Sputnik Sweetheart
8 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by Caterinaanna from Coventry, West Midlands United Kingdom on Saturday, December 6, 2008
From Amazon.co.uk
Haruki Murakami is arguably one of Japan's finest, modern writers and is, increasingly, being seen as one of the top authors working today. The last novel of his to find its way to these shores, Norwegian Wood, was a delightful, if slightly one-dimensional coming-of-age tale. The pyrotechnics of his previous, more surreal novels (Wind Up Bird Chronicle and A Wild Sheep Chase) had disappeared but something of his eccentricity, what made his books such a wonder, had disappeared too. Sputnik Sweetheart is a confident continuation of this more simple style yet one that retains the allegories, the depth of his best work.
The narrator, a teacher, is in love with the beguiling, odd Sumire. As his best friend, she is not adverse to phoning at three or four in the morning to ask a pointless question or share a strange thought. Sumire, though, is in love with a beautiful, older woman, Miu, who does not, can not, return her affections. Longing for Sumire, K (that is all we are told by way of a name) finds some comfort in a purely sexual relationship with the mother of one of his pupils. But the consolation is slight. K is unhappy. Miu and Sumire, now working together, take a business trip to a Greek Island. Something happens, he is not told what, and so K travels to Greece to see what help he can offer.
Themes of love, loss, sexuality, identity and selfhood are all interrogated, woven into a compelling, romantic, serious and sometimes sad book. It is a disarmingly simple, hugely satisfying, intelligent and moving work and one of Murakami's best. Simplicity, sprinkled with a dose of his magic, has enabled Murakami to write candidly, succinctly and beautifully about the complications and difficulties of love and loving.
My twopennyworth
Not as surreal as A Wild Sheep Chase, not as involved as The Wind Up Bird Chronicle, but still magical. I thoroughly enjoyed this and am rapidly beginning to think Murakami should join my hard to write list of favourite authors.
Released 15 yrs ago (12/6/2008 UTC) at
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Part of a NSS parcel.
Journal Entry 3 by juliako from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Sunday, December 7, 2008
Fantastic! Thank you for this book - another one I have been on the look-out for awhile - and I suspect it will be read by both Sam and me before it moves on.
Happy Christmas!
Happy Christmas!
Well, how do you describe a book like this? - ask Caterinnaanna who has just done it admirably above.
It's an excellent read - a bit surreal at times (I liked that) - has you thinking and wondering.
Thank you very much for this book, I enjoyed it very much. - Samrana will be reading it and then probably putting it in a Japanese authors box she is planning to set up.
It's an excellent read - a bit surreal at times (I liked that) - has you thinking and wondering.
Thank you very much for this book, I enjoyed it very much. - Samrana will be reading it and then probably putting it in a Japanese authors box she is planning to set up.
Book on TBR shelf.
What exactly happens to the character of Sumire in this book? Some events could have been over dramatised, but the way they are written makes both the extraordinary and the mundane somehow have equal status in the shaping to the story. Loved the way it actually challenged my thought processes and view of 'reality'.
This will indeed be put into a virtual bookbox.
This will indeed be put into a virtual bookbox.
Journal Entry 7 by Samrana at Japanese Fiction (English Translation), A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Released 13 yrs ago (10/28/2010 UTC) at Japanese Fiction (English Translation), A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases
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Chosen from the bookbox and posted on.
Arrived today :) Thanks very much. Looks really interesting.
Hands up, who saw the sci-fi twist coming? There I was enjoying this tale of sexuality and unrequited love and then BAM! I feel like I'm in an episode of Fringe. I mean, just where did that come from? Was it even necessary?
I was liking the story anyhow. The romance or non romance was doing it for me. As the other side was mentioned I was waiting for something more to happen with it. I mean apart from the ending. But then did that happen or was that just his imagination?
Still apart from my WTF moment and you'll know what I'm talking about when you read it, it was a good read. Got some more Murakami on my tbr list and looking forward to it.
