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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
This collection contains very little that I would, under normal circumstances, cite as being a reason that I am a fan of Murakami. I generally dislike his works that lack any form of surrealism or magical realism (I loathe Norwegian Wood, for instance), and these novels lack both of those things. I only picked these volumes up because I intend to read A Wild Sheep Chase next, and I am unwilling to read a series of books out of order; having read reviews, I expected them to be flawed to the point of nigh unreadability. Certainly, they are both deeply flawed works. Wind especially is lacking any form of plot or drive. Despite this list of glaring caveats, I found Wind/Pinball remarkably emotionally potent. This may, quite possibly, purely be down to my own personal situation as an audience. Pinball, especially, digs deeper into the emotional core of Wind, and finds the aimlessness of the protagonists to have an unexpected sense of relevancy to a nearly 24 year old reader living in a strange period of their life. On another level, however, it is fascinating to read this book knowing what we do about Murakami's career. While I would not consider Wind a classic novel by any standards, this volume is not without merit - even if this merit is merely to use it as a yardstick, by which we may measure the lofty heights of Murakami's later works.
Interesting to see the development of Murakami's early writing. A shame he doesn't seem to know anything about women as people..
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Review in English | Reseña en español (abajo)
The omnibus edition of Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973 compiles Murakami’s first two novels, written in 1979 and 1980, alongside (at least in its Spanish edition) with a short prologue by the author (The birth of novels written on the table of the kitchen). These first two short novels make up, together with [b: A Wild Sheep Chase|11298|A Wild Sheep Chase (The Rat, #3)|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327908774l/11298._SY75_.jpg|2057170], what is known as the The Rat trilogy –being the Rat a character whose life we will get to know little by little, alternating with the account of the anonymous protagonist.
Hear the Wind Sing (6.1 / 10) is a shorter novel than Pinball 1973 and it's a narrative text quite different from anything that I've read by the author. Divided into 40 chapters, or rather sections (some include short dialogues, others are simply two lines next to a drawing or the stanza of a song), the anonymous first-person narrator writes a book where he tells us his experiences during the summer of 1970 in his hometown, where he's returned on holidays and where he meets The Rat again, a great friend with whom he spends most of his time drinking beers at Jay's Bar, run by a Chinese bartender. I liked the structure chosen by Haruki Murakami for his first novel, that doesn't have a defined plot, but there are few distinguished elements of his style, and perhaps that's why it was more confusing for me to enjoy the story.
Between Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973 my favourite has been the latter, for already introducing those classic (or murakanian) aspects that we can see in the later novels of the Japanese author and that I enjoy reading so much: solitary characters, the importance of destiny or purposelessness in life, environments and scenes bordering on terror or suspense, almost supernatural elements closer to speculative fiction or magical realism, the presence of music (classical and jazz), or other recurring motifs that will be important in his later works, such as the wells (in [b: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle|11275|The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327872639l/11275._SY75_.jpg|2531376] or in his latest novel [b: Killing Commendatore|38820047|Killing Commendatore|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527854255l/38820047._SX50_.jpg|61377544]), the sea, or the cats.
The main plot of Pinball 1973 (7/10) is the narrator's obsession with that said game, his life as a freelance translator while living with a couple of female twins who suddenly appear in his apartment one morning and disappear just as suddenly at the end of the novel, and his efforts (bordering on mania) to find the old pinball machine he used to play with –in this obsessive search Murakami describes environments and scenes that border on terror, leading the reader to never know what could happen, because anything can happen. This main story alternates with scenes from the life of his old friend the Rat, and memories with him at Jay’s Bar.
It's been very interesting to read the first two works of the author after having already read practically all of his literary production, and although for me they are not at the level of my favourite works, reading Haruki Murakami is to reconnect a little more with a "reading home" I discovered many years ago. Highly recommended if you already like Haruki Murakami, but I wouldn't recommend it you're looking for the first approach with his "classic" style.
*I use the CAWPILE rating system created by Book Roast, and this book was a 6.5/10 for me.
- - - -
El volumen omnibus Escucha la canción del viento y Pinball 1973 reúne en español, junto a un breve prólogo del autor (El nacimiento de las novelas escritas en la mesa de la cocina), las dos primeras novelas cortas de Haruki Murakami, escritas, respectivamente, en 1979 y 1980; y que conforman, junto a [b: La Caza del Carnero Salvaje|1049219|La caza del carnero salvaje|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1291744272l/1049219._SY75_.jpg|2057170], la denominada como la trilogía de El Rata –un personaje del cual en estas dos primeras novelas iremos conociendo su vida poco a poco, alternándose con la narración del anónimo protagonista.
