I've just finished reading 1Q84.
Let's cut down to the chase. The story was brilliantly written. It was so tempting to just flip the book over to discover how the story ends, but I decided to stick it through.
Each chapter was named after the particular character it focused on. The book is divided into three- marking the time period that is explored. In a sense, it was like watching a thrilling mystery. Each book can be seen as a season, whilst each chapter can be perceived to be an episode. It was utterly brilliant. I was on the edge of my seat.
1Q84 was like falling down the rabbit's hole in Alice and Wonderland.
I will try to write a proper review when I'm a bit more coherent.
Showing posts with label literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label literature. Show all posts
ノルウェイの森/NORWEGIAN WOOD
I once had a girl, or should I say... She once had me.
She showed me her room, isn't it good, Norwegian Wood?
Norwegian Wood marked my introduction to the written works of Haruki Murakami. Arguably one of the best novelists in the world, Murakami manages to delve into the human psyche and form a rapport between his characters and the readers of his novels. The novel was inspired by a song by The Beatles with the same title. The song likewise acted as a way of connecting the various periods of Toru's life. Toru is the protagonist/narrator of this particular novel.
Each time I read the book, I discovered something new about particular characters that I didn't notice during previous readings. Interesting enough, I found Murakami's characterisation quite intense. His depiction of the people who had touched Toru's life was somewhat delightful, yet at the same time it borders on grotesque due to the juxtaposition of their positive and negative characteristics.
His exploration of the female psyche is also rather insightful. First, you get a character like Naoko who seems to have "died" psychologically as a result of a traumatic incident in her past. Then you get a character named Midori who has a lot of angst hidden beneath a confident mask. Two extremes. Connected with this is the constant exploration of his characters' sexuality. Freudian, perhaps... but somehow each Murakami novel uses sex as a tool to explore character development. It is done tastefully, but still, it makes you wonder more about human psychology.
The novel was turned into a film sometime last year. It was directed by Anh Hung Tran. It was only this year that it was shown in Australia's Palace cinemas. I was lucky enough to see it.
It was more of an art film than a mainstream one. I found myself getting bored at times as the story seemed to progress so slowly at some points. Admittedly, it can be quite difficult to channel the same psychological exploration done by the book. The cinematography was quite good. I loved the colours that were used in various scenes.
Costumes were done quite well. I found myself observing what various characters wore, and each character's personality was channeled quite well. I particularly loved the character Midori- from her acting to her costume. It was very chic and mod.
Characterisation was a bit of a hit and miss. Admittedly, I wished that they chose a slightly different person to act as Toru, though Matsuyama Kenichi managed to portray a semblance of the awkwardness that Toru had. Kikuchi Rinko was a pretty good choice for Naoko. I think they were spot-on with this choice. I also also adored their choices for Midori and Nagasawa.
It's admittedly not a film for everybody. I think that the book packs a lot more punch, though after watching the film I found myself aching to reread the book- just to see what I had missed. I wish that they explored Midori's character just a bit more.
Norwegian Wood can be purchased at any good book retailer. If you have the chance (and the knowledge of Japanese), I recommend that you read the Japanese version as well. This can be purchased at Kinokuniya. The nuances between the English and Japanese versions can add another dimension to your reading experience.
She showed me her room, isn't it good, Norwegian Wood?
Norwegian Wood marked my introduction to the written works of Haruki Murakami. Arguably one of the best novelists in the world, Murakami manages to delve into the human psyche and form a rapport between his characters and the readers of his novels. The novel was inspired by a song by The Beatles with the same title. The song likewise acted as a way of connecting the various periods of Toru's life. Toru is the protagonist/narrator of this particular novel.
Each time I read the book, I discovered something new about particular characters that I didn't notice during previous readings. Interesting enough, I found Murakami's characterisation quite intense. His depiction of the people who had touched Toru's life was somewhat delightful, yet at the same time it borders on grotesque due to the juxtaposition of their positive and negative characteristics.
His exploration of the female psyche is also rather insightful. First, you get a character like Naoko who seems to have "died" psychologically as a result of a traumatic incident in her past. Then you get a character named Midori who has a lot of angst hidden beneath a confident mask. Two extremes. Connected with this is the constant exploration of his characters' sexuality. Freudian, perhaps... but somehow each Murakami novel uses sex as a tool to explore character development. It is done tastefully, but still, it makes you wonder more about human psychology.
