheep in the Japanese literary world". Meanwhile, Murakami has been described by Gary Fisketjon, the editor of Murakami's collection The Elephant Vanishes (1993), as a "truly extraordinary writer", while Steven Poole of The Guardian praised Murakami as "among the world's greatest living novelists" for his oeuvre.
Growing up in Ashiya, near Kobe before moving to Tokyo to attend Waseda University, he published his first novel Hear the Wind Sing (1979) after working as the owner of a small jazz bar for seven years. His notable works include the novels Norwegian Wood (1987), The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1994–95), Kafka on the Shore (2002) and 1Q84 (2009–10); the last was ranked as the best work of Japan's Heisei era (1989–2019) by the national newspaper Asahi Shimbun's survey of literary experts. His work spans genres including science fiction, fantasy, and crime fiction, and has become known for his use of magical realist elements. His official website cites Raymond Chandler, Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan as key inspirations to his work, while Murakami himself has named Kazuo Ishiguro, Cormac McCarthy and Dag Solstad as his favourite currently active writers. Murakami has also published five short story collections, including First Person Singular (2020), and non-fiction works including Underground (1997), an oral history of the Tokyo subway sarin attack, and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (2007), a memoir about his experience as a long distance runner.
His fiction has polarized literary critics and the reading public. He has sometimes been criticised by Japan's literary establishment as un-Japanese, leading to Murakami's recalling that he was a "black sheep in the Japanese literary world". Meanwhile, Murakami has been described by Gary Fisketjon, the editor of Murakami's collection The Elephant Vanishes (1993), as a "truly extraordinary writer", while Steven Poole of The Guardian praised Murakami as "among the world's greatest living novelists" for his oeuvre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
August 30, 2023
This was a really weird reading experience. I first started reading the Jay Rubin version of the book and it was awful. The dialogue sounded stiff and the main character was just uninteresting. Then I found out that there was another version of the book translated into English in the 80s and started reading that. In this version, I felt like the translator was better able to reflect the nuance of the dialogue. The main character still sucked but he was at least a little charismatic.
The problems that permeated both versions of the book were: 1. The main character offers absolutely nothing important to the story or any of the other characters. He's just kind of there. 2. Every love interest in the plot is there for the main character to "save"—usually through sex. All of the women the author focuses on carry a lot of trauma, and are all trying to get at Toru for some reason. 3. The author sprinkles weirdly centrist political views throughout the book. The book treats the main character's apoliticism as some intelligent and logical stand.
The saving grace of this book is the author's ability to describe the setting. The world he creates is very vivid and tangible. I really wish the story didn't suck so I'd want to read part 2 because I'd love to stay in the world.
The problems that permeated both versions of the book were: 1. The main character offers absolutely nothing important to the story or any of the other characters. He's just kind of there. 2. Every love interest in the plot is there for the main character to "save"—usually through sex. All of the women the author focuses on carry a lot of trauma, and are all trying to get at Toru for some reason. 3. The author sprinkles weirdly centrist political views throughout the book. The book treats the main character's apoliticism as some intelligent and logical stand.
The saving grace of this book is the author's ability to describe the setting. The world he creates is very vivid and tangible. I really wish the story didn't suck so I'd want to read part 2 because I'd love to stay in the world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2018
ただただ悲しくなる話。高校生で親友が自殺し、その彼女に恋をして、その彼女が精神的に衰退していくとなれば、こんな感じにならざるを得ないだろうなと思うけど、そのやりきれなさを見事に描いている。「僕」だけでなく、直子、レイコ、緑の心情もよく描れている。また、突撃隊や永沢さん、思想のない周囲の学生など、違ったタイプの人間の観察は鋭く、表現力は非常に高い。
それにしてもちょっとびっくりするぐらい人が死ぬ。しかも自殺が多い。ただ、その理由が良く分からない。自殺をするにはそれなりの理由があるはずで、それが周りにも分からないというのはどういうことか。それでただ打ちひしがれるのか。これだけ自殺しているわけだから、その動機を描いて欲しかった。それがないと事故死のように思えてしまう。
また、性に関する箇所は色々と疑問がある。直子に手や口で処理してもらうところ、緑の変態性、レイコのジョークなどにはちょっと抵抗感を覚えた。あと、最後にレイコと性交するが、これは必要だったのか？お互いに大切な存在であったし、直子の死というお互いでしか分かり合えない悲しみがあったにせよ、性交するという感情になるのか？仮にあったとしても、直子に対する配慮はなかったのか？
精神の衰退や心の渇きの描写は見事だが、物語のリアリティはあまり感じられず、そのために無駄にセンチメンタルな印象を受けた。
それにしてもちょっとびっくりするぐらい人が死ぬ。しかも自殺が多い。ただ、その理由が良く分からない。自殺をするにはそれなりの理由があるはずで、それが周りにも分からないというのはどういうことか。それでただ打ちひしがれるのか。これだけ自殺しているわけだから、その動機を描いて欲しかった。それがないと事故死のように思えてしまう。
また、性に関する箇所は色々と疑問がある。直子に手や口で処理してもらうところ、緑の変態性、レイコのジョークなどにはちょっと抵抗感を覚えた。あと、最後にレイコと性交するが、これは必要だったのか？お互いに大切な存在であったし、直子の死というお互いでしか分かり合えない悲しみがあったにせよ、性交するという感情になるのか？仮にあったとしても、直子に対する配慮はなかったのか？
精神の衰退や心の渇きの描写は見事だが、物語のリアリティはあまり感じられず、そのために無駄にセンチメンタルな印象を受けた。
Read
December 4, 2021A coming of age novel reflect on solidarity, loneliness, post traumatic stress and healing.
Do we always need other people to understand us? Or as a people we are individuals who come and leave the world alone.
When we try to understand others and be considerate, are they doing the same for you as well?
Do we always need other people to understand us? Or as a people we are individuals who come and leave the world alone.
When we try to understand others and be considerate, are they doing the same for you as well?
