The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
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- Create Date：2021-06-16 05:51:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Haruki Murakami
- ISBN：0099448793
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Alternate cover edition here。
Toru Okada's cat has disappeared and this has unsettled his wife， who is herself growing more distant every day。 Then there are the increasingly explicit telephone calls he has started receiving。 As this compelling story unfolds， the tidy suburban realities of Okada's vague and blameless life， spent cooking， reading， listening to jazz and opera and drinking beer at the kitchen table， are turned inside out， and he embarks on a bizarre journey， guided （however obscurely） by a succession of characters， each with a tale to tell。
Toru Okada's cat has disappeared and this has unsettled his wife， who is herself growing more distant every day。 Then there are the increasingly explicit telephone calls he has started receiving。 As this compelling story unfolds， the tidy suburban realities of Okada's vague and blameless life， spent cooking， reading， listening to jazz and opera and drinking beer at the kitchen table， are turned inside out， and he embarks on a bizarre journey， guided （however obscurely） by a succession of characters， each with a tale to tell。
Reviews
Danielle Harmon
，
Maybe it took my to long to read this book but I feel a bit disappointed？
Deb Sokolow
，
The last two hundred pages were much better than the first four hundred。 I wish it did not take four hundred pages to get there。
Grant
，
I was greatly enjoying this book right up to page 350， or 400。 Then I realized it had strayed so far into the realm of fantasy/science-fiction， that it had ceased to be such a pleasure to read。 When it gets to the point of such metaphysical ideas， I just assume that the ending is going to be some bullshit。 Really， if all this other stupid bullshit is possible， then you can have any kind of stupid deus ex machina to wind up any and all convolutions。Perhaps it's my own fault for going along with i I was greatly enjoying this book right up to page 350， or 400。 Then I realized it had strayed so far into the realm of fantasy/science-fiction， that it had ceased to be such a pleasure to read。 When it gets to the point of such metaphysical ideas， I just assume that the ending is going to be some bullshit。 Really， if all this other stupid bullshit is possible， then you can have any kind of stupid deus ex machina to wind up any and all convolutions。Perhaps it's my own fault for going along with it as long as I did。 But， I really enjoyed the first 300 pages， I thought I was in for something quite extraordinary。 It was just when I said to myself，'Wait a minute， this is getting quite ridiculous， and there is no way the ending is going to be satisfactory with all these magical elements floating around。' Also the titles of the chapters really pissed me off。 Some of the letters of the words in the titles were pressed close together。 Some of the letters had extra space between the characters。 That's some lame pretentious， fake-artistic bullshit right there。 What's the point of that？ It's like waving a flag and singing， 'Look At Me！ Look at how I've done funny spacing with the chapter titles！ Isn't it just the cutest little thing？'And by the way， Murakami must hold the record for sweatiest author around。 In both of the books I've read， he constantly has character sweating， having a shower because they are sweating， feeling the sweat on different parts of their bodies， lots of sweating， seeing sweat on other characters， lots of sweating in Murakami。 It's impossible not to notice how often he feels the need to point out how sweaty everyone is。 。。。more
Corinne Register
，
When I read Kafka On The Shore I thought that it would stand as my favorite Murakami novel， but this one has taken its spot。 The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle， similarly to all of Murakami's works， is dream-like and follows no rules and does not limit itself to boundaries。 This book particularly had some of the most interesting characters Murakami has created。 May Kasahara and Cinnamon have become my favorite characters I've read in his works， alongside Nakata in Kafka On The Shore。 This book was long， When I read Kafka On The Shore I thought that it would stand as my favorite Murakami novel， but this one has taken its spot。 The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle， similarly to all of Murakami's works， is dream-like and follows no rules and does not limit itself to boundaries。 This book particularly had some of the most interesting characters Murakami has created。 May Kasahara and Cinnamon have become my favorite characters I've read in his works， alongside Nakata in Kafka On The Shore。 This book was long， filled with very different but intersecting plot lines， and it was totally worth my time。 。。。more
sophie
，
4。5。 it was like a fever dream 💭
Aditi
，