The novel was turned into a film sometime last year. It was directed by Anh Hung Tran. It was only this year that it was shown in Australia's Palace cinemas. I was lucky enough to see it.
It was more of an art film than a mainstream one. I found myself getting bored at times as the story seemed to progress so slowly at some points. Admittedly, it can be quite difficult to channel the same psychological exploration done by the book. The cinematography was quite good. I loved the colours that were used in various scenes.
Costumes were done quite well. I found myself observing what various characters wore, and each character's personality was channeled quite well. I particularly loved the character Midori- from her acting to her costume. It was very chic and mod.
Characterisation was a bit of a hit and miss. Admittedly, I wished that they chose a slightly different person to act as Toru, though Matsuyama Kenichi managed to portray a semblance of the awkwardness that Toru had. Kikuchi Rinko was a pretty good choice for Naoko. I think they were spot-on with this choice. I also also adored their choices for Midori and Nagasawa.
It's admittedly not a film for everybody. I think that the book packs a lot more punch, though after watching the film I found myself aching to reread the book- just to see what I had missed. I wish that they explored Midori's character just a bit more.
Norwegian Wood can be purchased at any good book retailer. If you have the chance (and the knowledge of Japanese), I recommend that you read the Japanese version as well. This can be purchased at Kinokuniya. The nuances between the English and Japanese versions can add another dimension to your reading experience.
AN UPDATE ON MY PROGRESS: 1Q84
At the moment, I am reading Haruki Murakami's 1Q84. I've had mixed emotions about my skills as a speed-reader. Even though I want to read the book from cover to cover, I'm biding my time. It's just an amazing read.
The characterisation is exactly how I expected it. The protagonists seem alive, especially since each of them have their own little quirks and skeletons in closets. The main thing about his characters that is quite fascinating as well is their openness to sexuality. Murakami fleshes this out in such detail.
Unlike Dance, Dance, Dance, the plot is much easier to follow. Each chapter resembled a scene from a film. There were also smaller nuances in the story that revealed themselves in each page.
I'm a third into the book. It's an amazing story so far.
The characterisation is exactly how I expected it. The protagonists seem alive, especially since each of them have their own little quirks and skeletons in closets. The main thing about his characters that is quite fascinating as well is their openness to sexuality. Murakami fleshes this out in such detail.
Unlike Dance, Dance, Dance, the plot is much easier to follow. Each chapter resembled a scene from a film. There were also smaller nuances in the story that revealed themselves in each page.
I'm a third into the book. It's an amazing story so far.
1Q84
So a couple of posts ago, I mentioned how I was reading The Devil Wears Prada. I've decided to put it on hold (yet again) as I had been utterly intrigued by the newest addition to Haruki Murakami's repertoire.
Murakami is one of my favourite authors to date. He has written best sellers like 『ノルウェーの森』(Norwegian Wood) and Dance, Dance, Dance. my favourite Murakami novel is the former.
1Q84 looks like a promising read. I've only just started it. Three chapters in, I know that I'm hooked. I'll give my assessment of it when I finish. So far, it's been a very interesting journey. Like One Day, it reads a bit like a screenplay. Either that, or I just happen to have an overactive imagination.
You can purchase 1Q84 at any good bookstore. Sydney's Kinokuniya offers a special price. The RRP is $39.95, but there you can get it for just $29.95. I think it's a pretty good price- I mean, you happen to get BOOK ONE, BOOK TWO and BOOK THREE of 1Q84 in one nice little hard-bound package.
Murakami is one of my favourite authors to date. He has written best sellers like 『ノルウェーの森』(Norwegian Wood) and Dance, Dance, Dance. my favourite Murakami novel is the former.
1Q84 looks like a promising read. I've only just started it. Three chapters in, I know that I'm hooked. I'll give my assessment of it when I finish. So far, it's been a very interesting journey. Like One Day, it reads a bit like a screenplay. Either that, or I just happen to have an overactive imagination.
You can purchase 1Q84 at any good bookstore. Sydney's Kinokuniya offers a special price. The RRP is $39.95, but there you can get it for just $29.95. I think it's a pretty good price- I mean, you happen to get BOOK ONE, BOOK TWO and BOOK THREE of 1Q84 in one nice little hard-bound package.