December 3, 2010
The "red book" is the first of two small volumes of Norwergian Wood published by Kodansha. The story is one of the most popular and widely read of Murakami, in Japan or elsewhere. It tells of a pair of young lovers trying to deal with their painful past. My first impressions border between boredom and irritation. I didn't find much to admire in the slow unfolding (plodding) of the plot. The writing style, at least in this first-half, is pedestrian and dry. It made me think that perhaps I prefer the sci-fi side of Murakami. By the second volume, the story starts to pick up momentum with some interesting characters popping in. In fact, the second volume completely redeemed the story for me.
December 17, 2019
Hmm, not sure what to think of the first half. It's neither good nor bad, and the characters feel real enough to suspend disbelief BUT the pacing is slow to a fault(!). I usually breeze through Murakami novels but this one feels like a chore to get through.
December 3, 2022
Literair gezien een heel mooi boek. Plot-wise gebeurt er niet zoveel, waardoor ik er heel lang over heb gedaan. Maar dit boek heeft mij “the act of reading” weer laten waarderen, dus dat er niet constant iets hoeft te gebeuren!
Currently reading
February 2, 20232 feb 2023- I've just started reading this book. I read the first 12 pages in swedish, and then re-read them in english. The english version is at the moment, much better translated. The way the book is written really caught my attention, the writing I would say, is high quality.
December 15, 2022
Okay this book gave me mixed feelings. I have seen tons of slander against Murakami and they might be correct, the way he expresses about sex and women is uncomfortable to certain extent. But the story this book has is melancholic and extremely interesting, I could not stop reading it, it feels like a train ride in the cold countryside. The parts about the piano classes and his ending with Reiko are totally unnecessary and uncomfortable, but the way he approaches his prioritization of mental health is kinda interesting, how he really wanted to be with Naoko but still managed to understand that it was not the best for him, and even how he dealt with the death of two very important people in his life is interesting to read and try to understand his thoughts. One friend told me Murakami´s endings are so bad and I agree, it left me with many questions but at the same time I was so satisfied by it. I do not believe this is a bad book at all, of course Murakami might have some questionable ideas but still a pretty good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2021
私が大好きで高校生の時から何度も読んだ本です。素晴らしく静かで美しい文体、青春時代の脆い心理、気怠い大学時代特有の時間の流れなど。見事に表現されています。時々緑のジョークも笑えます。
私は共感できる本よりも自分の心とかけ離れた本が好きなので、暗い雰囲気の本が好きというのもありますが。鬱的な内容に引っ張られない、丈夫で陽気な心理状態にある方ほど、何この世界観！？と、ハマるのではないかな！？と思います。(笑)
以下ネタバレ含みます。
この本ではとにかく人がはっきりとしない理由で自殺します。特有の時代や危なっかしい精神状態によって、ふと思いついて、死を選んでしまったのでしょう。
また、性的描写が多いです。苦手な方は嫌悪を感じてしまうかもしれませんが、私はこれらのシーンは心のつながりを表しているのだと思います。。直子はワタナベ君と、またキズキ君とでさえ、自分を他者に開けなかったのだと思います。最後レイコさんと寝たのは、この心のつながりによってでしょう。誰も悲しまなかった直子の死、きれいな若い女性の死を分かち合えるのがワタナベ君とレイコさんだけだったのです。しわくちゃなレイコさんとワタナベ君。深い虚無感と悲しさと希望の入り混じった欠かせないシーンです。レイコさんからの手紙も感動しました。
この本に共感性を求めるのではなく、ただ本の世界にどっぷりと入り浸るのがおすすめです。緑の屋上シーンは緑に深く共感しました。わかるわかる。
私は共感できる本よりも自分の心とかけ離れた本が好きなので、暗い雰囲気の本が好きというのもありますが。鬱的な内容に引っ張られない、丈夫で陽気な心理状態にある方ほど、何この世界観！？と、ハマるのではないかな！？と思います。(笑)
以下ネタバレ含みます。
この本ではとにかく人がはっきりとしない理由で自殺します。特有の時代や危なっかしい精神状態によって、ふと思いついて、死を選んでしまったのでしょう。
また、性的描写が多いです。苦手な方は嫌悪を感じてしまうかもしれませんが、私はこれらのシーンは心のつながりを表しているのだと思います。。直子はワタナベ君と、またキズキ君とでさえ、自分を他者に開けなかったのだと思います。最後レイコさんと寝たのは、この心のつながりによってでしょう。誰も悲しまなかった直子の死、きれいな若い女性の死を分かち合えるのがワタナベ君とレイコさんだけだったのです。しわくちゃなレイコさんとワタナベ君。深い虚無感と悲しさと希望の入り混じった欠かせないシーンです。レイコさんからの手紙も感動しました。
この本に共感性を求めるのではなく、ただ本の世界にどっぷりと入り浸るのがおすすめです。緑の屋上シーンは緑に深く共感しました。わかるわかる。
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2025
"I feel as if I can reach out and trace them with a fingertip. And yet, as clear as the scene may be, no one is in it. Naoko is not there, and neither am I (…) Everything that seemed to be so important back then — Naoko, and the self I was then, and the world I had then: where could they have all gone?"
July 11, 2022
It's has a lot sassy parts
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2022
This review is for the Alfred Birnbaum translation of Norwegian Wood published in 1989, two years after Norwegian Wood shot Murakami to fame in Japan, and eleven years before Jay Rubin's translation. It is the rarer and less well known of the two translations, because it was only ever published in Kodansha English Library for Japanese students of the English language.
I've only read Norwegian Wood or three times before, in the Rubin translation, and it's been some years. Once it was my favourite book. Picking this book up for the first time in five years or so reminded me that Norwegian Wood is the closest Murakami ever came to a masterpiece.
The Birnbaum translation is at times clunky, which I believe is a more literal translation of the Japanese, but it's a joy to read. Murakami was clearly inspired, and I've come to understand the book more deeply than when I first read it at school. I feel I've lived it in some way.
Naoko is a wreck of a human being who I've become familiar with, and Toru is entirely inadequate, never understanding her, naive and self-absorbed, not without a bit of Catcher in the Rye's Holden Caulfield about him. The totalitarian student activists who shouted empty slogans in Tokyo in the 1960s still shout empty slogans in Coventry in the 2020s. Toru turned to physical work to try and ignore his pain. Reiko ran into a pathological liar, the evil kind who also populate our world, mercifully rare. I don't think Murakami could have written these people as well as he did without understanding their experiences first-hand.
