Kafka on the Shore
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-10 06:54:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Haruki Murakami
- ISBN：1400079276
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Kafka on the Shore， a tour de force of metaphysical reality， is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy， Kafka Tamura， who runs away from home either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata， who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that， like the most basic activities of daily life， he cannot fathom。 Their odyssey， as mysterious to them as it is to us， is enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerizing events。 Cats and people carry on conversations， a ghostlike pimp employs a Hegel-quoting prostitute， a forest harbors soldiers apparently unaged since World War II， and rainstorms of fish （and worse） fall from the sky。 There is a brutal murder， with the identity of both victim and perpetrator a riddle—yet this， along with everything else， is eventually answered， just as the entwined destinies of Kafka and Nakata are gradually revealed， with one escaping his fate entirely and the other given a fresh start on his own。
Reviews
Anj
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Profound， metaphorical
Gianina Maritza
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With a lot going on in my life and inside my head， this book helped me achieve the depth of existential crisis。 Lines and lines resonates with me （or at least the things I was thinking of） and I was fully absorbed in all of it。 Relations， connections， projections， and all that。 Truly one of - if not the most intense experience I've had of reading a book。 With a lot going on in my life and inside my head， this book helped me achieve the depth of existential crisis。 Lines and lines resonates with me （or at least the things I was thinking of） and I was fully absorbed in all of it。 Relations， connections， projections， and all that。 Truly one of - if not the most intense experience I've had of reading a book。 。。。more
Juliette Cheatham
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I don’t even know what to say about this book other than it’s classically Murakami。 Dreamlike， surreal， absurd in a way that’s germane to the human condition， poignant yet hilarious， all well being written with impeccably beautiful prose。 You never know what’s coming next because the rules of life do not apply within these pages。 Guaranteed to make you feel equal parts unsafe and relaxed until the very last sentence。
ally ♡
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i didnt read this i dreamt it
Iffah Qamilia
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I’d give it a 4。5/5 to be exact。 This book was so thought provoking in so many ways。 I like murakami but this is definitely one of my new favourites。 I’d say it’s worth rereading for sure， since there are still so many loose ends and riddles。 Still， murakami managed to give a great ending despite all the unanswered questions i still have！！
adrienne ♥︎
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finally got the motivation to review this book。 it was definitely a page-turner， but there were many scenes that left me confused or bored。 i also disliked the ending because it made me feel a bit empty :/ i love hoshino though
Kapu
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AMAZING！ maybe it was a bit long but it was soooo poetic and inspiring！
Dawn Marie
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I don’t know man。 I second book I’ve read by him and this one was way more bizarre than the first。 This one was a bit too sexual in descriptive content for my taste and there were some parts where I just didn’t get what it had to do with the plot overall。 Interesting and engaging characters （from Johnny Walker to Colonel Sanders to the guy who talked to cats…） but the end was a bit rushed and I still walked away thinking， “I don’t get it？” Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be。 Maybe I need to en I don’t know man。 I second book I’ve read by him and this one was way more bizarre than the first。 This one was a bit too sexual in descriptive content for my taste and there were some parts where I just didn’t get what it had to do with the plot overall。 Interesting and engaging characters （from Johnny Walker to Colonel Sanders to the guy who talked to cats…） but the end was a bit rushed and I still walked away thinking， “I don’t get it？” Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be。 Maybe I need to engage in a book discussion about this author to find out what I might be missing？？ 。。。more
Alison Nickells
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What an amazing book。 So very grateful to my friend for recommending this unputdownable story。 I fell in love with so many of the characters and didn't want to leave them 。 What an amazing book。 So very grateful to my friend for recommending this unputdownable story。 I fell in love with so many of the characters and didn't want to leave them 。 。。。more
Evita