I was liking the story anyhow. The romance or non romance was doing it for me. As the other side was mentioned I was waiting for something more to happen with it. I mean apart from the ending. But then did that happen or was that just his imagination?
Still apart from my WTF moment and you'll know what I'm talking about when you read it, it was a good read. Got some more Murakami on my tbr list and looking forward to it.
Released 11 yrs ago (7/3/2012 UTC) at By Mail, A RABCK -- Controlled Releases
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Granting wishes and keeping them moving :)
Thank you so much for this book off my wish list :)
5 April 13 - The second book by Murakami that I have read and I enjoyed this one just much. It sucked me in from the start and I just needed to know what happened, which is why I've only given it seven stars, I felt it was left too open.
5 April 13 - The second book by Murakami that I have read and I enjoyed this one just much. It sucked me in from the start and I just needed to know what happened, which is why I've only given it seven stars, I felt it was left too open.
Sent out as part of the wish list tag game
Thanks, I completely forgot about this one , so an extra nice surprise.
I'll read it soon, regardless of the enormous mtbr as it fits the theme of the white cover box I'm soon participating in.
Thank you for tagging me !
I'll read it soon, regardless of the enormous mtbr as it fits the theme of the white cover box I'm soon participating in.
Thank you for tagging me !
My first Murakami and an absolute hit.
I loved it.
I don't know why this specific book reminds me of Mc Ewan's on Chesil beach, but it has the same lazyness and beauty :)
I will now send it to the winner of the sweepstake who has it on her wishlist !
I loved it.
I don't know why this specific book reminds me of Mc Ewan's on Chesil beach, but it has the same lazyness and beauty :)
I will now send it to the winner of the sweepstake who has it on her wishlist !
congrats on winning !
From reading people's reviews on here it strikes me similar to Malinda Lo's adaptation & inheritance. Thanks so much I can't wait to read. <3
Argh I hate to say I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had expected to. My first thoughts were how could a man write from a lesbian perspective? - but then I discovered it is written from his point of view about his best friend who is in love with another woman.
I'm not one hundred per cent sure how I feel about the surrealism. I think I prefer books that can be explained - even if it is a mix up of science-fiction I need it to be even a little bit credible. This book is realistic till about halfway and then not..
One nice point though was the similes in the book. I found some of them quite breathtaking and original. There was something about the sky being so blue that they'd like to breath it in which was pretty powerful. What was the book about? loneliness? unrequited love? different types of love? the feeling of being half a person at times? I feel I can relate to the last point & probably a lot of people can at times.
"Why do people have to be this lonely? What's the point of it all? Millions of people in this world, all of them yearning, looking to others to satisfy them, yet isolating themselves. Why? Was the earth put here just to nourish human loneliness?"
Also another funny thing was this squashed little bug in-between page 130! I wonder what kind of bug it is ha, a little foreign dead bug to end up in NZ. This book should get ready to travel again!
I'm not one hundred per cent sure how I feel about the surrealism. I think I prefer books that can be explained - even if it is a mix up of science-fiction I need it to be even a little bit credible. This book is realistic till about halfway and then not..
One nice point though was the similes in the book. I found some of them quite breathtaking and original. There was something about the sky being so blue that they'd like to breath it in which was pretty powerful. What was the book about? loneliness? unrequited love? different types of love? the feeling of being half a person at times? I feel I can relate to the last point & probably a lot of people can at times.
"Why do people have to be this lonely? What's the point of it all? Millions of people in this world, all of them yearning, looking to others to satisfy them, yet isolating themselves. Why? Was the earth put here just to nourish human loneliness?"
Also another funny thing was this squashed little bug in-between page 130! I wonder what kind of bug it is ha, a little foreign dead bug to end up in NZ. This book should get ready to travel again!
Pleased to announce that this is traveling again! Via Bookmooch. Safe travels little book (:
Journal Entry 19 by AnonymousFinder at Townsville, Queensland Australia on Sunday, September 9, 2018
Found this book on Magnetic Island in a house I stayed in. Just started to read and will probably finish it. I am off to Canada soon via Sydney and Hong Kong. Will leave is somewhere along the way...