Paul’s review of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle > Likes and Comments
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I attempted to read it in Japanese but later finished the Chinese edition (which I thought would be closer to the original...I mean, they're kind of near each other....yeah...)Anyway, both versions were broken down to 3 books, which made it a lot easier to carry and the distinction between the three clearer. I wonder what reading the whole thing in one book is like.
Ooooh I'm not too far into this (I put it on hold and finished The Girl Who Played With Fire) but wow it is crazy so far. I can't wait to see where it leads! LOL and then I can't wait to see your review!
Sorry guys, I had to give this one up..... see review.... aaarrgh....
Paul,now if you could please enhance on the 'naked woman' visualization it would be lovely:)
Okay - it's an interactive review! I have added more about the naked woman. Disappointingly, she left after 15 minutes.
I do not know why. As you may have noticed, I do not know anything at all.
LOL!
I've always had this vague feeling that I ought to stay away from Murakami. I'm afraid you've really confirmed it.
Vague is the precise word for this guy! Please let me know if you would like any further additions to the above review - it's interactive!
LMAO A+++
Don't forget to complain about your spaghetti either! You made such a fuss about it!
PS - I have a bit to go but actually found myself putting it down to read some other books. Ironically I put it down to read a completely different book about The Wind Up Girl because The Wind Up Bird Chronicle said I should.
Well, I enjoyed it way more than you did, but I had to vote for your review which came quite close to how dream-like the novel was.
Actually I'm surprised my house hasn't already been surrounded by angy Goodreaders with burning torches - there's a lot of Murakami love on this site! Maybe they're on their way in a plane from America...
Honestly, Paul, who would allow you to board a plane while carrying a flaming torch nowadays? They wouldn't even let me take my pitchfork last time I wanted to help lynch a guy who'd been making disrespectful remarks about Flaubert and Nabokov.
Excuse me for sounding bitter, but al-Quaeda have just ruined it for all of us moderate fanatics.
Honestly Paul, I was about to punch you through the screen.Alas! the whole "naked woman" thing(Thanks!for the extra depiction)sprinkled my attention. I reckon Manny is correct about the fading temperament of the moderate fanatics.LOL...Did you read Sputnik Sweetheart?
Hi Praj - no, did not read that. Wind Up Bird is my first and last Murakami. I think he is a touch too pataphysical for me. It's all a bit like somebody telling you his 600 page dream. And listening to people telling me their dreams is not my favourite form of entertainment. It would probably rank just below having my foot sawn off.
Manny - if you were going for the traditional flaming brand, then maybe you could claim at check-in that the brand was a job lot of thin walking sticks. And you could light them when you get off the plane, rather than before you get on. Just a thought.
Hm. I don't know why I didn't think of that myself. Obvious really. It's a sort of low-tech version of Day of the Jackal, right?
Okay... if anyone wants to diss Flaubert or Nabokov, I've now got a fully worked-out plan. I've already broken one leg in preparation, to make the walking stick story more plausible. Consider yourself warned!
You see, it worked - you didn't get arrested because here you are... unless they allow you a Blackberry in your cell.
Luckily, it turned out that I only torched a lifesize Paris Hilton sex doll in a Versace dress. It's so similar to the real thing that you can easily understand my mistake. My lawyer says there won't be a problem.
I am not a Murakami fan (though I admit when I first came across his stories, years ago, in The New Yorker, I thought they were something special). I was happy to find this inventive inspired review.
Love your review very creative, I haven't read any works by Murakami, well I have tried to read Kafka on the Shore and after 10 pages I give up *coughs*
Thanks for recommending, I didn't really get it why there are so many Murakami worshipers, what's so special about him?
ah okay what's your most favorite book by Murakami then?
ah okay I might try to read that one then
That's made my (cold) morning Brian, thanks - and you know I'm gonna get me one of those hall of fames too. Everyone should have one.
When I looked up a completely naked woman was sitting at the table eating a slice of thinly buttered toast.
I imagine that the toast had been buttered with her tears, but would appreciate your clarification on this important point.
As I recall she told me that it wasn't impossible that she could have buttered if not that particular piece of toast with her tears, then one uncannily similar, but yet it was not the right time to confirm this one way or another. I later dreamed that I was spreading clumsily cut pieces of toast with great gobs of golden butter. Then I woke, and felt intensely sad that it was only a metaphor. My cat was sitting by my bed and looked me directly in the eye. "Shit, man," it said, "can you just like turn a tap somewhere and all this goofy stuff just pours right out?" "Pretty much," I said. Later that day I sat at the bottom of my dead neighbour's dry well, and passing strangers threw down their unwanted copies of Kafka, Raymond Carver, biographies of John Lennon, and collections of Japanese folk tales. They came in useful later on, when I decided to leave the well and found my rope ladder had been eaten by the woman whose sister I had had a brief affair with between 9 and 9.15 that morning. It all began to make a kind of sense, but not the kind you can make any sense out of.
