rifkautami's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
piccola_el's review against another edition
3.0
Come si può intuire dalla mia libreria, io sono un'avida lettrice di Murakami, per questo motivo, quando ho iniziato 'L'assassinio del Commendatore', le mie aspettative erano molto alte. Un po' a malincuore devo ammettere, tuttavia, che questo romanzo non mi ha entusiasmata particolarmente.
L'essenza di Murakami è certamente presente, tutti quegli elementi che fanno di ogni sua narrazione un viaggio, più che un libro; eppure, dopo la classica partenza che rapisce il lettore, l'impressione è che la narrazione s'impantani in una serie infinita di riflessioni che tornano sempre allo stesso punto, e spesso le pagine non ne vogliono sapere di scorrere fluide.
Nel complesso, la storia è interessante - un coinvolgente percorso nella mente e nelle sensazioni di un pittore, nel suo rapporto con i quadri e gli elementi che si nascondono nelle profondità di una tela bianca - e resta la voglia di arrivare alla fine, nonostante i capitoli centrali diano la sensazione di attraversare insidiose sabbie mobili letterarie.
L'essenza di Murakami è certamente presente, tutti quegli elementi che fanno di ogni sua narrazione un viaggio, più che un libro; eppure, dopo la classica partenza che rapisce il lettore, l'impressione è che la narrazione s'impantani in una serie infinita di riflessioni che tornano sempre allo stesso punto, e spesso le pagine non ne vogliono sapere di scorrere fluide.
Nel complesso, la storia è interessante - un coinvolgente percorso nella mente e nelle sensazioni di un pittore, nel suo rapporto con i quadri e gli elementi che si nascondono nelle profondità di una tela bianca - e resta la voglia di arrivare alla fine, nonostante i capitoli centrali diano la sensazione di attraversare insidiose sabbie mobili letterarie.
asiaroth's review against another edition
4.0
ending felt rushed for such a prolonged build up. Captivating story nonetheless. A lot of murakamis ideas surrounding being an artist really resonated with me.
joshuabushen's review against another edition
5.0
The best Murakami book I've read since reading my favourite, Norwegian Wood, in 2019. My only gripe with this book is that it can be incredibly slow paced at times. Other than that, Murakami's classic blend of cool contemporary fiction and magical realism is here, and its a joy to read. Little 2ft tall men appear out of paintings, people sit in holes in the ground for indiscernible reasons, and somehow it's all linked to war (specifically the Second World War). Through a series of sometimes bizarre, funny, frightening, heartwarming, and bewildering events our unnamed protagonist learns about the life of a legendary Japanese painter and why he made a decision to change his style of painting and his life as a whole after an experience in Vienna during the height of WWII. Meanwhile the protagonist goes on a journey of self-actualization triggered by a request to paint a portait of the mysterious Mr. Menshiki, who lives in the white mansion across the valley.
A must read for any Murakami fan
9.4/10
A must read for any Murakami fan
9.4/10
theramblingreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
alaan's review against another edition
2.0
It hurts to write this cause Kafka on the Shore is one of my favorite books but in here Murakami manages to write a long ass book and make it lead to nothing, I'm sure I'm just stupid but I didn't get anything from this, no character development, usual themes which here are not developed, boring characters and plot... the surrealistic motif that I usually find really attractive in his books is just bland (the metaphor and idea concept) in this book you’ll find the usual Murakami but worse than ever.
sfletcher26's review
4.0
This has been a difficult book to read and it's going to be even more difficult to review.
First things first, I love Murakami's books. There is a rhythm and a recurring pattern to his stories that I find comforting. It's like returning to your home town after an extended period away. You know where all the streets are and where they all lead but just occasionally you get to see a street from a slightly different angle and what you know is changed ever so slightly. That's what a Murakami book does it shows you the normal, the banality of life, from a slightly different angle and after you finish it there's something very slightly different about how you see the world.
Killing Commendatore is in many ways a prototypical Murakami story. A young protagonist,slightly out of phase with the world he lives in, finds himself questioning his sense of being and identity as his reality begins to change in subtle, inexorable and magical ways. There are the holes in the ground, the parallel worlds, the mysterious woman the feelings of being followed and the precocious young girl and in many ways this is so far so Murakami and so far so good.
But...I'm sure you all saw this coming
In some ways it just doesn't work the pieces are all there but the puzzle just won't fit together properly; the picture is all there but it's just not completely in focus. It was almost like Murakami by the numbers. Despite that I still really enjoyed it but wouldnt suggest it as a great place to start reading his works.
First things first, I love Murakami's books. There is a rhythm and a recurring pattern to his stories that I find comforting. It's like returning to your home town after an extended period away. You know where all the streets are and where they all lead but just occasionally you get to see a street from a slightly different angle and what you know is changed ever so slightly. That's what a Murakami book does it shows you the normal, the banality of life, from a slightly different angle and after you finish it there's something very slightly different about how you see the world.
Killing Commendatore is in many ways a prototypical Murakami story. A young protagonist,slightly out of phase with the world he lives in, finds himself questioning his sense of being and identity as his reality begins to change in subtle, inexorable and magical ways. There are the holes in the ground, the parallel worlds, the mysterious woman the feelings of being followed and the precocious young girl and in many ways this is so far so Murakami and so far so good.
But...I'm sure you all saw this coming
In some ways it just doesn't work the pieces are all there but the puzzle just won't fit together properly; the picture is all there but it's just not completely in focus. It was almost like Murakami by the numbers. Despite that I still really enjoyed it but wouldnt suggest it as a great place to start reading his works.