The spirit of the '60s counter-revolution is strong throughout the book, in the music of The Beatles, in the student movement, and in Ami Lodge where patients and doctors can "help each other." Norwegian Wood is in some sense a study on the myriad ways it is possible for young people to be broken, and how they can rebuild psychologically or head towards doom, in the surroundings of 1960s Japan.
I've only read Norwegian Wood or three times before, in the Rubin translation, and it's been some years. Once it was my favourite book. Picking this book up for the first time in five years or so reminded me that Norwegian Wood is the closest Murakami ever came to a masterpiece.
The Birnbaum translation is at times clunky, which I believe is a more literal translation of the Japanese, but it's a joy to read. Murakami was clearly inspired, and I've come to understand the book more deeply than when I first read it at school. I feel I've lived it in some way.
Naoko is a wreck of a human being who I've become familiar with, and Toru is entirely inadequate, never understanding her, naive and self-absorbed, not without a bit of Catcher in the Rye's Holden Caulfield about him. The totalitarian student activists who shouted empty slogans in Tokyo in the 1960s still shout empty slogans in Coventry in the 2020s. Toru turned to physical work to try and ignore his pain. Reiko ran into a pathological liar, the evil kind who also populate our world, mercifully rare. I don't think Murakami could have written these people as well as he did without understanding their experiences first-hand.
The spirit of the '60s counter-revolution is strong throughout the book, in the music of The Beatles, in the student movement, and in Ami Lodge where patients and doctors can "help each other." Norwegian Wood is in some sense a study on the myriad ways it is possible for young people to be broken, and how they can rebuild psychologically or head towards doom, in the surroundings of 1960s Japan.
February 28, 2020
I didn’t check the publishing dates before reading and ended up reading Volume I before Volume 2. I realize this review may have been different if I’d done my homework and read in the correct order.
What I liked:
- The Author’s voice and style is consistent throughout the entire novel. There was no sense of parts of the novel being hurried or written in for the sake of being written in – it was like the whole book was a perfectly written first draft, which I think is testament to the Author’s self-assuredness as a writer. I love reading writers who possess this trait.
- The character of Watanabe through whose eyes this story is told grew on me, slowly, but surely. I developed a bond with him by the end of Volume I and thus immediately sought to read Volume II.
What I didn’t like:
- The pace felt a little slow in the beginning – but I came to appreciate that and am looking forward to a second reading - this time starting with Volume II. I suspect this pace problem does not exist if your read the two books in the correct order and might actually lend weight to the atmosphere of Toru Watanabe’s world.
- I read an edition translated by an American who I believe took more than a few liberties in interpreting the original Japanese. Not sure if this was unintended bias or a conscious business decision (most likely the latter) but the passages that read “too American” made me wish I could read and understand the original Japanese. To the translator's credit though there are plenty footnotes provided. (Just to be clear: I’m referring to the absurd use of the American lexicon by Japanese characters in the English text and not the numerous references to American popular culture made by characters who appear to be obsessed with Western popular culture in general.)
- Due to my limitation in understanding the language and cultural context of the story’s setting, I will never fully know the brilliance of this book – here’s the thing though: I’m super okay with that because it adds to the melancholic charm of the book. I know Toru will be okay.
What I learnt about writing from this book:
- Simplicity and clarity do not have to occur at the expense of beauty or depth. I kinda knew this already, but Haruki Murakami has burned this in my brain with his fine brand of economical prose.
- An ordinary activity like sex can be used to develop and distinguish key differences in characters. I’m really impressed by the way the Author used the character’s sexual behaviours to reveal deeper insights of who they are as people (i.e. how they respond to stress, how they deal with grief, their flaws (behavioral and chemical), world views, etc.). The language used when talking about sex is not very romanticized (or even plain in some instances) but speaks volumes about the characters.
My rating: 4 stars. I love this story. I think anyone who has suffered and overcome loss, grief, anxiety or depression in their youth will deeply appreciate this - but be sure to read both volumes to get the complete story.
(Side note - if you think you are going through something or you're not in the best shape mentally, this may not be the book to read right now as it may trigger some negative thoughts. Please get professional help if you are, and remember that you're not alone.)
What I liked:
- The Author’s voice and style is consistent throughout the entire novel. There was no sense of parts of the novel being hurried or written in for the sake of being written in – it was like the whole book was a perfectly written first draft, which I think is testament to the Author’s self-assuredness as a writer. I love reading writers who possess this trait.
- The character of Watanabe through whose eyes this story is told grew on me, slowly, but surely. I developed a bond with him by the end of Volume I and thus immediately sought to read Volume II.
What I didn’t like:
- The pace felt a little slow in the beginning – but I came to appreciate that and am looking forward to a second reading - this time starting with Volume II. I suspect this pace problem does not exist if your read the two books in the correct order and might actually lend weight to the atmosphere of Toru Watanabe’s world.
- I read an edition translated by an American who I believe took more than a few liberties in interpreting the original Japanese. Not sure if this was unintended bias or a conscious business decision (most likely the latter) but the passages that read “too American” made me wish I could read and understand the original Japanese. To the translator's credit though there are plenty footnotes provided. (Just to be clear: I’m referring to the absurd use of the American lexicon by Japanese characters in the English text and not the numerous references to American popular culture made by characters who appear to be obsessed with Western popular culture in general.)
- Due to my limitation in understanding the language and cultural context of the story’s setting, I will never fully know the brilliance of this book – here’s the thing though: I’m super okay with that because it adds to the melancholic charm of the book. I know Toru will be okay.
What I learnt about writing from this book:
- Simplicity and clarity do not have to occur at the expense of beauty or depth. I kinda knew this already, but Haruki Murakami has burned this in my brain with his fine brand of economical prose.
- An ordinary activity like sex can be used to develop and distinguish key differences in characters. I’m really impressed by the way the Author used the character’s sexual behaviours to reveal deeper insights of who they are as people (i.e. how they respond to stress, how they deal with grief, their flaws (behavioral and chemical), world views, etc.). The language used when talking about sex is not very romanticized (or even plain in some instances) but speaks volumes about the characters.
