Tom’s Comments (group member since Mar 04, 2019)

Tom’s comments from the Lehman book club group.

Well... I finished The Prince last night. This was a tough one... sorry I inflicted it on the Lehman Book Club. I sure can pick 'em (re: Stardust). Even though I am not totally ignorant of history (ha ha... I have watched several TV shows on periods of the Roman empire, and 'The Borgias' on about the same time period of Machiavelli), this was really tough sledding. The map of Italy c. 1500, and the introduction in the version I read, did help. Even so, very 'dated' of course... so, maybe no longer relevant.

Anyway, the reason I picked this book was my understanding (don't know where I heard it) that many modern-day despots such as Hitler, Lenin, or Stalin used this as a sort of 'guidebook' to attaining and holding on to power. And, I suppose I can see that now (if it is true). I guess my take-home impression is that 'people have not changed' - as I was reading, I could think of many examples in my lifetime, where a 'prince' has risen or fallen according to the principles set down by Machiavelli - so, he was on to something. On the other hand, I could also think of cases that violated his rules. I suppose now it would be more interesting to sit down and review the history of a modern 'prince' to see where they may have followed and/or broke these 'rules' and the consequences.

Regardless, even though this is a short book, it was torture to slog through it. Someone else in the Book Club needs to pick next.

So, this is all 'spoiler' - so, do not read on unless you are done with the book.

(view spoiler)[OK, I still do not understand a darn thing about the little people, the air chrysalis, or any of that stuff. You will have to educate me on what sort of metaphorical mumbo-jumbo that is all about. I'm sure it must mean something. BUT, without all the puzzling magical realism, science fiction, or fantastical mystery stuff (which has me bamboozled)…

Two people meet briefly as children – a boy and a girl. They have affection for each other, but both lead, sad, lonely childhoods without loving parents. The two feel a deeper connection (love) for each other, but they never see each other again, and go on to lead completely separate and lonely lives in a sad, dangerous, world. Everything seems to be set against them in this terrible, cruel, world… but, for twenty years they never forget, they think about each other, wonder about each other, even long for each other.

What if they could meet again now, start over, and live happy lives, and together make a ‘new’ world for themselves?
Not such a far-fetched story, then. This seems to me to be something that many (most?) people have secretly felt at one point or another in their lives… I wonder what ‘so-and-so’ is doing now? Things would have turned out differently if only… What if you could take the magical stairway to a new world where you could have a second chance, everything would be better, and different?

So, one way to look at this story might be in that simplistic way… everything else wrapped around it is ‘window dressing’. For example, was ‘Kill Bill’ a story about a comic-book underworld of rival murderous ninja warrior clans… or about a woman who just wanted to have a baby and be a mom, but everyone (including her husband) was against her?(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

OK - I will use the 'spoiler alert' device to hide most of this until you are ready to read it. But, briefly (no spoiler) I enjoyed reading the book... so, do not give up if you are slogging it out. I did not have any epiphany about the book until I was in the last 5 or 6 chapters... then I think the author was trying to lay out what the book is all about (but, of course... I may have missed it entirely).

I am going to try posting something again - this will be for when you are done reading the book (I am).

yes... 'disturbing' is the right word... when I wrote in my earlier post that inch-by-inch the story gets tenser, and 'scarier' as you go along (and you will KNOW when you get there... there is a point in the story where "oh my God, what is going to happen here...") maybe 'disturbing' is more accurate emotional tenor than 'scary' but, either way, the author has created a bizarre circumstance that I still do not understand (I am about midway through book 3 now).
I have not read much 'magical realism' or fantastical literature, so I do not know about this stuff - but the unsettling and strange feel of this story reminds me of that other Japanese book about the guy who was trapped in the bottom of the sand pit who cannot get out... a very unfamiliar kind of story-telling. What kind of genre is this? Japanese? That book also had a bunch of unsettling sexual stuff, too. I also do not understand all the sexual undercurrent in this. Surely there must be a 'reason' (literary) for it... certainly not a 'turn on' like in some sort of romance literature. And without a spoiler... just saying, it will get more sexually disturbing as you go along...

OK - so, here are the main things I wrote about before, but got lost somehow when trying to post (this time not going to spend so much time on it... in case SNAFU occurs again).

I am now about the middle of 'book two' in 1Q84, and had some thoughts (no 'spoilers' so OK to read if not so far into book yet).

1) I wondered if there was any other way to tell this sort of story (two stories, actually) where you (as reader) are going back and forth in a clock-like manner from one story/character to the other story/character... and you imagine that somewhere down the line the two stories will meet, and you will see then how they are connected... I am now at the middle of book two, and the two stories are just now being connected (although relationship is intimated at points along the way). Anyway, I have read a lot of stories that follow this sort of format (Willa Cather's come to mind) and I cannot think of any other way to do it... just wondering... maybe there is no other way.

2) This guy Murakami is really very very good at slowly, steadily, tediously, step-by-step, inch-by-inch building tension and more tension, until it is damned maddening. He creates a small piece at a time this feeling of unease, hidden danger, and mystery as you follow the characters along... and you become actually fearful about what may happen in the next chapter. I do not read mysteries (as you know) and so this may just be something that a good mystery writer does - and I am just unfamiliar with it. Like the characters in the story, who feel that they are on a boat going down a river, toward a waterfall, but now it is too late to get out, and you are just all in it together, no changing course. A very good job I suppose for this sort of story-telling.

3) Murakami has references throughout to 'western' pop culture, literature, music, and so on... I find this interesting, since the book was obviously intended primarily for a Japanese reader - had to be translated - but, still has a very 'Japanese' sort of writing style or phrasing. I found the same thing in Cixin Liu's 'Three Body Problem' and sequels... just interesting. It seems that in Japan (and China) maybe the literary class at least, is much more familiar with 'western' literature and history, than we are of any 'eastern' culture, etc.

I am going to try instead to respond to one of your posts, and see if that works.