Norwegian Wood: Discover Haruki Murakami’s most beloved novel
£8.70£9.50 (-8%)
‘A masterly novel’ New York Times
‘Such is the exquisite, gossamer construction of Murakami’s writing that everything he chooses to describe trembles with symbolic possibility’ Guardian
Read the haunting love story that turned Murakami into a literary superstar.
When he hears her favourite Beatles song, Toru Watanabe recalls his first love Naoko, the girlfriend of his best friend Kizuki. Immediately he is transported back almost twenty years to his student days in Tokyo, adrift in a world of uneasy friendships, casual sex, passion, loss and desire – to a time when an impetuous young woman called Midori marches into his life and he has to choose between the future and the past.
*Murakami’s new book Novelist as a Vocation is available now*
‘Evocative, entertaining, sexy and funny; but then Murakami is one of the best writers around’ Time Out
‘Poignant, romantic and hopeless, it beautifully encapsulates the heartbreak and loss of faith’ Sunday Times
‘This book is undeniably hip, full of student uprisings, free love, booze and 1960s pop, it’s also genuinely emotionally engaging, and describes the highs of adolescence as well as the lows’ Independent on Sunday
Read more
Additional information
| Publisher | Vintage, 1st edition (1 Jan. 2003) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 389 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 9780099448822 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0099448822 |
| Dimensions | 19.8 x 12.9 x 2.4 cm |
by Rodgpeace
This is the first novel written by Murakami which I have read.
I greatly enjoyed the book and absorbed its 386 pages in just a 24 hour period.
I hade first read Novelist as a Vocation, which encouraged me to discover his writing style.
Although Norwegian Wood is less typical of Murakami’s writing style, I felt well immersed in Japanese culture from that era, set 50 years ago. I found it interesting to compare with that of Britain at a similar time, as I am the same age as the author.
by Shell
Reading about the complications of love from a male perspective was a first for me, and this, coupled with my romantic side and hopes of a happy ending kept me reading this story based on the lives of three young people with complex characters, who are connected to each other by student life, love and death. However, I often felt melancholy due to the general atmosphere of the story, which made it difficult for me to motivate myself to keep on coming back to it, as I knew it would affect my mood, and not for the better. But I did keep on going back to it and finishing it felt like a mini-achievement.
There is humour along the way which helps to lift the mood of the story. Early on in the book, Watanabe describes his dormitory room, which he shares with a rather straight-laced male student, nicknamed Storm Trooper, and refers to his room-mate’s choice in posters: ‘We didn’t even have pin-ups. No, we had a photo of a canal in Amsterdam.’ Then there is Nagasawa (Watanabe’s drinking buddy and the opposite of Storm Trooper), and his anecdote of the time he swallowed three huge slugs.
But most of the humour is provided by Midori, Watanabe’s quirky, uninhibited and salacious friend. For example, during a hospital visit to see her sick father, the range of conversation between her and Watanabe includes the three cucumbers her sister has packed in a bag for their dad (‘I mean, what’s a patient supposed to do? Sit in bed chewing on raw cucumbers?’), to Midori’s love of dirty movies. And boy, does she love them!
I want to mention a part in the story where Watanabe writes a letter to Naoko. He writes: ‘…in general I go on living with all the energy I can muster. Just as you take care of the birds and the fields every morning, every morning I wind my own spring.’ The concept of winding one’s own spring really resonated with me. It is such a brilliant way to describe that particular feeling of having to keep on getting on with life. I know I feel this way sometimes, and perhaps you do too.
The story will stay with me for a long time to come and I will definitely be seeking out the author’s other books. However, if like me, you consider yourself to be an emotional sponge, someone who easily empathises with other people, absorbs their emotions and internalises them, you may want to choose your moment wisely before you sit down to read this book; sadness lies within.
by C Menti
Murakami at his best – easy, engaging and quick to read. Great read with deep but not irreal story.
by Toby Glover
A wonderful writing style that captivates from the first page. This book is a fascinating first person account of a young man in Osaka and focuses on the relationships he has while studying. I really enjoyed it. It is one of Murakamu’s best.
by The Bullsh*t Detector
I was unsure about this book before reading it as love stories aren’t my thing but this was so beautifully well written that I didn’t want it to end.
by S A.
Moving storyline. Sometimes a bit too much detail but the story moves fast and the characters all have a clear identity. Relieved about the ending!
by Cheryl Wilson
Loved the story and the characters very much
Unputdownable to me
by Lizzie
Recommended as an author by my daughter. I was expecting something, perhaps a little more consistent and meaningful. There were times I felt Murakami was speaking in idioms and contradicting his previous passages working on an ethereal level with a crass statement such as ‘so what’s wrong with you?’
His relationship with the two girls was interesting and reminded me of Miriam and Clara from ‘sons and lovers’. Except he’s not proactive with either of them, preferring to sidetrack from the issue by retreating or discussing sex with other girls.
Maybe at the end of the day I’m getting old and can’t understand the duality of trying to show a spirituality and respect for women but then just having a very graphic screw.
But I’m not a young 20 year old male.
I must read another of his books before I make my mind up about Murakami. If not impressed that will be the last.