My rating: 4 stars. I love this story. I think anyone who has suffered and overcome loss, grief, anxiety or depression in their youth will deeply appreciate this - but be sure to read both volumes to get the complete story.
(Side note - if you think you are going through something or you're not in the best shape mentally, this may not be the book to read right now as it may trigger some negative thoughts. Please get professional help if you are, and remember that you're not alone.)
March 29, 2020
In my last review I was saying that there are some authors that sound pedantic, that, while reading them, come out as people who seem to think too highly of themselves, and I put a particular group as an example of where you can find many of these authors. Well, I was kind of lying. Because while reading this first volume of "ノルウェイの森" ("Norwegian Wood") by Haruki Murakami, I got the same feeling: that the author thinks he is amazing, his writing amazing and he becomes intoxicated with his own words.
That is not to say that the book is bad or Murakami doesn't know how to write, because he does. But he becomes repetitive in the long soliloquies that many characters in this book say, and in how our 'hero' seems some kind of twisted male fantasy, with so many women relying on him to tell him their life stories. The style is good, dreamy, and there are some quite beautiful moments, but having a random character who we just met deciding to tell Toru all about themselves, reeks a little bit. And it is also kind of creepy.
Let's see how things evolve in the second volume (and yes, I read it around fifteen years ago, but I don't remember anything).
The best: the writing style
The worst: repetitive; all those female characters revolving around our Toru
Further reading: I preferred Murakami's "Sputnik Sweetheart" (I read it when I was way younger, though) or a smaller work like "東京奇譚集"; Shion Miura, Jaume Cabré... are other authors that remind me of him.
5.5/10
(Japanese)
That is not to say that the book is bad or Murakami doesn't know how to write, because he does. But he becomes repetitive in the long soliloquies that many characters in this book say, and in how our 'hero' seems some kind of twisted male fantasy, with so many women relying on him to tell him their life stories. The style is good, dreamy, and there are some quite beautiful moments, but having a random character who we just met deciding to tell Toru all about themselves, reeks a little bit. And it is also kind of creepy.
Let's see how things evolve in the second volume (and yes, I read it around fifteen years ago, but I don't remember anything).
The best: the writing style
The worst: repetitive; all those female characters revolving around our Toru
Further reading: I preferred Murakami's "Sputnik Sweetheart" (I read it when I was way younger, though) or a smaller work like "東京奇譚集"; Shion Miura, Jaume Cabré... are other authors that remind me of him.
5.5/10
(Japanese)
July 8, 2025
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is a book that feels like reuniting with an old friend, familiar and comforting with each reread. I've lost count of how many times I've read the book, likely three or four times, and I anticipate many more returns in the future. This current reading experience, undertaken in Japanese, has been particularly leisurely, allowing me to enjoy each word. The narrative continues to evoke a sense of nostalgic melancholy and quiet introspection. I have approximately thirty pages remaining, and I find myself intentionally slowing my pace. There's a desire to prolong the journey, to make the story last just a little longer before its inevitable conclusion. Each sentence is a gentle reminder of the finiteness of human existence—as the main character, Watanabe, reflects on life and death and friends who will never return. Despite the morbid content, I feel a comforting presence in this book. It's a testament to Murakami's masterful storytelling that the experience remains fresh, no matter how many times you visit this particular corner of his world.
村上春樹の『ノルウェイの森』は、何度も再会する旧友のような本で、読み返すたびに懐かしさと心地よさを感じさせてくれます。何回読んだか正確には覚えていませんが、おそらく三、四回は読んでおり、これからも何度も読み返すことになると思います。今回の読書は日本語で行っており、特にゆったりとしたペースで、一語一語をじっくり味わいながら読んでいます。物語は今でも郷愁を誘う哀愁と静かな内省を呼び起こしてくれます。残りはおよそ30ページほどですが、あえて読むスピードを落としています。物語の終わりを少しでも引き延ばしたくて、もう少しこの旅を続けたいと思っているからです。登場人物の渡辺が生と死、そして戻ってこない友人たちについて思いを巡らすたびに、その一文一文が人間の存在の儚さを静かに思い出させてくれます。内容は決して明るいものではありませんが、不思議とこの本には心安らぐ温もりがあります。何度訪れても新鮮に感じられるのは、やはり村上春樹の語りの力の証だと思います。この物語の世界の一角を再訪するたびに、その魅力は色褪せることがありません。
村上春樹の『ノルウェイの森』は、何度も再会する旧友のような本で、読み返すたびに懐かしさと心地よさを感じさせてくれます。何回読んだか正確には覚えていませんが、おそらく三、四回は読んでおり、これからも何度も読み返すことになると思います。今回の読書は日本語で行っており、特にゆったりとしたペースで、一語一語をじっくり味わいながら読んでいます。物語は今でも郷愁を誘う哀愁と静かな内省を呼び起こしてくれます。残りはおよそ30ページほどですが、あえて読むスピードを落としています。物語の終わりを少しでも引き延ばしたくて、もう少しこの旅を続けたいと思っているからです。登場人物の渡辺が生と死、そして戻ってこない友人たちについて思いを巡らすたびに、その一文一文が人間の存在の儚さを静かに思い出させてくれます。内容は決して明るいものではありませんが、不思議とこの本には心安らぐ温もりがあります。何度訪れても新鮮に感じられるのは、やはり村上春樹の語りの力の証だと思います。この物語の世界の一角を再訪するたびに、その魅力は色褪せることがありません。
September 12, 2025
La ricerca dell'identità
"Norvegian Wood", noto anche con il titolo di "Tokyo Blues", è uno dei romanzi più famosi di Haruki Murakami (1987).
Romanzo di formazione, segue il percorso evolutivo del protagonista, Toru Watanabe, negli anni '60. La storia è un flashback di Toru stesso, ormai trentasettenne, che ricorda gli eventi cruciali della sua giovinezza, tra cui la perdita dell'amico Kizuki, l'inizio dell'università e le relazioni con due donne profondamente diverse: Naoko e Midori.
Toru racconta il suo percorso segnato dalla scoperta della propria identità, e dalla comprensione delle complessità della vita. La morte di Kizuki e la fragilità di Naoko lo costringono a confrontarsi con la realtà della sofferenza e della morte, mentre la relazione con Midori gli offre una possibilità di rinascita e di scoperta della vita.