Paul's review is really unreal. If you wrote 606 pages of this sort of stuff, I would buy it, so I could read it in between Murakami books. You have to know your stuff pretty well to be able to parody it this well. Either that or you just have to be good at paraphrasing. (Does that make it a parady?) Then again, the original has to be pretty good for the parody to be worth reading. If you know what I mean. I think you need a bird in the review. Perhaps an elephant, but that might be overkill. Also, the alley should have two dead ends. A sister would be good too. Perhaps you could meet up with her in a hotel room? We also need to know what music you are listening to.
You should do your own continuing ongoing parody! In fact everyone who reads this should do one and we should join them all together and publish it.
I once had a bird or should I say she once had me.
She had a passing resemblance to Halle Berry.
She showed me her room, and said "isn't it good, this neighbourhood?"
She asked me to stay and said she'd written a book.
It took her years to write, would I take a look.
I read a few pages of parody and started to laugh.
It was then that she told me she was only one half.
She had a twin sister called Sally she'd like me to meet.
She lived in an alley at the end of the street.
She told me she worked in the morning and went off to bed.
I left her room, a brand new idea in my head.
When I got there, that alley was dead at both ends,
Just me, a black cat and a few of its friends.
Of course, a Murakami musical... it's so obvious...
We have to think of a title: what about "Most People Wouldn't But (Norwegian Would)"? Or "Hard-Boiled Egg and the Wonder of the World"? Sorry, I must stop drinking while I type.
Awesome review. A nice way to finish up my hazy time with Murakami - with a good laugh!
Thanks Jenifer. I see from your review that first you liked it and then you got the idea, as did I, that nothing was going to be explained, no sense was going to be made of it, just more stuff.
Yeah. I finished it though. Does that make me a sucker or does that make you a quitter?
well, I have a shelf called "Abandoned Half-Way"
You are way braver (smarter) than me. I tend to be a bit compulsive. Once I start something, it's hard for me to quit. Crazy, I know.
Brilliant review, Paul. I HATED this book, and the only reason I kept reading until the end was that I couldn't imagine it was as pointless as it was. This book is garbage.
Wowwww.... you read till the end and you can't sue Murakami for your time back, that's real bad. But thanks for the kind words! (I have watched movies on the same principal - there must be a point to this... and then there wasn't.)
These books and movies must belong to a secret society of time thieves.
I actually liked the book but your review is hilarious
It's my pleasure... maybe I'll get the job of writing Wind Up II : Back from the Well if Mr Murakami can't be bothered.
Paul wrote: "It's my pleasure... maybe I'll get the job of writing Wind Up II : Back from the Well if Mr Murakami can't be bothered."
Paul, you should do volume 2 of Dylan's Chronicles while you're at it.
Probably the funniest review I have read for a long time. yes, it's time you started writing your own books.
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Nov 01, 2010 04:09AM
I attempted to read it in Japanese but later finished the Chinese edition (which I thought would be closer to the original...I mean, they're kind of near each other....yeah...)Anyway, both versions were broken down to 3 books, which made it a lot easier to carry and the distinction between the three clearer. I wonder what reading the whole thing in one book is like.
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Ooooh I'm not too far into this (I put it on hold and finished The Girl Who Played With Fire) but wow it is crazy so far. I can't wait to see where it leads! LOL and then I can't wait to see your review!
Sorry guys, I had to give this one up..... see review.... aaarrgh....
Paul,now if you could please enhance on the 'naked woman' visualization it would be lovely:)
Okay - it's an interactive review! I have added more about the naked woman. Disappointingly, she left after 15 minutes.
I do not know why. As you may have noticed, I do not know anything at all.LOL!
I've always had this vague feeling that I ought to stay away from Murakami. I'm afraid you've really confirmed it.
Vague is the precise word for this guy! Please let me know if you would like any further additions to the above review - it's interactive!
LMAO A+++Don't forget to complain about your spaghetti either! You made such a fuss about it!
PS - I have a bit to go but actually found myself putting it down to read some other books. Ironically I put it down to read a completely different book about The Wind Up Girl because The Wind Up Bird Chronicle said I should.
Well, I enjoyed it way more than you did, but I had to vote for your review which came quite close to how dream-like the novel was.
Actually I'm surprised my house hasn't already been surrounded by angy Goodreaders with burning torches - there's a lot of Murakami love on this site! Maybe they're on their way in a plane from America...
Honestly, Paul, who would allow you to board a plane while carrying a flaming torch nowadays? They wouldn't even let me take my pitchfork last time I wanted to help lynch a guy who'd been making disrespectful remarks about Flaubert and Nabokov. Excuse me for sounding bitter, but al-Quaeda have just ruined it for all of us moderate fanatics.
Honestly Paul, I was about to punch you through the screen.Alas! the whole "naked woman" thing(Thanks!for the extra depiction)sprinkled my attention. I reckon Manny is correct about the fading temperament of the moderate fanatics.LOL...Did you read Sputnik Sweetheart?
Hi Praj - no, did not read that. Wind Up Bird is my first and last Murakami. I think he is a touch too pataphysical for me. It's all a bit like somebody telling you his 600 page dream. And listening to people telling me their dreams is not my favourite form of entertainment. It would probably rank just below having my foot sawn off.
Manny - if you were going for the traditional flaming brand, then maybe you could claim at check-in that the brand was a job lot of thin walking sticks. And you could light them when you get off the plane, rather than before you get on. Just a thought.