This was straight up the most confusing book I've ever read。 I don't think the way to absorb this book is looking at the story as a whole， but rather in the fragments Murakami presents it in。 All the characters are related in some way， either through wars， or wells， or marks， or wind up birds， and trying to piece together all the ends into one web is （dare I say） physically exhausting。 But untangling each strand between different， smaller groups of characters is revolutionary。 My personal favour This was straight up the most confusing book I've ever read。 I don't think the way to absorb this book is looking at the story as a whole， but rather in the fragments Murakami presents it in。 All the characters are related in some way， either through wars， or wells， or marks， or wind up birds， and trying to piece together all the ends into one web is （dare I say） physically exhausting。 But untangling each strand between different， smaller groups of characters is revolutionary。 My personal favourite is May's story。 May's entire arc is a Bildungsroman。 Though her relationship with Okada is personal and doesn't intersect with the other stories or characters， her struggle as a growing teen can be seen individually as introspection on growing up， guilt， mental struggles， and family life。 Similarly， Creta and Malta Kano reflect Kumiko and her late sister under the manipulative powers of Noboru Wataya。 L。 Mamiya and Mr Honda in relation to Okada is a commentary on Japan's war crimes and its inability to acknowledge and come to terms with them。 Okada himself is the most exasperating， passive protagonist I've ever read， but I suppose that's intentional too。 He represents a large portion of the population。 To conclude， this book was confusing， took me a lot of time to read and required that I actually use my brain， but I did get some good philosophy out of it。 May Kasahara was my favourite character and story by far， and I loved her little bouts of philosophy， and the way that she was the only one who stired Okada in the right direction。 The immensity of the book hit me after I finished it。 Murakami has this way of pulling you into this different version of reality that's so incredibly difficult to break out of。 Absolutely spectacular world-building。 You can't stop thinking about the uniqueness of his characters。 Malta and Creta Kano and Cinnamon and Nutmeg Akasaka won't leave my head any time soon :） 。。。more
Bendik Aas
，
Dette er den andre Murakami-boken jeg leser som etterlater seg en floke av løse tråder， men som samtidig klarer å gi en pirrende fornemmelse av at det finnes et dypere， uhåndgripelig flettverk av ideer som underbevisst binder de løse trådene sammen til en meningsfylt helhet。 Det er den egenskapen som i mine øyne utgjør den mest kraftfulle magien i Murakamis magiske realisme。 Selv om den fornemmelsen opplevdes sterkere i Kafka på stranden， så er den definitivt også til stede i Trekkoppfuglen。Når Dette er den andre Murakami-boken jeg leser som etterlater seg en floke av løse tråder， men som samtidig klarer å gi en pirrende fornemmelse av at det finnes et dypere， uhåndgripelig flettverk av ideer som underbevisst binder de løse trådene sammen til en meningsfylt helhet。 Det er den egenskapen som i mine øyne utgjør den mest kraftfulle magien i Murakamis magiske realisme。 Selv om den fornemmelsen opplevdes sterkere i Kafka på stranden， så er den definitivt også til stede i Trekkoppfuglen。Når det er sagt så synes jeg dette er en dialog- og monologtung bok som bruker uforholdsmessig mye plass på de ulike karakterenes gjenfortelling av deres egne livshistorier。 Uforholdsmessig fordi jeg ikke opplever at boken gjennom monologer og brev lykkes i tilstrekkelig grad å blåse liv i de ulike karakterene på en tilfredsstillende og overbevisende måte。 Deres karakteristikker og særegenheter skinner ikke godt nok igjennom i langstrakte replikker og vitnesbyrd。 Dette kan selvfølgelig skyldes at subtile trekk og vendinger har gått tapt i oversettelsen， noe som etterlater karakterene mindre livaktige og troverdige。Men alt i alt en etterhvert fascinerende， spennende og god bok om mening， bevissthet， identitet og mellom-menneskelige relasjoner。 Oppleves tidvis kvasi-filosofisk， klisjéaktig grunn， og tidvis magisk og ubegripelig dyp og vakker。 Den ender med å lene mot det sistnevnte。 Noe langstrakt， med karakterer som blekner litt （i den norske oversettelsen？）。 。。。more
Karin
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Disfruté muchísimo esta novela， empaticé con el protagonista y sus procesos tan intensos， bajé al pozo y me sorprendió en cada giro。
PJ
，
