South of the Border, West of the Sun
Ratings173
Average rating3.7
Tällä kertaa ei kannata odotella yliluonnollisia elementtejä. Haruki Murakami kertoo sen tavallisen tarinan miehen kolmenkympin kriisistä. Kirjan päähenkilö Hajime on kouluvuosinaan yksinäinen, harvinainen ainoa lapsi. Hän kohtaa tytön, Shimamoton, toisen ainoan lapsen, jonka kanssa Hajime ystävystyy syvästi. Hajimen ja Shimamoton tiet kuitenkin eroavat.
Hajime elää elämäänsä — yliopistovuodet, työelämän tylsyys, uusi rakkaus ja lopulta menestys jazzbaarin omistajana. Nyt yli kolmekymppistä Hajimea vaivaa kuitenkin tietty tyhjyys, elämästä puuttuu jotain olennaista, vaikka töissä meneekin hienosti ja perhe-elämäkin kukoistaa. Sitten kuvioihin palaa Shimamoto...
Tavallinen tarina, siinäkin mielessä, että henkilöhahmot ovat muita Murakamin kirjoja lukeneille tuttuja. Hajime on Murakamin vakiomies, jollainen esiintyi Norwegian Woodissakin. Shimamoto taas on Murakamin tavanomainen mystinen nainen — vähän kuin Norwegian Woodin Naoko. Tutulta siis tuntuu, mutta tuntukoot, sen verran kauniisti Murakami taas kirjoittaa. Tekstissä on voimaa ja kauneutta. (15.9.2009)
"Donde no hay lugar para el compromiso no hay un término medio."
Con algunas salvedades me gusto el estilo de Murakami y sus referencias.
South of the Border, West of the Sun – 4 Stars
What is Murakami’s superpower? His stories are so similar, and yet his writing pulls you in every time. Over the years, all of his books have blurred together in my memory, yet they remain mesmerizing.
His depiction of women and sexuality is not exactly smooth—at times even disturbing—but Murakami doesn’t seem to care. He writes unfiltered, presenting his world with all its beauty and flaws, which is oddly disarming.
This novel is, of course, well-written, with a structure that moves episodically through time yet feels clean and linear. There are autobiographical elements, making you question whether certain events actually happened to Murakami himself.
As always, his characters aren’t likable or unlikable—they simply exist for the reader to be drawn into their world. A unique author, flaws and all.
read this after my breakup with eve and it was devastating. the most emotionally impactful book i’ve read.
Otra excelente lectura (aunque no mejor que Tokio Blues) de Murakami y el tinte de surrealismo y ambigüedad (faltante en Tokio Blues) es para ponerte a pensar más allá de la crisis de mediana edad de Hajime. Puede empezar un poco lento, pero cuando coge fuerza es difícil detenerse. ¡Recomendado!
Story: 7.0 / 10
Characters: 8.5
Setting: 7
Prose: 7.5
My second Murakami book. A friend insisted I give Murakami another try, that The Big Sheep Chase wasn't the best book of theirs to start with. You'll be happy to know that they were right. This book was much better. Overall, I enjoyed it very much.
You'll be saddened to hear that I'm still not going to read Murakami again. The story didn't get started until 30 - 55% of the way through the book. Wasting that many pages is unforgiveable.
DO NOT RECOMMEND MURAKAMI TO ME AGAIN...
Mielenkiintoinen kuvaus miehen elämästä lapsuudesta aikuisuuteen ja lapsuuden ihastuksesta, joka ei tunnu unohtuvan.
En tiedä oikeastaan mitä olin mieltä tästä kirjasta. Monesti pidin, oli paljon kauniita, oivaltavia kohtia joista oikeasti nautin.
Kääntöpuolella oli kuitenkin Hajime, joka oli raivostuttavan itsekeskeinen minäkertoja.
Uskon, että palaan vielä jatkossa tämän kirjailijan teosten pariin.
Mais um que você pode ler sem saber o autor e vai dizer “isso aqui tem cara da Murakami”, não apenas pelo toque de dúvida sobre coisas que acontecem ou sobre o passado dos personagens vir à tona depois de muitos anos fazendo o protagonista refletir sobre sua vida inteira, mas por fazer o leitor mergulhar dentro das personagens como poucos autores conseguem fazer.