Quello che ho trovato singolare è il leggero distacco emotivo con cui Toru attraversa gli eventi della sua vita: come se fosse uno spettatore silenzioso delle proprie esperienze. La sua narrazione è caratterizzata da una sorta di osservazione distaccata, tipica di chi descrive la vita di qualcun altro anzichè la propria.
Ma, paradossalmente, questo distacco conferisce alla storia un tono di oggettività e introspezione, permettendo al lettore di riflettere sulle emozioni e sui pensieri di Toru senza essere influenzato da una narrazione troppo emotiva o soggettiva.
Per concludere, quindi, consiglio la lettura a tutti quelli che cercano una storia di formazione e crescita personale, a tutti quelli che sono interessati ad esplorare temi come la perdita, la sofferenza e la rinascita e, soprattutto, a tutti quelli che cercano una storia che li faccia riflettere sulla condizione umana e le sue complessità.
"Norvegian Wood", noto anche con il titolo di "Tokyo Blues", è uno dei romanzi più famosi di Haruki Murakami (1987).
Romanzo di formazione, segue il percorso evolutivo del protagonista, Toru Watanabe, negli anni '60. La storia è un flashback di Toru stesso, ormai trentasettenne, che ricorda gli eventi cruciali della sua giovinezza, tra cui la perdita dell'amico Kizuki, l'inizio dell'università e le relazioni con due donne profondamente diverse: Naoko e Midori.
Toru racconta il suo percorso segnato dalla scoperta della propria identità, e dalla comprensione delle complessità della vita. La morte di Kizuki e la fragilità di Naoko lo costringono a confrontarsi con la realtà della sofferenza e della morte, mentre la relazione con Midori gli offre una possibilità di rinascita e di scoperta della vita.
Quello che ho trovato singolare è il leggero distacco emotivo con cui Toru attraversa gli eventi della sua vita: come se fosse uno spettatore silenzioso delle proprie esperienze. La sua narrazione è caratterizzata da una sorta di osservazione distaccata, tipica di chi descrive la vita di qualcun altro anzichè la propria.
Ma, paradossalmente, questo distacco conferisce alla storia un tono di oggettività e introspezione, permettendo al lettore di riflettere sulle emozioni e sui pensieri di Toru senza essere influenzato da una narrazione troppo emotiva o soggettiva.
Per concludere, quindi, consiglio la lettura a tutti quelli che cercano una storia di formazione e crescita personale, a tutti quelli che sono interessati ad esplorare temi come la perdita, la sofferenza e la rinascita e, soprattutto, a tutti quelli che cercano una storia che li faccia riflettere sulla condizione umana e le sue complessità.
January 16, 2023
Il libro è scritto benissimo. Murakami ha uno stile semplice e lineare, ma non è banale. Brevi frasi costituite da due o tre parole sono intervallate in periodi più lunghi e più complessi, ma non per questo difficili da seguire. I personaggi, seppure non vengano descritti in modo dettagliato, acquisiscono sempre maggiore forma con l'avanzamento del romanzo, l'approfondimento psicologico non è esplicito ma sicuramente più che soddisfacente.
L'unico elemento che non mi ha convinta completamente è la trama. Sembra che non debba succedere niente. E un pochino è così. Infatti le descrizioni sono concentrate sulla quotidianità e la maggior parte del romanzo riguarda essa. Però il libro non risulta noioso, forse per merito della scrittura, forse per i pensieri del protagonista, o forse ancora per il carattere ben segnato di tutti i personaggi secondari.
È un libro che consiglio a persone di un pò tutte le età. Se da una parte può essere considerato un romanzo di formazione, e quindi adatto ai ragazzi, d'altro canto il velo di malinconia che lo accompagna lo rende più maturo, adatto anche agli adulti
L'unico elemento che non mi ha convinta completamente è la trama. Sembra che non debba succedere niente. E un pochino è così. Infatti le descrizioni sono concentrate sulla quotidianità e la maggior parte del romanzo riguarda essa. Però il libro non risulta noioso, forse per merito della scrittura, forse per i pensieri del protagonista, o forse ancora per il carattere ben segnato di tutti i personaggi secondari.
È un libro che consiglio a persone di un pò tutte le età. Se da una parte può essere considerato un romanzo di formazione, e quindi adatto ai ragazzi, d'altro canto il velo di malinconia che lo accompagna lo rende più maturo, adatto anche agli adulti
September 10, 2024
Nel complesso è stata una lettura molto piacevole però lontana da quanto mi aspettassi. Avevo aspettative molto alte su questo romanzo, il primo che leggo di Murakami, e in parte sono state deluse. Sicuramente questo romanzo ha dei punti di forza: la grande capacità narrativa del suo autore. Una scrittura trasparente, delicata e poetica ,capace di evocare atmosfere di paesaggi giapponesi che fanno letteralmente sognare. Dall'altra parte ci sono le sue criticità: l'assenza di una trama forte, fatta di avvenimenti importanti. Tutto il romanzo ruota intorno alle vicende di un gruppo di giovani che si confrontano per la prima volta con il mondo degli adulti, affrontando studio lavoro e amori senza che avvenga però nulla di eclatante. L'unico avvenimento importante lo troviamo nell'ultimo capitolo , raccontato da un personaggio terzo come già avvenuto nel passato. Di conseguenza il lettore fa fatica ad affezionarsi si personaggi di Norwegian word sebbene siano descritti con minuzia e analizzati benissimo. Il lettore però Non riesce a patire per loro ,a gioire con loro o a preoccuparsi per la loro salute perché questi personaggi vivono una storia tiepida senza colpi di scena.