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
image taken from Lauren Weisberger's official site
I'm afraid that my insomniac tendencies have arisen once again. I've started reading yet another book in my arsenal. I've accumulated a large pile of books that I have to read. I guess that trips to my favourite bookshop cafe in Paddington during the semester didn't really do much good with regard to making the pile of books any smaller. On the contrary...
I got my copy of The Devil Wears Prada from a charity stall a few months ago. I haven't touched it until today. I decided to give my mind and my eyes a bit of a breather from reading One Day. Unlike the latter, I have indeed seen the film version of the Prada story. Honestly, I was more distracted by the clothing worn by the talented Miss Anne Hathaway in the middle scenes of the film. I have yet to give a proper review about this book, but I did enjoy the film when I watched it.
Delving away from the subject of the book, Lauren Weisberger's official site is quite elegant and quite easy to navigate. I rather liked the use of the shoes to point visitors to the right direction. Tres chic.
Delving away from the subject of the book, Lauren Weisberger's official site is quite elegant and quite easy to navigate. I rather liked the use of the shoes to point visitors to the right direction. Tres chic.
I really should sleep.
ONE DAY (reprise)
I promised in an earlier blog entry that I was going to do a proper review of One Day. Thanks again to Hachette Australia and MX magazine for giving me such a lovely present!
I suppose that it is both a blessing and a curse that I am a speed-reader. I really wanted to enjoy and savour the experience and prolong my reading time. This was not the opportunity for "slow" reading, albeit I did it at a leisurely pace.
One Day was a lovely read. From the first chapter, Nicholls managed to engage the reader through characters and a plot that ordinary people can relate to. The division of chapters into years probably made the journey with the characters a lot easier to follow. In a sense, the reader matured with the characters.
The story panned out like a film. Each moment that I read seemed real- as though I was a voyeur that witnessed the lives of two people who seemed tied together by fate. The story was light, although it dealt with deeper undertones of personal insecurity and the internal demons the protagonists had to face.
I found the story to be quite smart and fresh. I wish that I could have savoured the story a bit more, like a glass of merlot. Then again, I believe that I can pick this book up more than once, and re-immerse myself in the story again and again.
I haven't seen the film yet. I might be a bit critical of it because the book was utterly delightful. This is definitely a book that I'll recommend to people.
I suppose that it is both a blessing and a curse that I am a speed-reader. I really wanted to enjoy and savour the experience and prolong my reading time. This was not the opportunity for "slow" reading, albeit I did it at a leisurely pace.
One Day was a lovely read. From the first chapter, Nicholls managed to engage the reader through characters and a plot that ordinary people can relate to. The division of chapters into years probably made the journey with the characters a lot easier to follow. In a sense, the reader matured with the characters.
The story panned out like a film. Each moment that I read seemed real- as though I was a voyeur that witnessed the lives of two people who seemed tied together by fate. The story was light, although it dealt with deeper undertones of personal insecurity and the internal demons the protagonists had to face.
I found the story to be quite smart and fresh. I wish that I could have savoured the story a bit more, like a glass of merlot. Then again, I believe that I can pick this book up more than once, and re-immerse myself in the story again and again.
I haven't seen the film yet. I might be a bit critical of it because the book was utterly delightful. This is definitely a book that I'll recommend to people.
ONE DAY
After a long hiatus from the world of blogging, I've decided to make a comeback in the form of a shiny new blog at a new home. One of the characters from the film entitled Contagion stated that blogging is like "graffiti with punctuation." I believe otherwise.
Yesterday, I came home to find a package sitting nicely on my front door. I've been meaning to purchase the book before watching the film of the same title. Last week, when MX magazine and Hachette Australia advertised 1000 free copies of One Day, I immediately jumped at the chance. I completely forgot about it, until yesterday.
I'll post a short review about it. For now I'll leave you with the trailer to the film starring the lovely Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.
P.S. Happy birthday to my amazing and beautiful Mum. I love you.
Yesterday, I came home to find a package sitting nicely on my front door. I've been meaning to purchase the book before watching the film of the same title. Last week, when MX magazine and Hachette Australia advertised 1000 free copies of One Day, I immediately jumped at the chance. I completely forgot about it, until yesterday.
I'll post a short review about it. For now I'll leave you with the trailer to the film starring the lovely Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.
P.S. Happy birthday to my amazing and beautiful Mum. I love you.
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