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A book that stayed with me。 It was different and interesting。 I really loved that there were two storylines， which in the beginning seemed like they couldn't possibly connect with each other， but of course they did。 I also like the fact that the two main characters （Kafka and Mr Nakata） never meet。 My favorite characters are Mr Nakata and Sakura。 A book that stayed with me。 It was different and interesting。 I really loved that there were two storylines， which in the beginning seemed like they couldn't possibly connect with each other， but of course they did。 I also like the fact that the two main characters （Kafka and Mr Nakata） never meet。 My favorite characters are Mr Nakata and Sakura。 。。。more
Mia Garvey
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Boggled = me after finishing this book。 But in the best way possible。 I haven’t read a book by murakami in a long time so I forgot how much his writing fascinated me。 The stories aren’t necessarily hard to follow， but he incorporates aspects that are so clearly fantasy and accepts it as reality in a way that the reader is forced to accept it too。 So then you’re kinda stuck pondering if the plot is reality or if it’s a metaphor or if it’s just something and it’s boggling。 I really liked the whole Boggled = me after finishing this book。 But in the best way possible。 I haven’t read a book by murakami in a long time so I forgot how much his writing fascinated me。 The stories aren’t necessarily hard to follow， but he incorporates aspects that are so clearly fantasy and accepts it as reality in a way that the reader is forced to accept it too。 So then you’re kinda stuck pondering if the plot is reality or if it’s a metaphor or if it’s just something and it’s boggling。 I really liked the whole plot line and everything that happened， though - even though some of it was crazy it often felt right。 Also it kind of reminded me of the end of lost children archive when everything was coming together in a weird way that you don’t know what to make of。 Lots of moments in this book too where I knew they meant something but I wasn’t sure what but that made it even more interesting。 Overall good read - it took me a while but i read the majority of it within 2 ish weeks 。。。more
lilthey
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highlights:"And once the storm is over you won't remember how you made it through， how you managed to survive。 You won't even be sure， in fact， whether the storm is really over。 But one thing is certain。 When you come out of the storm you won't be the same person who walked in。 That's what the storm's all about。""Your heart is like a great river after a long spell of rain， spilling over its banks。 All signposts that once stood on the ground are gone， inundated and carried away by that rush of wa highlights:"And once the storm is over you won't remember how you made it through， how you managed to survive。 You won't even be sure， in fact， whether the storm is really over。 But one thing is certain。 When you come out of the storm you won't be the same person who walked in。 That's what the storm's all about。""Your heart is like a great river after a long spell of rain， spilling over its banks。 All signposts that once stood on the ground are gone， inundated and carried away by that rush of water。 And still the rain beats down on the surface of the river。 Every time you see a flood like that on the news you tell yourself: That's it。 That's my heart。""Her smile steps offstage for a moment， then does an encore，""In ancient times people weren't simply male or female， but one of three types: male/male， male/female， or female/female。 In other words each person was made out of the components of two people。 Everyone was happy with this arrangement and never really gave it much thought。 But then God took a knife and cut everyone in half， right down the middle。 So after that the world was divided just into male and female， the upshot being that people spend their entire time running around trying to locate their missing other half。""A dense， artistic imperfection stimulates your consciousness， keeps you alert。 If I listen to some utterly perfect performance of an utterly perfect piece while I'm driving， I might want to close my eyes and die right then and there。 But listening to the D major， I can feel the limits of what humans are capable of - that a certain type of perfection can only be realized through a limitless accumulation of the imperfect。""Not just beautiful though - the stars are like the trees in the forest， alive and breathing。 And they're watching me。 What I've done up till now， what I'm going to do - they know it all。 Nothing gets past their watchful eyes。 As I sit there under the shining night sky， again a violent fear takes hold of me。 My heart's pounding a mile a minute， and I can barely breathe。 All these millions of stars looking down on me， and I've never given them more than a passing thought before。 Not only the stars - how many other things haven't I noticed in the world， things I know nothing about？ I suddenly feel helpless， completely powerless。 And I know I'll never outrun that awful feeling。""Silence， I discover， is something you can actually hear。""things never work out like you think they will， but that's what makes life interesting""It's a labyrinth。 Do you know where the idea of a labyrinth first came from？ It was the ancient Mesopotamians。 They pulled out animal intestines - sometimes human intestines， I expect - and used the shape to predict the future。 They admired the complex shape of intestines。 So the prototype for labyrinths is， in a word， guts。 Which means that the principle for the labyrinth is inside you。 And that correlates to the labyrinth outside。。。A reciprocal metaphor。 Things outside you are projections of what's inside you， and what's inside you is a projection of what's outside。 So when you step into the labyrinth outside you， at the same time you're stepping into the labyrinth inside。" 。。。more