Hm. I don't know why I didn't think of that myself. Obvious really. It's a sort of low-tech version of Day of the Jackal, right?Okay... if anyone wants to diss Flaubert or Nabokov, I've now got a fully worked-out plan. I've already broken one leg in preparation, to make the walking stick story more plausible. Consider yourself warned!
You see, it worked - you didn't get arrested because here you are... unless they allow you a Blackberry in your cell.
Luckily, it turned out that I only torched a lifesize Paris Hilton sex doll in a Versace dress. It's so similar to the real thing that you can easily understand my mistake. My lawyer says there won't be a problem.
I am not a Murakami fan (though I admit when I first came across his stories, years ago, in The New Yorker, I thought they were something special). I was happy to find this inventive inspired review.
Love your review very creative, I haven't read any works by Murakami, well I have tried to read Kafka on the Shore and after 10 pages I give up *coughs*
Thanks for recommending, I didn't really get it why there are so many Murakami worshipers, what's so special about him?
ah okay what's your most favorite book by Murakami then?
ah okay I might try to read that one then
That's made my (cold) morning Brian, thanks - and you know I'm gonna get me one of those hall of fames too. Everyone should have one.
When I looked up a completely naked woman was sitting at the table eating a slice of thinly buttered toast.I imagine that the toast had been buttered with her tears, but would appreciate your clarification on this important point.
As I recall she told me that it wasn't impossible that she could have buttered if not that particular piece of toast with her tears, then one uncannily similar, but yet it was not the right time to confirm this one way or another. I later dreamed that I was spreading clumsily cut pieces of toast with great gobs of golden butter. Then I woke, and felt intensely sad that it was only a metaphor. My cat was sitting by my bed and looked me directly in the eye. "Shit, man," it said, "can you just like turn a tap somewhere and all this goofy stuff just pours right out?" "Pretty much," I said. Later that day I sat at the bottom of my dead neighbour's dry well, and passing strangers threw down their unwanted copies of Kafka, Raymond Carver, biographies of John Lennon, and collections of Japanese folk tales. They came in useful later on, when I decided to leave the well and found my rope ladder had been eaten by the woman whose sister I had had a brief affair with between 9 and 9.15 that morning. It all began to make a kind of sense, but not the kind you can make any sense out of.
Paul's review is really unreal. If you wrote 606 pages of this sort of stuff, I would buy it, so I could read it in between Murakami books. You have to know your stuff pretty well to be able to parody it this well. Either that or you just have to be good at paraphrasing. (Does that make it a parady?) Then again, the original has to be pretty good for the parody to be worth reading. If you know what I mean. I think you need a bird in the review. Perhaps an elephant, but that might be overkill. Also, the alley should have two dead ends. A sister would be good too. Perhaps you could meet up with her in a hotel room? We also need to know what music you are listening to.
You should do your own continuing ongoing parody! In fact everyone who reads this should do one and we should join them all together and publish it.
I once had a bird or should I say she once had me. She had a passing resemblance to Halle Berry.
She showed me her room, and said "isn't it good, this neighbourhood?"
She asked me to stay and said she'd written a book.
It took her years to write, would I take a look.
I read a few pages of parody and started to laugh.
It was then that she told me she was only one half.
She had a twin sister called Sally she'd like me to meet.
She lived in an alley at the end of the street.
She told me she worked in the morning and went off to bed.
I left her room, a brand new idea in my head.
When I got there, that alley was dead at both ends,
Just me, a black cat and a few of its friends.
Of course, a Murakami musical... it's so obvious...
We have to think of a title: what about "Most People Wouldn't But (Norwegian Would)"? Or "Hard-Boiled Egg and the Wonder of the World"? Sorry, I must stop drinking while I type.
Awesome review. A nice way to finish up my hazy time with Murakami - with a good laugh!
Thanks Jenifer. I see from your review that first you liked it and then you got the idea, as did I, that nothing was going to be explained, no sense was going to be made of it, just more stuff.
Yeah. I finished it though. Does that make me a sucker or does that make you a quitter?
well, I have a shelf called "Abandoned Half-Way"
You are way braver (smarter) than me. I tend to be a bit compulsive. Once I start something, it's hard for me to quit. Crazy, I know.
Brilliant review, Paul. I HATED this book, and the only reason I kept reading until the end was that I couldn't imagine it was as pointless as it was. This book is garbage.
Wowwww.... you read till the end and you can't sue Murakami for your time back, that's real bad. But thanks for the kind words! (I have watched movies on the same principal - there must be a point to this... and then there wasn't.)
These books and movies must belong to a secret society of time thieves.
I actually liked the book but your review is hilarious
It's my pleasure... maybe I'll get the job of writing Wind Up II : Back from the Well if Mr Murakami can't be bothered.
Paul wrote: "It's my pleasure... maybe I'll get the job of writing Wind Up II : Back from the Well if Mr Murakami can't be bothered."Paul, you should do volume 2 of Dylan's Chronicles while you're at it.
Probably the funniest review I have read for a long time. yes, it's time you started writing your own books.