"Everything was intertwined， with the complexity of a three-dimensional puzzle - a puzzle in which truth was not necessarily fact and fact not necessarily truth。"As I'm learning is standard with Murakami; do not keep questioning， just let yourself be carried along with the story。 It doesn't have to completely make sense to be meaningful。This wonderfully strange book is about confronting the darkness within yourself and others， in a sort of dream-state vs reality showdown。 And yet as the story go "Everything was intertwined， with the complexity of a three-dimensional puzzle - a puzzle in which truth was not necessarily fact and fact not necessarily truth。"As I'm learning is standard with Murakami; do not keep questioning， just let yourself be carried along with the story。 It doesn't have to completely make sense to be meaningful。This wonderfully strange book is about confronting the darkness within yourself and others， in a sort of dream-state vs reality showdown。 And yet as the story goes on， the lines between what is real and what is not become so blurred that it ceases to matter which it is。There are various side characters that reveal their own stories to guide Toru。 These stories are at times disturbing， at times confusing or mystifying but always serving the purpose of pushing the confused Toru slowly towards his destiny to find what is lost。 For a long book， it really didn't feel long as I was reading it。 I couldn't help but find myself engrossed in this surreal tale。 。。。more
Bonnie Jean
，
I don’t really know what just happened， but I enjoyed Murakami’s bizarre and intriguing world。 So mesmerizing that I almost felt a little defiled myself when I finished。
Jenny Marie
，
I wanted to like this book more than I did。 I can’t say I loved or hated it completely。 It drew me in quickly， but it’s 600 pages of pure fever dream that was difficult to follow。
Ursula
，
I think this must be one of the weirdest books I've ever read until now。 I'll probably have to reread it to fully grasp the meaning of the book， but in general it is a typical Murakami work， with music references， fatalism， sexuality， alienation and surrealism。I should mention that it also includes elements of physical violence and deals with topic of war crimes in Manchukuo （a puppet state of Empire of Japan in Northeast China）， so those who do not like such themes should rather skip this book。 I think this must be one of the weirdest books I've ever read until now。 I'll probably have to reread it to fully grasp the meaning of the book， but in general it is a typical Murakami work， with music references， fatalism， sexuality， alienation and surrealism。I should mention that it also includes elements of physical violence and deals with topic of war crimes in Manchukuo （a puppet state of Empire of Japan in Northeast China）， so those who do not like such themes should rather skip this book。Personally， I love this book because it is unpredictable and weird。 I like that you as a reader you're just as confused as the protagonist and how small seemingly unrelated events become connected as the story progresses。 。。。more
Milutin
，
Murakami mi leži kada piše o otuđenim pojedincima u gradu，njihovim rutinama， posmatranju drugih ljudi。 Toga ima naravno i u ovoj knjizi， ali su ti momenti isprekidaniopisima zverstava u ratu između Japana i Kine/Rusijekoji su， iako dobro napisani， za mene bili potpuno nepotrebna distrakcija。
Justyna Aleksandra
，
4。75
Denis Wisner
，
Dreamy， atmospheric， beautifully melancholic
Sen A Ki
，
like other Murakami novels， this is a nutjob of a book which unlike other Murakami books， did not move me， so i will not be recommending this particular title to anyone in the future， because honestly， wtf。i don’t even want to keep it on mu shelf， so i will be giving it away
Yasmin Zeidan
，
this book drove me to the brink of insanity because simultaneously everything and nothing took place。
Megan
，
I really struggled to maintain interest in what seemed to be a series of more or less unconnected events， some of which are never tied off with characters simply disappearing and events that are never explained。 The single point of view throughout almost the entire book makes it very monotonous at times。Aside from this， the ending is satisfying and there are some unexpected but interesting additions to the plot， such as lieutenant Mamiya's backstory - though it doesn't always feel relevant。 I really struggled to maintain interest in what seemed to be a series of more or less unconnected events， some of which are never tied off with characters simply disappearing and events that are never explained。 The single point of view throughout almost the entire book makes it very monotonous at times。Aside from this， the ending is satisfying and there are some unexpected but interesting additions to the plot， such as lieutenant Mamiya's backstory - though it doesn't always feel relevant。 。。。more
Dilay Mercan
，
While i was reading i had two words in mind: peculiar， and genius。 I was mostly confused along the way but towards the end all the pieces fell into place and it gave that feeling of satisfaction and my admiration for the book really increased。 All in all， loved it。
Richard Barney
，
Does a book without much of a real plot except 'everything is weird and random stuff happens that never gets explained' really need to be 600 pages long？ I'm about two-thirds through and I give up。 Does a book without much of a real plot except 'everything is weird and random stuff happens that never gets explained' really need to be 600 pages long？ I'm about two-thirds through and I give up。 。。。more
abrandnewfilter
，
WAHHHHHHHHHH！！ JUST WAHHHHHH！！！！
Sundaram
，