isabell ☮︎︎
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sigmund frued was right …
Heidi Linton
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Definitely a page turner。 Different from anything I’ve read before but ends with SO MUCH uncertainty that it’s hard to make sense of the plot at all！
Dan Finlay
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When I began reading this I thought it would be one of the more 'accessible' Murakami novels。 How wrong I was: as the plot became more labyrinthian， I， along with the characters， became lost in this cryptic maze。 Very typical Murakami， being 'a writer who tells stories unlike other writers' （in his own words。） If anyone claims to have all the answers to the riddles in this book I would not believe them。 I'd be surprised if Murakami knows himself， and he pretty much says so in this story。 At some When I began reading this I thought it would be one of the more 'accessible' Murakami novels。 How wrong I was: as the plot became more labyrinthian， I， along with the characters， became lost in this cryptic maze。 Very typical Murakami， being 'a writer who tells stories unlike other writers' （in his own words。） If anyone claims to have all the answers to the riddles in this book I would not believe them。 I'd be surprised if Murakami knows himself， and he pretty much says so in this story。 At some point I noted the line: "pointless thinking is worse than no thinking at all。" When faced with a Murakami， better not to try to rationalise; remember that "taking crazy things seriously is a serious waste of time。" Oh， and assume everything is a metaphor。。。 。。。more
Morgan Snoap
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“Memories warm you up from the inside。 But they also tear you apart。”
Brendan J Dougherty
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I just don’t think I totally understood the metaphor…
Firoz Kathrada
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I love the interesting world of Murakami， the author。 He is so good at describing the ambience and the sceneries that one seems to be part of the picture。 The plot is awkward and interesting。 Each page and each chapter bring a new turn to the story， a subtle twist that sends one wondering the intriguing mind of the author。 I'll certainly read other books of the exquisite author for his master of language and for his fantastic fantasy world。 I love the interesting world of Murakami， the author。 He is so good at describing the ambience and the sceneries that one seems to be part of the picture。 The plot is awkward and interesting。 Each page and each chapter bring a new turn to the story， a subtle twist that sends one wondering the intriguing mind of the author。 I'll certainly read other books of the exquisite author for his master of language and for his fantastic fantasy world。 。。。more
Rohan
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deserving of a second read。 magical realism is slowly becoming one of my fav genres。 all i can really say is that i wasn’t expecting how horny this was。
Vanessa Romero
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Le doy 2 por la historia de Nakata。Igual me siento algo tonta porque no entendí esta novela。
Jason
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I quite like how Murakami evokes a clear sense of place and the routines and life associated with it。 Whether these places are mystical dreamscapes of scenes from modern Japan， they are alive with detail and energy。 I can see in this book some of the themes of displacement and transformation that I really enjoy about Murakami's later books I quite like how Murakami evokes a clear sense of place and the routines and life associated with it。 Whether these places are mystical dreamscapes of scenes from modern Japan， they are alive with detail and energy。 I can see in this book some of the themes of displacement and transformation that I really enjoy about Murakami's later books 。。。more
Gurhan
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Beklediğimden çok değişik bir kitapdı daha derin felsefi ve ağır bir kitap beklerken bilim kurgu fantazi tarzında bir kitap çıktı her ne kadar yazarın genel kültür bilgisi oldugunu göstersede bu kitap olmamış cok fazla soru işareti ve kopuk yerler var 。 Ayrıca çook uzun ama çok sıkıcı değil sürükleyici 。
A
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What the hell did I read？
Kelly
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What I wouldn't give to expunge some of the scenes in KOTS from my memory。 How Murakami was able to write the Johnnie Walker cat scene is beyond me。 What I wouldn't give to expunge some of the scenes in KOTS from my memory。 How Murakami was able to write the Johnnie Walker cat scene is beyond me。 。。。more
Sayanth
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Really good。。 But you must read to feel it 。，Really good story about self discovery and love。。。 Murakami really did take storytelling to the next level。。 story you will never forget
Anitha
