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Kafka On The Shore
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Review
`His books are very moving and poetic' --Red Magazine
Haruki Murakami is the David Lynch of literature; everything doesn t always make sense, but it's so compelling you can't stop listening or trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Such is the case with Murakami's mind-bending Kafka on the Shore, which follows the lives of 15-year-old Kafka and an old man named Nakata, who might be aspects of the same person... or maybe not. What we do know is that Kafka runs away from home to find his lost mother and sister and winds up living in a library in the seaside town of Takamatsu, where he spends his days reading literature. Then he's suspected of being involved in a murder. In alternating chapters, we also hear the story of Nakata, who makes a living as a 'cat whisperer,' searching for lost pets. He embarks on a road trip searching for a particularly hard to find cat, traveling far away from his home for the first time, and the narrative suggests he's fated to meet Kafka. But does he? Oh, and there's also truly bizarre appearances by Johnnie Walker and Colonel Sanders. Oliver Le Sueur as Kafka and Sean Barrett as Nakata both give hypnotic readings of the main and supporting characters. Le Sueur performs double duty for Kafka and the teen's inner voice, Crow, reading with such gravitas that you might find yourself leaning forward a bit with expectancy for the next line of dialogue or intricate detail. Barrett's deep, warm voice is perfectly grandfatherly as Nakata, whose uncertain destination and deep wonder at the world he has never seen is the lynchpin of the novel. Barrett's voice is a national treasure in Britain having voiced Shakespeare, Dickens, and Beckett and you'll wish he narrated just about every book once you hear how he commits to Nakata. As Kafka prepares to leave home, his alter ego tells the boy that he's about to enter a metaphysical and symbolic storm. 'Once the storm is over you won't remember how you made it through how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure if the storm is over, but one thing is certain when you come out of the storm you won't be the same person who walked in.' That can also be said of any listener who chooses to explore Murakami's beautiful, enigmatic world --Audible
Haruki Murakami is the David Lynch of literature; everything doesn t always make sense, but it's so compelling you can't stop listening or trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Such is the case with Murakami's mind-bending Kafka on the Shore, which follows the lives of 15-year-old Kafka and an old man named Nakata, who might be aspects of the same person... or maybe not. What we do know is that Kafka runs away from home to find his lost mother and sister and winds up living in a library in the seaside town of Takamatsu, where he spends his days reading literature. Then he's suspected of being involved in a murder. In alternating chapters, we also hear the story of Nakata, who makes a living as a 'cat whisperer,' searching for lost pets. He embarks on a road trip searching for a particularly hard to find cat, traveling far away from his home for the first time, and the narrative suggests he's fated to meet Kafka. But does he? Oh, and there's also truly bizarre appearances by Johnnie Walker and Colonel Sanders. Oliver Le Sueur as Kafka and Sean Barrett as Nakata both give hypnotic readings of the main and supporting characters. Le Sueur performs double duty for Kafka and the teen's inner voice, Crow, reading with such gravitas that you might find yourself leaning forward a bit with expectancy for the next line of dialogue or intricate detail. Barrett's deep, warm voice is perfectly grandfatherly as Nakata, whose uncertain destination and deep wonder at the world he has never seen is the lynchpin of the novel. Barrett's voice is a national treasure in Britain having voiced Shakespeare, Dickens, and Beckett and you'll wish he narrated just about every book once you hear how he commits to Nakata. As Kafka prepares to leave home, his alter ego tells the boy that he's about to enter a metaphysical and symbolic storm. 'Once the storm is over you won't remember how you made it through how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure if the storm is over, but one thing is certain when you come out of the storm you won't be the same person who walked in.' That can also be said of any listener who chooses to explore Murakami's beautiful, enigmatic world --Audible
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 63 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
What a wonderful book, the definition of a page-turner. The novel is really two stories in one, and slowly they both loosely intersect. The first main character is Kafka, a 15 year old boy who hates his father, so he runs away from home to find himself. The other main character is an elderly man called Nakata, who is rendered mentally defective at a young age and then develops the ability to talk to cats (no really). So much happens in 'Kafka on the Shore' that it would be fruitless for me to write an overview, but what I really loved about this book is that you get completely lost in Kafka's journey and want to know what's going to happen next, and then the following chapter is about Nakata. At first you start reading faster to get back to Kafka's story but then you get engulfed by Nakata's, and the same happens again when you get back to Kafka - it's brilliant. I thought the ending was a little cliché at first, but once I thought about it, I realised it was just a return to the normalcy that began the book. Highly recommended...