I think it's easier to rate Murakami and just leave。 Once I think of writing a review， I get doubts on my rating as well。Anyways， this is one remarkable piece of literature。 Loaded with unforgettable characters who'll stay in memories until one lives。 Loaded with intricate historical references and surreal yet believable instances， wind-up bird chronicle is an epic in every sense。 It was a wonderful， breezy reading experience that still leaves many strings untied。 Will have to re-read again to c I think it's easier to rate Murakami and just leave。 Once I think of writing a review， I get doubts on my rating as well。Anyways， this is one remarkable piece of literature。 Loaded with unforgettable characters who'll stay in memories until one lives。 Loaded with intricate historical references and surreal yet believable instances， wind-up bird chronicle is an epic in every sense。 It was a wonderful， breezy reading experience that still leaves many strings untied。 Will have to re-read again to connect and tie a few strings that I've missed。 。。。more
Aurora Shele
，
Long， Disappointing third book。 My least favorite from Murakami。
Nikki Lewen
，
This was my first Murakami novel。 It won’t be my last！
Nick Morrill
，
This is a wacky one for sure。 It was well on its way to easy 5 star and it very likely deserves it， if I was allowed to shave 。5 of a star off I would。 Its a 4。5。 The last 1/3 （book 3） is written differently and that really hurt me。 It goes off on more tangents near the end and we lose that closeness we had always just following our boy around。 I'm sure it could be analyzed to heck and all those tangents really meant something important but for my tiny brain， too off track for me。 The book is wr This is a wacky one for sure。 It was well on its way to easy 5 star and it very likely deserves it， if I was allowed to shave 。5 of a star off I would。 Its a 4。5。 The last 1/3 （book 3） is written differently and that really hurt me。 It goes off on more tangents near the end and we lose that closeness we had always just following our boy around。 I'm sure it could be analyzed to heck and all those tangents really meant something important but for my tiny brain， too off track for me。 The book is written in such a manner that its almost tricking the reader into reading the 'real' story。 We hang out with our boy， but he just wants to find his cat， all the time， 'where my cat go' - him。 Other things keep flowing in and out。 This book is as close as you are going to get to free form jazz in story form。 。。。more
daniela 🌱
，
DNF at p。 362
Deep Naskar
，
Murakami doesn't build worlds， made of bones and coated by flesh， rather he weaves poetry， shaped with dreams， nightmares and everything in between。 That's why his stories speak of talking cats， raining fishes and two moons hung upon the sky。 But it is not the absurdity which makes him special， rather building the chrysalis of unreal within reality， which resonates the reality more than itself， to a much deeper space。Wind up Bird Chronicle opens up with Toru Okada's cat gone missing。 At first， i Murakami doesn't build worlds， made of bones and coated by flesh， rather he weaves poetry， shaped with dreams， nightmares and everything in between。 That's why his stories speak of talking cats， raining fishes and two moons hung upon the sky。 But it is not the absurdity which makes him special， rather building the chrysalis of unreal within reality， which resonates the reality more than itself， to a much deeper space。Wind up Bird Chronicle opens up with Toru Okada's cat gone missing。 At first， it seems like a simple linear plot， but as we advance further， everything seems to become more and more complicated。 The novel is divided into three books， spanning through times and spaces。 We move to and fro， through Japan occupied Manchuria， the city of Hsin Ching falling to chaos in front of Russian advancement， post-war Siberia， the barren land of Mongolia， contemporary Japan， a few Mediterranean islands and some other worlds。 But regardless of wavering through different timelines and various real and unreal worlds， there seems to be a certain， very prominent connection between all。 However， one could not simply pull out the thread， like a stitch going in and out of the skin， the thread stitches everything together while itself remains enveloped in the usual murakamiesque ambiguity。Like most other works of Murakami， there are some usual tropes。 Such as missing cats， strange people bearing even stranger powers， lone protagonist， dried-up well and severe identity crisis。 All these don’t make the novel clichéd or even slightly repetitive。 It is like a room with the same furniture but refurbished and redecorated。 Does that make it the same room？ Perhaps it is still the same， the same enclosure， the same eggshell but yet it is a different one， one with a different air， a different presence， like the ship of Theseus。Hence， we remain quiet， holding our breath at the bottom of the dried-up well， a dark well which embodies our present， listening to the bird winding up spring。 。。。more
Georgie Walls
，
very long but worth it ！ loved the different people he meets and gains wisdom from
Udit Jain
，
Just submit to this kind of psychedelic transic read and flow with it。 It has been a difficult read for me and sometimes I just wanted to skip it。 But after really pushing through it， I realise it perhaps among the quickest reads in a while。
Gia Jadick
，