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I absolutely loved the first half of the book。 I enjoyed Murakami's writing。 But few scenes in the second half are too weird for me。Video review: https://youtu。be/YhmhEAgB8jA I absolutely loved the first half of the book。 I enjoyed Murakami's writing。 But few scenes in the second half are too weird for me。Video review: https://youtu。be/YhmhEAgB8jA 。。。more
faten
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انتهيت الان من هذا الجنون متاهه مجنونه لا اعلم بماذا اصفها على كل。 ساعود برفيو قريبًا。 حينما افيق من تلك اللعنة التي اصابتني。 اثاء القراءه 😄 3，5اسم الكتاب : كافكا على الشاطئ اسم المؤلف : هاروكي موراكامي تصنيف : روايه عدد الصفحات : 623 تقيمي : ⭐️⭐️⭐️3，5/5 لقد سمعت دائما عن جنون ماروكامي ولكن اليوم فقط تعرفت على هذا الجنون واي جنون هذا الذي يأخذك بعالم اختلقه هو بنفسه ومجرد ان علق بتلك المتاهه لا تجيد الخروج ، اذا قمت بسؤال أحدهم يوماً ما هل فهمت روايه كافكا على الشاطئ؟ وكانت اجابته نعم。 تاكد بانه انتهيت الان من هذا الجنون متاهه مجنونه لا اعلم بماذا اصفها على كل。 ساعود برفيو قريبًا。 حينما افيق من تلك اللعنة التي اصابتني。 اثاء القراءه 😄 3，5اسم الكتاب : كافكا على الشاطئ اسم المؤلف : هاروكي موراكامي تصنيف : روايه عدد الصفحات : 623 تقيمي : ⭐️⭐️⭐️3，5/5 لقد سمعت دائما عن جنون ماروكامي ولكن اليوم فقط تعرفت على هذا الجنون واي جنون هذا الذي يأخذك بعالم اختلقه هو بنفسه ومجرد ان علق بتلك المتاهه لا تجيد الخروج ، اذا قمت بسؤال أحدهم يوماً ما هل فهمت روايه كافكا على الشاطئ؟ وكانت اجابته نعم。 تاكد بانه لم يقراها 😄 أتدرون انني الى الان لا اعلم ما هو شعوري تجاه هذا العمل。 أحببته ؟؟ ام لم احبه ام انني。 غاضبة جداً لا اعلم 🤷🏼♀️ فالرواية تجري في طابع وجودي غير محدد الثقافه ولا يهم فيها الزمان ولا المكان وتتسم باجواءها الفانتازية。 فالقطط。 تتحدث مع البشر والسماء تمطر سمكاً ولا يكمن جنون العمل في غرائبيته بي في طابعه السريالي اذ يحكم الاحداث كلها يحركك مشاعرك ويستفزك وكلما حاولت تشكيل صوره للقصه وتفسر ما حدث حتى ترفض كل التفسيرات ومع كل هذا الجنون تستمر بالقراءه وكانك تحت تاثير سحر لا تفهمه وكانك عالقٌ بين الواقع والخيال ولا تنتظر ان تجد المنطق في اعمال ماروكامي فقط دع نفسك بعالمه الغريب ، سياخذنا ماروكامي。 في حكايتين متوازيتين من نقطه الى اخرى يسيران معاً ويتداخلان بنقطه معينيه ويفترقان فيكمل كل منهما الاخر 。 فتى بالخامسه عشر يترك البيت هرباً من لعنة ابوه باحثا عن امه واخته التي تركتا البيت وهو ابن اربع سنوات ورجل عجوز في الستين من عمره غريب الاطوار لديه اعاقه ذهنيه ولديه ايضا بعض الهوايات الغريبه كمحادثه القطط او النوم لفتره اربعين ساعه متواصلة 😅 يعيش حياه بسيطه هادئه الا ان يأتي ذلك اليوم الذي يصل فيه الى عتبة شخص يغير كل حياته ، وتلك كانت شخصيتي المفضله بلا منازع خروجك من الرواية يشبه استيقاظك من حلم لا تستطيع بالمنطق تفسير احداثه الغريبة اذ ان احلامنا لا تعني انها غير واقعية فهي لم تتشكل الا من خلال واقعنا ولكنها تتخذ هذا الشكل الذي لا يحده قوانين الواقع المادي الذي اعتدنا عليه وانصحكم خلال قراءه الروايه بالاخذ بنصيحه هوشينو احد شخصيات الروايه المفضله لدي اذ قال بوصف لحيرته " كلما حاول هوشينو ان يفك خيوط المساله ازدادت حيرته فمن الافضل الا احاول ان اعثر على المنطق" وهو تماماً ما سيحدث للقارء 。مالم يعجبني بالرواية الاباحية بشكل مستفز لا انصح بها للمبتدئين。 بقراءه الروايات تقيمي لها 3，5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Mohammad Hakam
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ضعت في الأحداث والغموض و التوهان الفكري و العاطفي مع الشخصيات لأجد الحبكة تفك خيوطها لوحدها 。。。。ولكني اضعت الحكمة و الموعظة التي أراد الكاتب أن يوصلها لي
Angelique De Leon
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Such an interesting read。 Haruki murakami’s way of narrating is different from the rest
Ehsan Nabil
，
It's like consuming some sort of illegal substance， reading this book。 Like you could feel the weigh of guilt， want to stop， but you're so irresistibly addicted that you can't。 You seek ecstasy， you seek truth， but you don't want to handle both， you can't。 So at the end when you get both， all you have is emptiness。Murakami is some sort of a monster of psychology。 He uses his eccentric ideas to mess with the readers。 Makes you cling to his disturbing imagination。 You feel like drowning into darkn It's like consuming some sort of illegal substance， reading this book。 Like you could feel the weigh of guilt， want to stop， but you're so irresistibly addicted that you can't。 You seek ecstasy， you seek truth， but you don't want to handle both， you can't。 So at the end when you get both， all you have is emptiness。Murakami is some sort of a monster of psychology。 He uses his eccentric ideas to mess with the readers。 Makes you cling to his disturbing imagination。 You feel like drowning into darkness。 Then he hints you of a curious light。 That light must be the escape。 All you have to do is aim for the light and swim。 But wait， don't you wonder why this darkness feels so tempting？ This makes you doubtful， confused， lost。 Not to worry， Murakami is there to snap you out of his own spell。One extra treat， Murakami injects music into your system。P:S: I'm still processing。 So Idk if I'd stick with this rating and review， or change my mind like I did with Norwegian Wood。Also， It's interesting that a TV series I'd watched during lockdown， named LOST， has something similar to this story。 As well as a fantacy book series SAMVALA by Shoriful Hasan。 In both cases， obviously Kafka on the shore was published way before。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Kafka on the Shore
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Kafka on the Shore&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Kafka on the Shore&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0