Kafka On The Shore and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more


or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Start reading Kafka On The Shore on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Kafka On The Shore [Paperback]

Haruki Murakami (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
Price: £6.29 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.70 (30%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 6 left in stock (more on the way).
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.
Want delivery by Thursday, 23 May? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £5.98   -- --
Hardcover --   -- --
Paperback £6.29   -- --
Audio, CD, Audiobook, Box set, Unabridged £38.00   -- --
Audio Download, Unabridged £14.99 or Free with Audible.co.uk 30-day free trial
Books Trade-In
Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more.

Book Description

Publication Date: 6 Oct 2005

Kafka Tamura runs away from home at fifteen, under the shadow of his father's dark prophesy.

The aging Nakata, tracker of lost cats, who never recovered from a bizarre childhood affliction, finds his pleasantly simplified life suddenly turned upside down.

As their parallel odysseys unravel, cats converse with people; fish tumble from the sky; a ghost-like pimp deploys a Hegel-spouting girl of the night; a forest harbours soldiers apparently un-aged since World War II. There is a savage killing, but the identity of both victim and killer is a riddle - one of many which combine to create an elegant and dreamlike masterpiece.

(20050217)

Frequently Bought Together

Kafka On The Shore + Norwegian Wood + The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Price For All Three: £18.87

Buy the selected items together

Product details

  • Paperback: 505 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; New Ed edition (6 Oct 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0099458322
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099458326
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 3.2 x 20 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Haruki Murakami Page
Haruki Murakami
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Review

"Wonderful... Magical and outlandish" (Daily Mail )

"A magnificently bewildering achievement... Brilliantly conceived, bold in its surreal scope, sexy and driven by a snappy plot... Exuberant storytelling" (Independent on Sunday )

"Cool, fluent and addictive" (Daily Telegraph )

"Hypnotic, spellbinding" (The Times )

"Addictive... Exhilarating... A pleasure" (Evening Standard )

Book Description

Cats converse with people; fish tumble from the sky... A bewitching and wildly inventive novel from a master stylist (20050217)
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
66 of 69 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling 5 Nov 2006
By Omnipotent
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...
1 Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Yet another left field hit for Murakami 14 Feb 2005
By "marcuscree"
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.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Puzzling 27 Aug 2008
By S. J. Lynch
Format:Paperback
This was my first experience of Murakami, so I had no preconceptions when I read the book. I finished it last night and I'm still rather baffled so apologies for the vagueness of this review, but as another reviewer said the story is so complex and confusing a summary would be practically impossible.
My first thoughts on starting reading it: this is a massive book; the writing style is so fluid, the descriptions so clear, you can really see and almost hear the scenes described; I'm really going to enjoy this. That Murakami is an immensely talented writer is obvious. But the story... It's so sprawling, the dual quest story, and complex that when I was reading I was thinking about the notes Murakami must have made before he started, (I don't know if he works like this, it's conjecture) the chapter summaries taking him closer to the conclusion. I admired his scope and planning as well as his writing skills. Well, having finished I still don't know if there is a true conclusion, and I'm not sure he did either.
Ambiguity is fine if there is a point there somewhere, if there's something to decipher that's murky and open to interpretation, but really, what is there here to interpret? There's a hollowness to this. Quests should be universal, applicable to everyman. The themes here are ostensibly love, betrayal and revenge but very much of the characters, and not universal, so it's hard to relate. It's a shame, because the narrative does drive along at a cracking pace. I really wanted it to be great. Maybe I didn't care too much about the characters (aside from Nakata). I guess that's the difficulty of writing about flawed characters - if you do it too well their flaws supercede any pity or love you might feel for them.
I really wanted to love this book, and I will never forget it. Parts really made me think and his style is superb. But it's not a good story and the ending was such a cop-out I feel cheated, hence the three stars. I want to read more by this great writer though. (I saw the 'chidlren' typo too - naughty proof-reader!)
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars A long and strange tale. . .
The second book I have read by Murakami, the first being 'the wind up bird chronicle'.

This was pretty easy to read and follow but some passages could be long winded at... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Jimmm
2.0 out of 5 stars I wish it had ended sooner
I'm not a big Murakami fan but I was told this was his best novel so thought I'd give it a go.

All i can say is, I have got literally no idea what this guy is talking... Read more
Published 19 days ago by Rhapsody In Blonde
5.0 out of 5 stars mysterious and dreamlike - a great novel
If you have read Murakami before you already rather know what to expect and you won't be disappointed - lots of supernatural happenings, cats, music, solitude, young love, and a... Read more
Published 23 days ago by markr
5.0 out of 5 stars Other worldly
This book tells the story of a fifteen-year-old boy's journey through a storm, a right of passage that transforms him into a man. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Al Gavin
5.0 out of 5 stars Kafka gives me something to think about
There was something hypnotic about this book - it wrapped me up in itself and I will always remember it
Published 1 month ago by julia lewis
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, unique, extraordinary, surreal, romantic.
I've read this book twice. It was compelling the second time, too. I don't feel like trying to put into words the effect this book has had on me. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Adam abdelnoor
5.0 out of 5 stars Goodness what a story.
It is a very absorbing tale with wonderful characters and very odd, sometimes disturbing, other times stunning imagery. Highly recommend.
Published 1 month ago by K A Evans
5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting
A big fan of Murakami I am now re-reading all of his books. They are beautifully written, full of a sense of peace, but you do have to embrace the fact that you will not understand... Read more
Published 1 month ago by S. F. C. Savva
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favourites, despite the vagueness of it all
This is the fourth Murakami-book I've read so far (counting the 1Q81 triology as one), and it did not disappoint. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lunaire
5.0 out of 5 stars A metaphor inside a metaphor.
Like quantum mechanics, if you think you understand it, you don't understand it. The more I read "Kafka..." the more it moves me.
Published 2 months ago by Mr C J Shaw
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

There's a problem loading this menu at the moment.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.

    Your Shopping Basket is empty.

    Give it purpose -- fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics and more.

    If you already have an account, sign in.

    There's a problem previewing your shopping basket at the moment.

    Check your Internet connection and go to your cart, or try again.

    View Shopping Basket (0 items)

      Customer Discussions

      This product's forum
      Discussion Replies Latest Post
      No discussions yet

      Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
      Start a new discussion
      Topic:
      First post:
      Prompts for sign-in
       


      Active discussions in related forums
      Search Customer Discussions
      Search all Amazon discussions
         
      Related forums

      Listmania!

      Create a Listmania! list

      Look for similar items by category

      Feedback


      Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges