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The Elephant Vanishes
 
 
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The Elephant Vanishes (Paperback)

by Haruki Murakami (Author)
3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; New edition edition (8 Feb 2001)
  • ISBN-10: 0099448750
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099448754
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 17,643 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #14 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > M > Murakami, Haruki

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Product Description

Product Description
When a man's favourite elephant vanishes, the balance of his whole life is subtly upset; a couple's midnight hunger pangs drive them to hold up a McDonald's; a woman finds she is irresistible to a small green monster that burrows through her front garden; an insomniac wife wakes up to a twilight world of semi-consciousness in which anything seems possible - even death. In every one of the stories that make up The Elephant Vanishes, Murakami makes a determined assault on the normal. He has a deadpan genius for dislocating realities to uncover the surreal in the everday, the extraordinary in the ordinary.

About the Author
Haruki Murakami was born in Kyoto in 1949 and now lives near Tokyo.

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Funny, moving and thought provoking, 26 May 2004
By D. Jackson "davey jackson" (London UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I couldn't believe the average rating for this book when I looked it up on Amazon either and just had to comment. I've just finished this book and have thoroughly enjoyed it. In any collection like this there will be some pieces that are stronger than others but I suspect that different readers will realate to/get more out of each piece than others. The thing that really fascinated me is that some of the stories cover a fairly long period of time and are presented in the form of snapshots: specific scenes or observations that capture an emotion or a scene in such an effective way.

I was really drawn in to this book and couldn't put it down. The only reason I haven't given it five stars is that there are a few stories I didn't really get a lot of out but it certainly wasn't a chore to read them all the same.

I'm definitely going to go out and buy another book by this author. I hope that this is helpful to you!

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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars All things Japanese, 29 Aug 2003
It's late at night, I'm very tired but while looking around Amazon and seeing this book only getting one star, I had to put in my 5 cents, 2 dimes, 3p- whatever (I'm tired ok?) I recently read this book and it reflects exactly how the Japanese culture represents to me. Watching anime cartoons or meeting Japanese people, anything Japanese- brings a feeling in me that is encompassed in this book. The style of writing is simple, and unembarrassed- by that I mean it isn't over littered with psychologial, intellectual condescending tidbits here and there to please people who want to think they're reading something clever. Any intellectual musings you have about the stories, Murakami allows you to do for yourself. Overall, you've got to expect the eccentricity of some of the stories. Sometimes the endings are open, sometimes the conclusion is perfect. 'On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning' was one that definitely brought back that unique type of sadness that some Japanese animated films have- a sad, inexplicable melancholia. It made me think and is definitely one of the best short stories I've ever read not only because of it's originality, but also because of it's structure, it's form- jumping from present to future to past back to present again so seamlessly. In some ways, the simplicity of the narrative reminded of the novel 'Naive. Stupid' by Erlend Loe so expect a kind of scandanavian essence to his story-telling. Another notable aspect of this book is the way that Haruki Murakami makes the narrative so filmatic. Not only in describing his characters- but also the scents, the scenery, the colours- every nuance of the characters' environment is described poetically and again with that Japanese 'thing' that I can't put into words. Better get this book yourself and have a go if you're open minded and don't mind that haiku feeling in a story. I'm very interested in Japanese culture (this is a Chinese person speaking) so that probably helped but otherwise, it is a good book that I would recommend if you want to break away from conventional novel forms.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars the elephant communique, 9 Dec 2004
This is the first Murakami I've read and I'll admit to an unfamiliarity with Japanese fiction. I've only ever read Kazuo Ishiguro whom I suppose might better be described as Anglo-Japanese but I'm not here to debate national identities.

The Elephant Vanishes is quite a mixed bag. Some stories are grounded in a definite reality (Family Affair, The Last Lawn of the Afternoon); some flirt with surrealism (The Second Bakery Attack, The Elephant Vanishes); and others are horror stories (The Little Green Monster, TV People). There is even, in the most bizarre story in the book, a dystopian fairytale (The Dancing Dwarf). Murakami seems fascinated by contemporary alienation and loneliness. He doesn't offer many explanations but instead presents disparate snapshots of mostly-unnamed characters inhabiting their solitary worlds. Quiet, minimalist, and constructed with absolute precision this is the type of book to read whilst travelling alone on a plane flying high in the twilight ether.

p.s I listened to DJ Krush a lot reading this. Perhaps Japanese electronic music isn't for everybody but it made an extremely appropriate soundtrack.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars One Star...? Hmmmm
Simon Barrett's two line review (previously posted) isn't helpful when considering whether to read this book and as a thirty five year old I find him patronising... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Humpty D

4.0 out of 5 stars Seventeen original stories
There are 17 charming, funny and frequently puzzling short stories in "The Elephant Vanishes". Nearly all bear the author's particular style: a mixture of magical realism,... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Philippe Horak

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor Translation
When I started reading The Elephant Vanishes some time ago, I only managed to read a couple of stories and then felt I had to put it down, because the style is awful. Read more
Published on 18 May 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars Harumaki is a must-read, if you are a reader
Very rarely do I come across writers who I can enjoy "just for the ride" and also for the deeper thoughts provoked. Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2005

2.0 out of 5 stars Lost in Translation...
Heartily recommended by a (now ex-) girlfriend, this book of short stories has all the charm and emotion of a stone. Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2005

1.0 out of 5 stars Original?
Didn't Donald Barthelme get here first? (And don't nobody mention Kafka in the same breath!) Like his execrable Wind-up-bird Chronicles, sampled here, strictly for the under-30s... Read more
Published on 30 Jul 2003 by simon barrett

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