A leitura é rápida, o texto não é cansativo e o livro é muito bem escrito. Gostar das pessoas que estão ali nas páginas é outra história. Não consegui gostar de Hajime mesmo que ele nos faça pensar também, muitas vezes, como ele. É um livro curto, então pode ser uma porta de entrada para o autor, se você tem interesse em começar alguma coisa dele. Ainda não superou Tsukuru Tazaki como o melhor, mas no final das contas eu achei bom.
Il secondo viaggio in compagnia di Murakami non è andato come speravo. Norwegian wood mi aveva dato modo di empatizzare con i personaggi, di entrare pian piano nella storia e farla mia, ero riuscita a cogliere un messaggio chiaro e significativo da cui trarre qualcosa per me, per la mia vita. Quando ci si rispecchia nei libri in questo modo è impossibile non amarli.
Ero convinta di ritrovare le stesse cose anche in questo romanzo ma, si sa, le aspettative giocano brutti scherzi. A sud del confine, a ovest del sole mi è sembrato una pallida versione di Norwegian wood: le dinamiche si somigliano e i dialoghi sono ancora più infantili; i personaggi cercano ugualmente un proprio posto nel mondo, si tormentano con dubbi e domande incapaci di prendere decisioni ma alla fine risultano piatti; anche in questo romanzo la protagonista femminile è circondata da un alone di mistero che però infastidisce senza incuriosire; le sensazioni che mi ha lasciato sono le stesse ma mancano di intensità.
Ci sono comunque delle perle che non ho mancato di sottolineare!
Murakami is excellent, as always. I am yet to find a single book by him that I wouldn't like.
বইটা কেমন? বলা কঠিন। কীরকম কঠিন বলার চেষ্টা করছি। মনে করেন, মানুষের সাথে নানারকমের সম্পর্ক হয় দেহকেন্দ্রিক। বিষমকামি, সমকামি, বহুগামি, একগামি... এগুলোর প্রয়োজনীয়তা আলাদা আলাদা মানুষ আলাদা আলাদাভাবে বোধ করে। একজন একগামি মানুষের বহুগামিতার কারণ অজানা। একজন বিষমকামির কাছে সমকামিতা বিবমিষা সৃষ্টি করে। এর সাথে যোগ হয় সামাজিক নীতি, যা অনেকাংশেই প্রকৃতির বিরুদ্ধে যায়। তাতে হয় কি, আমাদের সামাজিক চেতনা আর প্রাকৃতিক অনুভূতির মধ্যে একটা দ্বন্দ্ব থাকে সর্বক্ষণ। মুরাকামি বস্তুত এইসব অনুভূতি ও দ্বন্দ্ব নিয়ে লিখেছেন এই বইটা, নরওয়েজিয়ান উডও। মানুষর এইসব ব্যাপার মুরাকামি চেষ্টা করেছেন নৈর্ব্যক্তিক একটা অবস্থান থেকে লিখতে, লেখার ধাঁচে নৈর্ব্যক্তিক না, দর্শনে নৈর্ব্যক্তিক। অনেকেরই ভালো লাগবে না, এমনকি হাজেমির বহুগামিতা সামাজিকভাবে অন্যায়। অনেকে প্রথম খানিকটা পড়েই হয়ত ফেলে দেবেন বইটা। তবে, হাজেমির ব্যথাটাও সত্য। গল্পটা নীতির না, ব্যথার। অনেক মানুষের ব্যথা, ভেঙে পড়া, আশার গল্প। ভালো লেগেছে।
More intricate than it seems, I think. Touches on a lot that anyone in a relationship can relate to as well. I don't know how to put it really, but this is a beautiful novel with a smooth translation; Murakami's words sneak up on you and slam you with their power. South of the Border, West of the Sun digs deep in an understated way.
This is perhaps the most complete novel I've ever read. What a great story teller. He built beautiful characters and developed them with grace, wit, and smarts like few writers can.
I have loved everything I've read
by Haruki Murakami. Mysterious.
Thoughtful. Modern. Quirky.