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kittiehawke t1_ix006g3 wrote

I quit reading it about 3/4 of the way through and wish I’d stopped earlier.

Life is too short to force yourself to finish books you don’t enjoy.

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CalmCalmBelong t1_ix01zx4 wrote

I only got halfway until I gave up. Murakami can totally cast a spell, and (alas) can swing and miss as well.

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cable_7193 t1_ix01e1z wrote

You either love it or your don't. It's definitely a polarizing one. You may not quite know in which camp you reside until you're almost at the end.

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dvmark t1_ix00is5 wrote

Stay with it. I can’t say more or I’d spoil it. If you don’t like magic realism (Gabriel Garcia Marques, Salman Rushdie eat al) then, ok, maybe it’s not for you.

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louisdanler t1_ix031b5 wrote

Exactly. That's something I learn at my 20s. If you don't like a book is ok. Maybe is not your genre or maybe is not the right time. But if your really wanna 'love' magic realism try with Kafka on the shore. 1Q84 and 100 hundred years of solitude are heavy to read.

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Greessey t1_ix02pcu wrote

I enjoy Murakami's writing, and I've read a few of his books.

1Q84 just didn't do it for me. I've seen some people say they love it, and some say they didn't like it. I think if you're just reading it to finish it, then I would probably drop it.

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local_fairy OP t1_ix033l8 wrote

I’m thinking about trying different books from him, I do plan on leaving this one be

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lazyprettyart t1_ix05py0 wrote

Wind-up Bird Chronicle is a similar concept but a much better book.

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Greessey t1_ix08b8b wrote

Wind-up Bird Chronicle is my favorite for sure, I also like Kafka on the Shore, and Norwegian Wood.

Would also recommend finding some of his short stories. My favorite is called Sleep.

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seijeezy t1_ix035ll wrote

If you aren’t feeling it, stop and don’t feel any guilt. Most people don’t have that much free time in their life between work, school, family, etc and it isn’t worth spending that precious time doing something you don’t enjoy. I love Murakami’s work because I really enjoy the magical realism and surreal elements and I’m fine with powering through all the weird horny parts to get to the fun stuff. Other people struggle with the weird horniness or don’t enjoy his style of dialogue which is completely fine. There are plenty of other great authors out there.

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local_fairy OP t1_ix03cv0 wrote

I’m not really asking if I should keep doing, I know I don’t want to finish it, at least not now, I’m just curious why other people love it

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seijeezy t1_ix03hle wrote

Understandable, sorry I missed the point lol.

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bauhaus12345 t1_ix03sym wrote

Honestly 1) it’s not worth it, the ending is very bad, and 2) people like it bc they like the writing style enough they are willing to give a pass to the weird misogyny and >!sexual abuse of children which is never really critiqued by the book!<.

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local_fairy OP t1_ix0dg34 wrote

Yeah, I couldn’t just brush over the main character loving underaged boobs and having a sexual fantasy over a kid. It wasn’t intentional like Lolita, it was just… there for no reason

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No_Bid_1382 t1_ix05d48 wrote

>bc they like the writing style enough they are willing to give a pass to the weird misogyny and sexual abuse of children which is never really critiqued by the book.

This is literally all I ever hear about the book, and folks who enjoy it are usually massively downvoted

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ImJoshsome t1_ix04yrx wrote

I was like you, but i powered through to finish it hoping for some kind of payoff. there was none and it’s one of the worst books i’ve read. It’s about 500 pages too long and meanders forever without saying anything

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CrazyCatLady108 t1_ix06hjh wrote

Please post 'Should I keep reading' questions, in our Weekly Recommendation Thread.

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