October 25, 2024
I need them to stop splitting the books in two but it does give time for an intermission and reflection on the story so far. Murakami yet again is able to capture his readers with his characters and their interactions despite the lack of “action” in the book, which I always find intriguing. I guess his writing is what brings readers back to his works time and time again. His descriptions of the regular or even mundane day to day of a college student in Tokyo is surreal and almost foggy, pulling the reader into the mindset of the protagonist and his world view as he struggles with the past and how to move forward. While there is still some questionable aspects to his female characters, there is slightly more agency in this novel compared to the works before this (Wild Sheep’s Chase, etc.) but they still seem to exist more for the purpose for the protagonist's development. I'm
not quite sure what direction the book is taking us but I'm hoping the characters can overcome their trauma and move forward in life without becoming too codependent of each other as I fear they might be becoming.
not quite sure what direction the book is taking us but I'm hoping the characters can overcome their trauma and move forward in life without becoming too codependent of each other as I fear they might be becoming.
October 3, 2021
My first time reading the Birnbaum translation of this book. This is probably my favorite novel, as I keep coming back to it. I like some of the wording in this book over Jay Rubin's translation, such as Kamikaze instead of Storm Trooper and the way he describes Hatsumi.
The first half of this novel brings me back to when I first listened to the book on Audible back in May 2012. Reading this older translation, in some ways I like how it seems to take a bit of poetic license and also doesn't try too hard to Westernize some of the references.
This book brings me back also to when I was young, my own journey into seeking the affection of women, my own sexual exploration. I have more empathy for Toru, yet I also find myself not liking Midori as much (I'll explore this in the Vol 2 review).
What stands out for me in the first volume is the walks with Naoko and the birthday scene. The first visit to Kyoto. These scenes are as vivid to me as my own memories and the feelings that Murakami brings to them paint them with a rose tint.
The first half of this novel brings me back to when I first listened to the book on Audible back in May 2012. Reading this older translation, in some ways I like how it seems to take a bit of poetic license and also doesn't try too hard to Westernize some of the references.
This book brings me back also to when I was young, my own journey into seeking the affection of women, my own sexual exploration. I have more empathy for Toru, yet I also find myself not liking Midori as much (I'll explore this in the Vol 2 review).
What stands out for me in the first volume is the walks with Naoko and the birthday scene. The first visit to Kyoto. These scenes are as vivid to me as my own memories and the feelings that Murakami brings to them paint them with a rose tint.
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July 9, 2022Nghĩ cho kĩ, ta sẽ thấy là xã hội bất công là một xã hội có thể tạo ra điều kiện cho ta khai thác hết những năng lực của mình.
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「手紙なんてただの紙です」と僕は言った。「燃やしちゃっても心に残るものは残るし、とっておいても残らないものは残らないんです」
Thư chỉ là giấy thôi mà chị," tôi nói. "Cứ đốt chúng đi, và những gì còn lại trong lòng mình thì vẫn còn mãi; mà có giữ chúng thì những gì phai nh��t rồi cũng sẽ cứ phai nhạt."
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"Ông đã để lại những gì? Một hiệu sách tầm tầm trong một khu phố tầm tầm với hai cô con gái mà ít nhất là tôi biết có một cô còn hơn cả hơi là lạ một chút. Một cuộc đời kiểu gì vậy? Tôi tự hỏi."
___
Chắc đa phần, ai cũng chỉ sống kiểu-như-vậy mà thôi. Một cuộc đời tầm thường. Nhưng suy cho cùng, chỉ như vậy thì cũng đâu có sao!
Mà rốt cuộc, mình cũng không biết bản thân đang sống kiểu gì nữa? Có một công việc cơ bản với mức lương tầm thường. Đi làm, rồi về nhà với tâm trạng kiệt sức (dạo gần đây là như vậy, khi mới chuyển nghề, và làm ở một công-ty-vớ-vẩn). Cuối tuần, tranh thủ lướt web, làm những thứ mà trong tuần không có thời gian để làm; như ghi chép, tìm hiểu nọ kia, giặt giũ. Và có những chuyến đi chơi trở về với thiên nhiên, để sạc lại năng lượng cho cả tháng (trước thì đi nhiều lắm, nhưng giờ thì đỡ rồi), với những người bạn cũng tầm thường như mình.
Thôi, thế cũng được rồi!
___
S.e.x cũng có, nhiều lần, mà công nhận là miêu tả cũng kỹ.
Nhưng hơn cả, "điểm xuyết" trong suốt 12 chương truyện, là những cái chết. Ngắn gọn và âm thầm, rằng những sự việc ấy xảy ra là một lẽ hiển nhiên. Khiến mình giật mình, rốt cuộc, từ giờ tới cuối truyện, sẽ còn thêm cái chết của ai nữa. (Khi đang đọc tới cái chết của bố Midori). Thời điểm, lý do, và cách chết cũng khác nhau.
Liệu những người còn sống, có thể mãi mãi nhớ về họ? Và sống hạnh phúc, thay cho cả phần của họ?
___
Tại sao lại là "Rừng Na Uy"? Đó là một bài hát yêu thích nhất của nữ chính. Và cô cũng đã lựa chọn để trở-về trong một khu rừng sâu. Thì còn lý do gì nữa không?
Chưa rõ đoạn đầu truyện, khi hai nhân vật trò chuyện với nhau, là ở thời điểm nào và ở đâu?
Cuối truyện, lại có đoạn miêu tả Toru với giây-phút-ảo-diệu, mơ hồ. Ơ, có phải đây là là một câu chuyện với những yếu tố kỳ ảo không vậy?
Nói chung là, hơn cả là một câu chuyện về s.e.x, mà còn là gợi mở về những vấn đề tâm lý học hành vi. Chúng ta, những người đứng quan sát, sẽ không thể hiểu được, tại sao họ lại đưa ra quyết định như vậy. Vì sao? Lý do là gì?
.
「手紙なんてただの紙です」と僕は言った。「燃やしちゃっても心に残るものは残るし、とっておいても残らないものは残らないんです」
Thư chỉ là giấy thôi mà chị," tôi nói. "Cứ đốt chúng đi, và những gì còn lại trong lòng mình thì vẫn còn mãi; mà có giữ chúng thì những gì phai nh��t rồi cũng sẽ cứ phai nhạt."
.
"Ông đã để lại những gì? Một hiệu sách tầm tầm trong một khu phố tầm tầm với hai cô con gái mà ít nhất là tôi biết có một cô còn hơn cả hơi là lạ một chút. Một cuộc đời kiểu gì vậy? Tôi tự hỏi."
