Reading Murakami (Haruki) is kind of like dreaming. This was a book of 24 of his short stories. What I noticed is that unlike some short story collections I've read, Murakami has the talent of writing a few first lines that just grab you and make you rush on with the story. But then what seems straightforward, say a simple love affair, ends up being just a firefly stuck in a jar or an endless trip to the south pole; the end sometimes has no relation to the beginning or no apparent relation. Some of the stories lack resolution or obvious resolution. They leave you thinking... the last few lines of text radiating ever wider and overlapping like ripples in a pond. It's like when you dream and all of these seemingly unrelated people and things and places interact and you wake-up thinking 'wow' that was a cool dream. Although the dream made no sense when you woke up, you can't help but think about it, and sometimes tell your best friend. That was this book. My alarm clock is going off now... ( )

I have never been a fan of short story collections. I'm one of those who prefer thick books with permanent characters who develop throughout the story and, to be truthful, I don't really know why. There are a lot of good short story volumes out there, but I have always chosen long novels instead. So I have to say that even being a die-hard Murakami fan, I was a little reluctant to read Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. I bought the book in Oxford during the summer of 2007 and had let it collect dust in my shelf, choosing to read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle instead (which I'm not going to talk about now because it deserves another whole new entry).So, after packing my things and getting ready to fly to Germany, I spotted the book in the midst of my Murakami collection and grabbed it at the last minute. Murakami will serve as a moral support if things get bad up there in the north of Europe, I thought. He's one of my favorite authors, after all; I feel instantaneously good when I have a book of his between my hands.I've been in Germany for two months now, but I only started reading this book a week ago, in the train back from the airport after saying goodbye to a dear friend who had come to visit me. I was feeling a little blue, and I knew Murakami would cheer me up (or, at least, keep my mind off reality for a while). And indeed, it did. I was so absorbed reading the Birthday Girl story that I missed the stop and had to wait for an hour to catch another train back to my city. From the beginning, I could spot a lot of the classic Murakami themes: jazz-loving, solitary characters who spend their time reading or going through LP collections, characters who meet strangers who change their lives one way or another, people who suddenly stop recognizing themselves in their own bodies at some point of the story, mysterious and clever cats who seem to have a human-like mind, people disappearing somewhere along the way, and many infidelities and sexual encounters with partners who end up leaving without a trace.The general impression I usually get from his books is a full sensation of nostalgia, loss and loneliness, especially from the coming of age stories with lost teenagers or the adults in their thirties with identity crisis and marriage problems. And despite the unreality of some of the stories, I still find that I can identify with those characters to some degree, because they go through similar experiences or think over issues that I too find myself pondering.I would have liked to write a small comment on every story, but some of them were quite plot-less, and some just didn't move or touch me enough. I've got my favorites, though. 'Man-eating cats' evoked a beautiful scenery, and it reminded me a lot of 'Sputnik Sweetheart', what with the Greek landscape and the disappearance. I also liked 'Nausea 1979', 'Tony Takitani', 'Where I'm Likely to Find It' and 'Chance Traveler' (so beautiful and heart-breaking) among others. 'The ice man' and 'Crabs' were disturbing, and I didn't get 'A poor aunt story' and what Murakami meant by it. I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of things I wanted to comment while I was reading the book, but going through every story thoroughly would take a lot of time that I don't have (college work unfortunately gets in the way).Now, I can't wait to get my scholarship money to head off to the nearest bookstore and buy another book by Haruki Murakami. I may not be able to wait until I get home for Christmas. ( )

I have never been a big fan of short stories (maybe it was all of those stories I was forced to read throughout grade school and high school), preferring novels due to their elements of in-depth characters and more drawn-out sagas. However, I have been trying harder to get into short fiction; sadly, I have been disappointed quite a few times. Trust me, I have read a very fair share of wonderful, engrossing, and exquisitely written short stories, but I think that some of the bummers have deterred me from faithfully following this genre. So it is with great pleasure and fortune that I have found Haruki Murakami.

Writing about everyday people living their everyday lives, Murakami manages to make each story extraordinary in their ordinariness. His stories are more concepts than tales, but he manages to relate them in a way that makes them approachable, easy to understand and identify with, and provocative. From visiting kangaroos at the local zoo to poor aunts attached to one's back, the allegorical qualities are enticing even if I don't quite catch their full meanings. Murakami is a short story master, and I can safely recommend him, especially to those who, like me, are short story skeptics.

When I reached the final story of this compilation of truly brilliant pieces the idea of having to put the book away so soon worried me into taking a two-month break half-way through the story, thus prolonging the experience in a certain way.
Seriously: This is probably the best book I have read in recent years. Murakami's stories are full of surprises, strange twists, infinite spaces and little joys. He excells in describing the little nothings in between - moments where absolutely nothing happens and time seems to stand still.
A thoroughly great book. ( )

Fascinating, although not entirely convincing. Over all a very useful & interesting read. ( )