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This author is smply breathtaking. Any readers familiar with his earlier novels will know what to expect in 'Kafka On The Shore' and they will not be disapointed at all. Murakami brings us typically enigmatic female characters, teenagers in emotional turmoil and the type of time/reality bending that he currently sets the gold standard for.
I believe that in this novel he has created some of his most entertaining leads to date, and has delivered a story that is almost painful to read with the sense of personal loss that it conveys.
I was particularly impressed with the authors refusal to provide neat closure on all issues. Murakami knows that life is simply more complex than that and always leaves certain questions in his books unanswered. This along with the semi mystical world he has again conjured up make this book absolutely delightful to read.
Explaining the plot of a book like this is wrong in a review, but suffice to say that if you have not read any of his work before, this book is an excellent starting point and I fully believe that if you get yourself a copy and give up a weekend to it, you will be very happy you did, and will probably work through his whole catalogue. I know of nobody who has failed to fall under Marukami's spell.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I can't think of a book that I've read that has so many things going on. It is an overflowing pot full of ideas and sequences competing for your attention. I am still digesting the book - only finished it this morning - but it seems to me the book is about metaphor and writing. There is a world of meaning but it's fleeting and if you try to hold on to it you do so at a great cost. Ultimately, the task is futile. There is also a message about growing up and renewal - we must leave things we love behind and move on. We can carry memories with us. But memories that are held too tightly become like a weight too heavy to bear. Ultimately though this book probably defies synopsis and that is probably the point. It is about the 90% of our mind that we only glimpse through dreams or actions we can't fully understand. It defies rational explanation.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
I could not give it 5 stars
I'd echo much of Felix Valencia's review. It's good read much of it a real page turner with some wonderful philosophical insights, notwithstanding the American English translation... Read more
Published 8 days ago by J. Hadaway
An Illuminating Labyrinth
This is a book about the power and effect of art. Murakami deploys concepts of labyrinth, allusion, escape, transcendence and connectivity to demonstrate the workings of story. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Freelancer Frank
a good intro to Murakami
Murakami is one of my favourite authors. Having read all his books, I chose to buy Kafka on the shore as a present for a friend as I think it's a good kick off point to enjoy ing... Read more
Published 1 month ago by EH
Thirst quencher, with a bitter aftertaste
Giving this book a three-star rating seems unjust. When reading it, I found much I liked about the work, yet having had a few days to digest it, find myself struggling to justify... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Felix Valencia
Excellent read
Really enjoyed this book. Unusual, interesting and well written. A recommended read. This was the first of Murakami books I ave read and now I am addicted.
Published 4 months ago by Shaolin
Strange but enchanting
This is the first novel by Murakami that I have read, after deciding to try his work after reading "What I talk about when I talk about running". Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mark B
awsome!!
One of the best reads I've had in a very long time. As a 'Life of Pi' fan, I like interesting stories that are a bit out there; this fab book with its twists and turns is... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Ruth Hage
A masterpiece
Just read it!
Prepare to be mesmerized, enchanted, taken to far away places.
It's an easy introduction to the mysterious contemporary Japan that Mr. Read more
Prepare to be mesmerized, enchanted, taken to far away places.
It's an easy introduction to the mysterious contemporary Japan that Mr. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Pierre Dybman
A completely new experience!
I have just finished this,my first Murakami novel,and the blend of fantasy, humour and philosophy has left me wanting more! Read more
Published 7 months ago by coverstory
WOW
A must-read for all Murakami fans. I think it's my favourite of all his great reads. For me, no writer takes me on a more interesting journey!
Published 7 months ago by C. Johnson
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