___
Chắc đa phần, ai cũng chỉ sống kiểu-như-vậy mà thôi. Một cuộc đời tầm thường. Nhưng suy cho cùng, chỉ như vậy thì cũng đâu có sao!
Mà rốt cuộc, mình cũng không biết bản thân đang sống kiểu gì nữa? Có một công việc cơ bản với mức lương tầm thường. Đi làm, rồi về nhà với tâm trạng kiệt sức (dạo gần đây là như vậy, khi mới chuyển nghề, và làm ở một công-ty-vớ-vẩn). Cuối tuần, tranh thủ lướt web, làm những thứ mà trong tuần không có thời gian để làm; như ghi chép, tìm hiểu nọ kia, giặt giũ. Và có những chuyến đi chơi trở về với thiên nhiên, để sạc lại năng lượng cho cả tháng (trước thì đi nhiều lắm, nhưng giờ thì đỡ rồi), với những người bạn cũng tầm thường như mình.
Thôi, thế cũng được rồi!
___
S.e.x cũng có, nhiều lần, mà công nhận là miêu tả cũng kỹ.
Nhưng hơn cả, "điểm xuyết" trong suốt 12 chương truyện, là những cái chết. Ngắn gọn và âm thầm, rằng những sự việc ấy xảy ra là một lẽ hiển nhiên. Khiến mình giật mình, rốt cuộc, từ giờ tới cuối truyện, sẽ còn thêm cái chết của ai nữa. (Khi đang đọc tới cái chết của bố Midori). Thời điểm, lý do, và cách chết cũng khác nhau.
Liệu những người còn sống, có thể mãi mãi nhớ về họ? Và sống hạnh phúc, thay cho cả phần của họ?
___
Tại sao lại là "Rừng Na Uy"? Đó là một bài hát yêu thích nhất của nữ chính. Và cô cũng đã lựa chọn để trở-về trong một khu rừng sâu. Thì còn lý do gì nữa không?
Chưa rõ đoạn đầu truyện, khi hai nhân vật trò chuyện với nhau, là ở thời điểm nào và ở đâu?
Cuối truyện, lại có đoạn miêu tả Toru với giây-phút-ảo-diệu, mơ hồ. Ơ, có phải đây là là một câu chuyện với những yếu tố kỳ ảo không vậy?
Nói chung là, hơn cả là một câu chuyện về s.e.x, mà còn là gợi mở về những vấn đề tâm lý học hành vi. Chúng ta, những người đứng quan sát, sẽ không thể hiểu được, tại sao họ lại đưa ra quyết định như vậy. Vì sao? Lý do là gì?
February 18, 2021
Even though I enjoyed the first part and thought it well written, overall I felt slightly disappointed for this being a Murakami work. The situational descriptions didn't draw me in as they could and should have, and the characters were right on the edge of being relatable; almost within grasp, frustrating me. I ploughed through long and gloomy stretches, and then suddenly I would burst out laughing by an unexpected humorous turn. Or I would be pondering an insight or be fascinated by the typically Japanese razor sharp remarks. Thus I read further, now picking up the pace, reinvigorated by each crumb I could collect. Don't get me wrong; it was a fine read, but I couldn't shake the feeling of missing out on what could have been, which made me wonder all the more about the second part.
June 26, 2025
No pude ni siquiera llegar al 承 y ya lo dejé porque es super aburrido.
Se llama "El bosque de Noruega" pero jamás JAMÁS se indaga más sobre el tema. Sólo una simple mención al principio de la obra para indicarte que se vio con ella por última vez (o después de un tiempo, jamás entendí si es un tipo flashback o si es en realidad el final y comienza así, pero luego te tira recuerdos de cómo fue la vida del protagonista antes de conocerla a ella, con todo el trayecto de esa relación mientras vivía su vida en el 寮 con sus compañeros de curso)
EN FIN... No la lean. Si están esperando misterio en algún bosque, o ese tipo de suspenso, misterio, policiales.... No lo es.
Ah, y la innecesariamente inmensa aluída al sexo. Eso sí que me la bajó.
Se llama "El bosque de Noruega" pero jamás JAMÁS se indaga más sobre el tema. Sólo una simple mención al principio de la obra para indicarte que se vio con ella por última vez (o después de un tiempo, jamás entendí si es un tipo flashback o si es en realidad el final y comienza así, pero luego te tira recuerdos de cómo fue la vida del protagonista antes de conocerla a ella, con todo el trayecto de esa relación mientras vivía su vida en el 寮 con sus compañeros de curso)
EN FIN... No la lean. Si están esperando misterio en algún bosque, o ese tipo de suspenso, misterio, policiales.... No lo es.
Ah, y la innecesariamente inmensa aluída al sexo. Eso sí que me la bajó.
January 20, 2023
This was the first novel I ever read in Japanese. When I read it some 30+ years ago, I loved it and I loved a lot of other of Murakami's books around that time. That said, his latest work is awful in my mind. So I felt I should go back and re-read this book to see if it really was so good.
It is still pretty good. The characters are well built and the story is captivating. I can see that much of the appeal was specific to me. Life in a Japanese university dorm. 60s/70s music. His taste in literature. Etc. It was a perfect fit for me at that time. It is still fun to read and does explain why I liked Murakami's writing back then when I so dislike it now.
It is still pretty good. The characters are well built and the story is captivating. I can see that much of the appeal was specific to me. Life in a Japanese university dorm. 60s/70s music. His taste in literature. Etc. It was a perfect fit for me at that time. It is still fun to read and does explain why I liked Murakami's writing back then when I so dislike it now.
September 19, 2024
4.0/5
This is the third time I reread this book. For the 1st I didn't enjoy it and turned it off. The 2nd time I read, I read with my joyfulness. And for the third time I'm still in love and still sobbing with every details Haruki has brought in this novel.
Perhaps death is an end of someone's life or the thing that drags another person to a snap; however, it's also a thing which needs to exist and that may not be sentimental at all. Just like Toru and Reiko have chosen to be alive, to continue living, to bring all their memories about the one they have met and loved and to see what the life has afterall.
This is the third time I reread this book. For the 1st I didn't enjoy it and turned it off. The 2nd time I read, I read with my joyfulness. And for the third time I'm still in love and still sobbing with every details Haruki has brought in this novel.
