cronosmu's review against another edition
3.0
Luego de la monumental 1Q84, uno entiende que Murakami necesitara volver a la novela con algo más terrenal. El resultado fue “Los años de peregrinación del chico sin color” —esperpéntico título patrocinado por los señores de Tusquets, que no han terminado de entender el mal gusto inherente de la palabra “chico”, poco pertinente para describir a un treintañero, casi cuarentón murakamiano—, que se instala en la tradición de obras menos surreales y más ancladas en la realidad tangible como "Norwegian Wood", "Al sur de la frontera, al oeste del sol" y, en cierto sentido, "Sputnik, mi amor".
Cuando Tsukuru Tazaki, empujado por Sara, el personaje pivote en este libro, decide investigar por qué el grupo de amigos de su adolescencia lo abandonó, el lector se vuelve acompañante del periplo de un hombre inseguro, vacío, reducido a su condición más instintiva, que es la de sobrevivir mecánicamente en un mundo gris. El misterio se resolverá a la mitad de la novela, y eso es lo que permite que Tsukuru siga avanzando por un camino que aún debe recorrer. A final de cuentas esta es una obra más preocupada por explorar el tema de la reconciliación con uno mismo y la forma en que las personas hacen frente, o más bien huyen, de sus catástrofes.
Hay algo en esta novela que me hace pensar que es una de las más endebles de Murakami. No es la falta de elementos extraños o la historia simple. Se trata de su presentación, la manera en que está contada. Las interacciones de Tsukuru giran en torno a Haida y Sara. Con el primero se llegan a ver los momentos más logrados del libro, el peso de lo simbólico, de lo que se insinúa en alegorías e imágenes es mucho más fuerte e intrigante. Sin embargo, gracias a la figura de Sara, mucho más predominante, y su necesidad de empujar al protagonista fuera de su abismo, la novela se torna por momentos aleccionadora, con reflexiones superfluas.
Cuando Tsukuru Tazaki, empujado por Sara, el personaje pivote en este libro, decide investigar por qué el grupo de amigos de su adolescencia lo abandonó, el lector se vuelve acompañante del periplo de un hombre inseguro, vacío, reducido a su condición más instintiva, que es la de sobrevivir mecánicamente en un mundo gris. El misterio se resolverá a la mitad de la novela, y eso es lo que permite que Tsukuru siga avanzando por un camino que aún debe recorrer. A final de cuentas esta es una obra más preocupada por explorar el tema de la reconciliación con uno mismo y la forma en que las personas hacen frente, o más bien huyen, de sus catástrofes.
Hay algo en esta novela que me hace pensar que es una de las más endebles de Murakami. No es la falta de elementos extraños o la historia simple. Se trata de su presentación, la manera en que está contada. Las interacciones de Tsukuru giran en torno a Haida y Sara. Con el primero se llegan a ver los momentos más logrados del libro, el peso de lo simbólico, de lo que se insinúa en alegorías e imágenes es mucho más fuerte e intrigante. Sin embargo, gracias a la figura de Sara, mucho más predominante, y su necesidad de empujar al protagonista fuera de su abismo, la novela se torna por momentos aleccionadora, con reflexiones superfluas.
kim_2804's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
k_0406's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
craigbased's review against another edition
5.0
After reading a few of his duds it's nice to be like "oh wait, no I do really like this guy" again
alisonnolan's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kswflex's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ben_smitty's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. Too many plots and subplots left unanswered. I know Murakami was trying to create a melancholy background to the book but after finishing the book I can't help but feel that some of the symbolism and metaphors in the book were just made up on the spot to add a poetic edge to the story.
The book is about this depressed 38 year-old who can't move on in life and is stuck in the past, dealing with abandonment from his friends sixteen years ago. Even after having the courage to confront his friends, he's left in the end still depressed and in pain over... over what? We don't know. Maybe nothing. Maybe he's just whiny. Along the way he meets another friend (Haida) that also left him. We learn a story about a guy with six fingers that played the piano. We learn the protagonist has a girl he loves with all his heart (Sara) and wanting to marry, but cheating on him with another guy. We learn that his old friend was brutally murdered in her apartment. In the end these things go unresolved. We don't know what happened to Haida, we don't know if the protagonist ends up with the girl, we don't even know who murdered his friend (it could have been him in an alternate universe.... lol what?), we don't know what six fingers means. We don't know why he was obsessed with trains. We don't know whether the protagonist ends up hanging with his friends that abandoned him or not. I don't even know what the point of the book was.
The book is about this depressed 38 year-old who can't move on in life and is stuck in the past, dealing with abandonment from his friends sixteen years ago. Even after having the courage to confront his friends, he's left in the end still depressed and in pain over... over what? We don't know. Maybe nothing. Maybe he's just whiny. Along the way he meets another friend (Haida) that also left him. We learn a story about a guy with six fingers that played the piano. We learn the protagonist has a girl he loves with all his heart (Sara) and wanting to marry, but cheating on him with another guy. We learn that his old friend was brutally murdered in her apartment. In the end these things go unresolved. We don't know what happened to Haida, we don't know if the protagonist ends up with the girl, we don't even know who murdered his friend (it could have been him in an alternate universe.... lol what?), we don't know what six fingers means. We don't know why he was obsessed with trains. We don't know whether the protagonist ends up hanging with his friends that abandoned him or not. I don't even know what the point of the book was.
eraofkara's review against another edition
3.0
I read the book in about a week, but it's taken me something like three times longer than that to rate the book. I couldn't quite figure out what I felt about it.
I liked it. I didn't love it. It didn't meet the heights of what I think are Murakami's best (Wind-Up Bird, Kafka on the Shore), but it obviously wasn't awful either. It was curiously colorless, like Tsukuru. Murakami's prose is always gorgeously spare, but here at times it seemed overly simple and matter-of-fact (for a while I actually wondered if this was meant for a YA audience). And repetitious. There's a bit toward the end that was basically a recap of what had previously happened in the book, which seemed kinda silly and old fashioned.
That said, I actually DID like the book as we dove deeper into Tazaki's friends' stories, and I found the ending fairly satisfying. I guess in all, I'd warrant this a solid shrug of the shoulders.
I liked it. I didn't love it. It didn't meet the heights of what I think are Murakami's best (Wind-Up Bird, Kafka on the Shore), but it obviously wasn't awful either. It was curiously colorless, like Tsukuru. Murakami's prose is always gorgeously spare, but here at times it seemed overly simple and matter-of-fact (for a while I actually wondered if this was meant for a YA audience). And repetitious. There's a bit toward the end that was basically a recap of what had previously happened in the book, which seemed kinda silly and old fashioned.
That said, I actually DID like the book as we dove deeper into Tazaki's friends' stories, and I found the ending fairly satisfying. I guess in all, I'd warrant this a solid shrug of the shoulders.
lomas's review against another edition
2.0
I feel bad giving such a low rating, but this just didn't do anything for me.
There was nothing wrong with it at all,I just felt it didn't go anywhere, or nowhere I wanted to go.
I actually put it down several times to do the housework....
There was nothing wrong with it at all,I just felt it didn't go anywhere, or nowhere I wanted to go.
I actually put it down several times to do the housework....