I also felt that the plot was slow, and I'm the type of person who usually enjoy a really slowly plotted novel. I love Murakami, but TWUBC was a bit of a challenge to get through, at least at first. You know, the Japanese version is actually even longer than the English version! Jay Rubin, the translator, worked with Murakami to shorten it (at the publisher's request). At any rate, good luck! Enjoy that last bit.

posted by Medellia12 at 10:29 pm (EST) on Apr 17, 2008

I also saw your plea for encouragement on The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I'm a big Murakami fan, but I found TWUBC slow going at first, and not entirely compelling. By the end, I was so glad that I'd stuck with it, because it got better (more interesting) as it went along, and the last 100 pages or so were wonderfully rewarding.

posted by Medellia12 at 12:00 pm (EST) on Apr 12, 2008

I wanted to encourage you with [Wind Up Bird Chronicle]. I recently discovered Murakami and I really love this book. If you don't like magical realism, it may not be for you. If you do, though, it really is an excellent example from modern times. My previous favorite was Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but you have to change things up a bit.

posted by emaestra at 9:17 am (EST) on Apr 12, 2008

Hi Judy, Looks like we share a lot of the same books. I am glad you accepted me as a friend
Renee

posted by ricky2love at 12:43 am (EST) on Mar 29, 2008

Hey Judy,
Thanks for taking time out to check out what I am reading on the 75 book challenge. As to the two books, The God of small things and Veronika decided to die, I really enjoyed them both. But I like God of small things way better. I thought that Ms. Roy did an amazing job in telling a story that was complex in all its facets. I was heart broken by the things that the twins would endure and never seemed to fully recover from. I was rooting for them and their sad mother. I did like that the book did not fall into the trap of making the story have a "kumbaya" ending as this would have been odd seeing as nothing in the story was simple or explictly happy.

As for Veronika decides to die, I liked it but I gotta say that I like the The Alchemist better. I think this may stem from the fact that I read it first so when I read Veronika, I felt like it was a rehashing of most the same ideas that had been covered in the alchemist with different characters and in a different location. So for me Veronika was not as fresh a book for me as alchemist was.

Anyway those are my thoughts. Talk to you soon.

Patricia

posted by TrishNYC at 10:23 pm (EST) on Mar 25, 2008

Hi, thanks for the comment, it made me feel better. :)

I liked all five of the books, but the first couple were my favorites. I don't think the later ones were nearly as funny. The last book seemed to be basically written only to tie up the strings.

posted by sanja at 5:45 pm (EST) on Mar 25, 2008

Hello Judy
Thanks for putting me on your interesting libraries list.
Cyrel

posted by torontoc at 11:37 am (EST) on Mar 15, 2008

Hello and welcome to 40 Something Library Thingers. Please feel free to start a topic to get us talking..:)

posted by MDLady at 7:41 am (EST) on Mar 11, 2008

Hi Judy,
Thanks for putting me on your interesting libraries list.
Meg

posted by merry10 at 2:43 pm (EST) on Feb 4, 2008

Hallo Judy,
I just noticed (in the Reading Globally group) that you've read Quarantine, which I adored. I'd be very keen to hear what you thought of it!
All the best, Carolyn

posted by citizenkelly at 1:44 pm (EST) on Dec 18, 2007

Hi! Thanks for the comment. I have indeed seen the Eric Bana movie, and in fact I only read 'Chopper' the book because I wanted to compare the two. He was an interesting man (is?), and I thought he came across very well in the book, but he has got to give up on his poetry!

posted by soylentgreen23 at 2:45 pm (EST) on Aug 25, 2007