Perhaps death is an end of someone's life or the thing that drags another person to a snap; however, it's also a thing which needs to exist and that may not be sentimental at all. Just like Toru and Reiko have chosen to be alive, to continue living, to bring all their memories about the one they have met and loved and to see what the life has afterall.
September 21, 2017
So this is half of this book.
Which means I have to read another half of this at some point. Which I wouldn't mind, as Murakami's prose and dreamy style are intoxicating while imposing a sense of melancholy inevitability that creates a profound experience for the reader. His people are plausibly real, and one feels transported to Japan, 1969.
However.
I can just tell this doesn't end well. Despite the opportunity to read more about Midori, I feel nothing but foreboding for the back half of this book.
So...
Which means I have to read another half of this at some point. Which I wouldn't mind, as Murakami's prose and dreamy style are intoxicating while imposing a sense of melancholy inevitability that creates a profound experience for the reader. His people are plausibly real, and one feels transported to Japan, 1969.
However.
I can just tell this doesn't end well. Despite the opportunity to read more about Midori, I feel nothing but foreboding for the back half of this book.
So...
April 24, 2024
노르웨이의 숲은 하루키답지 않은 하루키 소설이다. 좋아하는 해변의 카프카와는 사뭇 다르다. 해변의 카프카에서의 하루키 특유의 간결한 문장과 현실과 가상이 흐려지는 난해한 이야기를 좋아했는데 이 책은 해당 작품만큼 책장이 빠르게 넘어가지 않았다. 본작에서도 어김없이 현실로부터 격리된 숲속 병원 등 하루키스러운 소재가 나오지만, 현실에 기반을 둔 연애 소설이다. 현실에 기반을 두었지만 인물의 행동이 마냥 현실적이지도 않아서 -특정 상황에 특정 행동을 하게 된 감정선을 이해할 수가 없다-, 책을 읽는 내내 현실과 이야기 사이에서 붕 뜬 느낌을 받았다. 그런 모호한 점이 누군가에게 본작의 매력이 될 수도 있겠지만 내게는 아니었다. 솔직히 억지로 결말까지 읽었고 1년이 지난 지금 줄거리조차 희미하다. 두 여주인공의 매력도 잘 모르겠거니와 남자 주인공의 매력은 더더욱 모르겠다. 사랑 없는 섹스씬은 맥락 상 납득이 가지만, 여기서 왜 나와야하는지 이해할 수 없는 성적인 문장들은 본작의 매력을 반감시킨다.
March 6, 2024
romanzo di formazione abbastanza tosto.
un libro che fa tanto riflettere sulla vita e sulla morte ragion per cui l'ho trovato molto riflessivo, autentico e malinconico; amo la caratterizzazione dei personaggi seppur così diversi tra loro. avrei voluto leggerlo tutto d'un fiato ma emotivamente è stata un po' dura quindi andrebbe assaporato con i propri tempi, non correte.
nonostante sia molto descrittivo è un capolavoro per quanto significativo!
un libro che fa tanto riflettere sulla vita e sulla morte ragion per cui l'ho trovato molto riflessivo, autentico e malinconico; amo la caratterizzazione dei personaggi seppur così diversi tra loro. avrei voluto leggerlo tutto d'un fiato ma emotivamente è stata un po' dura quindi andrebbe assaporato con i propri tempi, non correte.
nonostante sia molto descrittivo è un capolavoro per quanto significativo!
September 5, 2020
渡边不善交际没有几个朋友，实际上是找不到志同道合之人，于是沉浸在自己的世界里，直到与绿子的不期而遇。 虽然他没有几个朋友，自木月死后更是不再有交心的朋友，直到遇见绿子。他可以毫无保留地把自己交给绿子，同她天南地北，任凭世事如何翻转，只要在绿子的怀里，一切都没那么所谓了。 直子选择自杀后渡边四处流浪，忘我地于直子消失的世界里继续与她同行，而一个月后渡边回到京都发现自己的心境与一个月前无异时，终于放弃了抵抗。 小说的最后，绿子在电话的另一头久久沉默不语，沉默的能听见全世界所有的细雨落在全世界所有的草坪上的声音。良久绿子问道渡边你现在在哪里。 所有的话都想要看着你的眼睛说完，所有的眼泪都要在你的怀里流干。然后
September 5, 2022
比想像中還喜歡，沒想過自己居然是吃村上電波的人。
雖然此本書是村上少見的寫實之作，沒有其他作品中奇異的展開，近乎直白的以第一人稱在描述主角渡邊的大學生活。
最初想讀這本書不是因為伍佰，而是駱以軍的《降生十二星座》。「如何進入他人之心」是永恆不朽的題目，渡邊極其一生都無法進入的直子之心，我甚至懷疑早逝的 Kizuki 是否有進入過呢？
村上在本書中一再描寫的，秀異少年、看似擁有一切的無暇的人，突然間像是做足了一切準備般，選擇自己結束生命，課桌上取而代之的是一束悼念的花。這一切都熟悉到令人心驚，已經有好幾年沒想起她了。
可能是因為如此，對於渡邊和直子更能夠有所共感，能夠理解渡邊即使在變化極度劇烈（罷課、學運輪流上演）的世界裡，仍然像和外界隔了一層灰色的膜一般抽離。
雖然此本書是村上少見的寫實之作，沒有其他作品中奇異的展開，近乎直白的以第一人稱在描述主角渡邊的大學生活。
最初想讀這本書不是因為伍佰，而是駱以軍的《降生十二星座》。「如何進入他人之心」是永恆不朽的題目，渡邊極其一生都無法進入的直子之心，我甚至懷疑早逝的 Kizuki 是否有進入過呢？
村上在本書中一再描寫的，秀異少年、看似擁有一切的無暇的人，突然間像是做足了一切準備般，選擇自己結束生命，課桌上取而代之的是一束悼念的花。這一切都熟悉到令人心驚，已經有好幾年沒想起她了。
可能是因為如此，對於渡邊和直子更能夠有所共感，能夠理解渡邊即使在變化極度劇烈（罷課、學運輪流上演）的世界裡，仍然像和外界隔了一層灰色的膜一般抽離。
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