HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

South of the Border, West of the Sun by…
Loading...

South of the Border, West of the Sun (original 1998; edition 2000)

by Haruki Murakami

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
5,8701191,686 (3.82)156
A successful Japanese nightclub owner, husband, and father risks everything to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.
Member:jeslikesyou
Title:South of the Border, West of the Sun
Authors:Haruki Murakami
Info:Vintage (2000), Paperback, 192 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:None

Work Information

South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami (1998)

  1. 40
    Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (whymaggiemay)
    whymaggiemay: In my opinion, a much better book.
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 156 mentions

English (81)  Spanish (10)  French (9)  Dutch (5)  German (5)  Portuguese (Portugal) (2)  Norwegian (2)  Danish (1)  Italian (1)  Catalan (1)  Hungarian (1)  All languages (118)
Showing 1-5 of 81 (next | show all)
Review soon. ( )
  buddhawithan.n | Feb 29, 2024 |
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... ( )
  MXMLLN | Jan 12, 2024 |
What a whiny little man. Still liked it though. ( )
  ejerig | Oct 25, 2023 |
With Murakami, you can always count on recurring themes and elements. You'd think that'd take away from the reading experience but the surprising thing is that it doesn't. Before long, you start welcoming how the words ooze melancholy, you start to be drawn into the dream-like state the story takes place in and once you are done, experience the need to shake off a thin haze that had built around you before you can get back to life as it was. Post-read, every book leaves a lingering after-taste that keeps you coming back for more.

And yet, I was fairly disappointed with this book. It simply failed to stand out. The plot was simple, the writing wasn't out of the ordinary and it just wasn't memorable enough. With no read 'meat' to the story and the absence of the 'it' factor (which Norwegian Wood was laced with), the ambiguity which allows a readers imagination to soar and fill in the blanks became a hindrance. Overall, if you are a huge Murakami fan, go ahead and read it. If not, I'd suggest skipping it since it's not one of his finer works. ( )
  talalsyed | Jul 22, 2023 |
Hajime tells the story of his relationships from age twelve through thirty-seven. When he was twelve, he developed a close friendship with Shimamoto, and even when they moved away from each other, she stayed in his mind and heart. At age seventeen, his first intense relationship is with Izumi, whom he hurts deeply. He meets his future wife, Yukiko, at age thirty. Her father helps him go into business as the manager of two jazz bars. Hajime and Yukiko seem to have a wonderful life together, but their relationship is strained when Shimamoto comes back into the picture.

The primary focus of this book is how a relationship can succeed or fail based on choices, how people can get hurt even when intentions are good, and the harmful consequences of obsession. It also questions the nature of reality, even to the point where I wondered if some of what appears to have really happened may have been Hajime’s imagination. Of course, the more I read Murakami’s works, the more I appreciate that figuring out what is real (and not) is part of the charm. ( )
  Castlelass | May 28, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 81 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors (17 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Haruki Murakamiprimary authorall editionscalculated
Bandini, DitteTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Bandini, GiovanniTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Fennema, ElbrichTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gabriel, PhilipTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Porta, LourdesTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
My birthday is January 4, 1951. The first week of the first month of the first year of the second half of the twentieth century.
Quotations
Information from the Italian Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Gli esseri umani, a volte, sono destinati, per il solo fatto di esistere, a fare del male a qualcuno.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

A successful Japanese nightclub owner, husband, and father risks everything to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.82)
0.5 1
1 17
1.5 3
2 77
2.5 22
3 370
3.5 104
4 666
4.5 78
5 328

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 203,188,694 books! | Top bar: Always visible