Escucha la canción del viento (6.1/10) es una novela más breve que Pinball 1973 y es un texto narrativo bastante diferente a todo lo que he leído del autor. Divido en 40 capítulos, o más bien secciones (algunas abarcan diálogos breves, otras simplemente son dos líneas junto a un dibujo o la estrofa de una canción), el protagonista anónimo escribe un libro donde nos narra en primera persona sus vivencias durante el verano de 1970 en su pueblo natal, al que ha vuelto de vacaciones y donde se encuentra a El Rata, un gran amigo suyo, con quien pasa la mayor parte del tiempo bebiendo cervezas en el Jay’s Bar, regentado por un barman de origen chino. Me ha gustado mucho la estructura escogida por Haruki Murakami para su primera novela, sin una trama realmente definida, pero hay pocos elementos conocidos de su estilo y quizá por ello me ha costado más disfrutar la narración.
Entre Escucha la canción del viento y Pinball 1973 mi favorita ha sido la última, por introducir ya esos aspectos clásicos (o murakanianos) que podemos ver en las novelas posteriores del autor nipón y que tanto disfruto al leerle: personajes solitarios, la importancia del destino y la falta de propósito en la vida, ambientes y escenas en el límite del terror o el suspense, elementos casi sobrenaturales, más cercanos a la ficción especulativa o el realismo mágico, la presencia de la música (clásica y jazz), u otros motivos recurrentes que serán importantes en sus obras posteriores, como los pozos (en [b: Crónica del Pájaro que da Cuerda al Mundo|3392482|Crónica del pájaro que da cuerda al mundo|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348296785l/3392482._SY75_.jpg|2531376] o en su última novela [b: La Muerte del Comendador|43247917|La muerte del comendador (Kishidancho Goroshi, #2)|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544980121l/43247917._SY75_.jpg|54917117]), el mar, o los gatos.
La trama principal de Pinball 1973 (7/10) es la obsesión del narrador por el juego que da título a la novela, su vida como traductor freelance mientras convive con un par de gemelas que aparecen de repente una mañana en su piso y desaparecen igualmente de improviso al final de la novela, y sus esfuerzos (rozando la manía) por encontrar la vieja máquina de pinball con la que solía jugar –en esta búsqueda obsesiva Murakami describe ambientes y escenas que limitan con el terror, llevando al lector a no saber nunca qué puede pasar, porque puede pasar cualquier cosas–. Esta historia principal se alterna con escenas de la vida de su antiguo amigo el Rata, y recuerdos junto a éste en el Jay’s Bar.
Me ha resultado muy interesante leer las dos primeras obras del autor después de haber leído ya prácticamente toda su producción literaria, y aunque para mí no están al nivel de mis obras favoritas, leer a Haruki Murakami es reencontrarme un poco con un hogar lector de hace muchos años. Muy recomendable si sois fans de Haruki Murakami, pero no lo recomendaría para una primera toma de contacto con su estilo “clásico”.
The omnibus edition of Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973 compiles Murakami’s first two novels, written in 1979 and 1980, alongside (at least in its Spanish edition) with a short prologue by the author (The birth of novels written on the table of the kitchen). These first two short novels make up, together with [b: A Wild Sheep Chase|11298|A Wild Sheep Chase (The Rat, #3)|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327908774l/11298._SY75_.jpg|2057170], what is known as the The Rat trilogy –being the Rat a character whose life we will get to know little by little, alternating with the account of the anonymous protagonist.
Hear the Wind Sing (6.1 / 10) is a shorter novel than Pinball 1973 and it's a narrative text quite different from anything that I've read by the author. Divided into 40 chapters, or rather sections (some include short dialogues, others are simply two lines next to a drawing or the stanza of a song), the anonymous first-person narrator writes a book where he tells us his experiences during the summer of 1970 in his hometown, where he's returned on holidays and where he meets The Rat again, a great friend with whom he spends most of his time drinking beers at Jay's Bar, run by a Chinese bartender. I liked the structure chosen by Haruki Murakami for his first novel, that doesn't have a defined plot, but there are few distinguished elements of his style, and perhaps that's why it was more confusing for me to enjoy the story.
«There are no truly strong people. Only people who pretend to be strong»
Between Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973 my favourite has been the latter, for already introducing those classic (or murakanian) aspects that we can see in the later novels of the Japanese author and that I enjoy reading so much: solitary characters, the importance of destiny or purposelessness in life, environments and scenes bordering on terror or suspense, almost supernatural elements closer to speculative fiction or magical realism, the presence of music (classical and jazz), or other recurring motifs that will be important in his later works, such as the wells (in [b: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle|11275|The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327872639l/11275._SY75_.jpg|2531376] or in his latest novel [b: Killing Commendatore|38820047|Killing Commendatore|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527854255l/38820047._SX50_.jpg|61377544]), the sea, or the cats.
The main plot of Pinball 1973 (7/10) is the narrator's obsession with that said game, his life as a freelance translator while living with a couple of female twins who suddenly appear in his apartment one morning and disappear just as suddenly at the end of the novel, and his efforts (bordering on mania) to find the old pinball machine he used to play with –in this obsessive search Murakami describes environments and scenes that border on terror, leading the reader to never know what could happen, because anything can happen. This main story alternates with scenes from the life of his old friend the Rat, and memories with him at Jay’s Bar.
It's been very interesting to read the first two works of the author after having already read practically all of his literary production, and although for me they are not at the level of my favourite works, reading Haruki Murakami is to reconnect a little more with a "reading home" I discovered many years ago. Highly recommended if you already like Haruki Murakami, but I wouldn't recommend it you're looking for the first approach with his "classic" style.
*I use the CAWPILE rating system created by Book Roast, and this book was a 6.5/10 for me.
- - - -
El volumen omnibus Escucha la canción del viento y Pinball 1973 reúne en español, junto a un breve prólogo del autor (El nacimiento de las novelas escritas en la mesa de la cocina), las dos primeras novelas cortas de Haruki Murakami, escritas, respectivamente, en 1979 y 1980; y que conforman, junto a [b: La Caza del Carnero Salvaje|1049219|La caza del carnero salvaje|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1291744272l/1049219._SY75_.jpg|2057170], la denominada como la trilogía de El Rata –un personaje del cual en estas dos primeras novelas iremos conociendo su vida poco a poco, alternándose con la narración del anónimo protagonista.
Escucha la canción del viento (6.1/10) es una novela más breve que Pinball 1973 y es un texto narrativo bastante diferente a todo lo que he leído del autor. Divido en 40 capítulos, o más bien secciones (algunas abarcan diálogos breves, otras simplemente son dos líneas junto a un dibujo o la estrofa de una canción), el protagonista anónimo escribe un libro donde nos narra en primera persona sus vivencias durante el verano de 1970 en su pueblo natal, al que ha vuelto de vacaciones y donde se encuentra a El Rata, un gran amigo suyo, con quien pasa la mayor parte del tiempo bebiendo cervezas en el Jay’s Bar, regentado por un barman de origen chino. Me ha gustado mucho la estructura escogida por Haruki Murakami para su primera novela, sin una trama realmente definida, pero hay pocos elementos conocidos de su estilo y quizá por ello me ha costado más disfrutar la narración.
«Las personas fuertes no existen. Solo las que son capaces de aparentarlo.»
Entre Escucha la canción del viento y Pinball 1973 mi favorita ha sido la última, por introducir ya esos aspectos clásicos (o murakanianos) que podemos ver en las novelas posteriores del autor nipón y que tanto disfruto al leerle: personajes solitarios, la importancia del destino y la falta de propósito en la vida, ambientes y escenas en el límite del terror o el suspense, elementos casi sobrenaturales, más cercanos a la ficción especulativa o el realismo mágico, la presencia de la música (clásica y jazz), u otros motivos recurrentes que serán importantes en sus obras posteriores, como los pozos (en [b: Crónica del Pájaro que da Cuerda al Mundo|3392482|Crónica del pájaro que da cuerda al mundo|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348296785l/3392482._SY75_.jpg|2531376] o en su última novela [b: La Muerte del Comendador|43247917|La muerte del comendador (Kishidancho Goroshi, #2)|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1544980121l/43247917._SY75_.jpg|54917117]), el mar, o los gatos.
La trama principal de Pinball 1973 (7/10) es la obsesión del narrador por el juego que da título a la novela, su vida como traductor freelance mientras convive con un par de gemelas que aparecen de repente una mañana en su piso y desaparecen igualmente de improviso al final de la novela, y sus esfuerzos (rozando la manía) por encontrar la vieja máquina de pinball con la que solía jugar –en esta búsqueda obsesiva Murakami describe ambientes y escenas que limitan con el terror, llevando al lector a no saber nunca qué puede pasar, porque puede pasar cualquier cosas–. Esta historia principal se alterna con escenas de la vida de su antiguo amigo el Rata, y recuerdos junto a éste en el Jay’s Bar.
Me ha resultado muy interesante leer las dos primeras obras del autor después de haber leído ya prácticamente toda su producción literaria, y aunque para mí no están al nivel de mis obras favoritas, leer a Haruki Murakami es reencontrarme un poco con un hogar lector de hace muchos años. Muy recomendable si sois fans de Haruki Murakami, pero no lo recomendaría para una primera toma de contacto con su estilo “clásico”.
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It didn't seem to have much going on. I think it was kinda weird the personification (probably not right word for it) of the starship pinball machine. I know his thing is open-ended and leaving the reader questions at the end but I just thought it really went nowhere