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Norwegian Wood
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Norwegian Wood
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Norwegian Wood
Audiobook13 hours

Norwegian Wood

Written by Haruki Murakami

Narrated by John Chancer

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

This stunning and elegiac novel by the author of the internationally acclaimed Wind-Up Bird Chronicle has sold over 4 million copies in Japan and is now available to American audiences for the first time.  It is sure to be a literary event.

Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before.  Toru begins to adapt to campus life and the loneliness and isolation he faces there, but Naoko finds the pressures and responsibilities of life unbearable.  As she retreats further into her own world, Toru finds himself reaching out to others and drawn to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young woman.

A poignant story of one college student's romantic coming-of-age, Norwegian Wood takes us to that distant place of a young man's first, hopeless, and heroic love.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 3, 2013
ISBN9780804166652
Unavailable
Norwegian Wood

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Reviews for Norwegian Wood

Rating: 3.9604495325696996 out of 5 stars
4/5

4,627 ratings139 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Es hat ein wenig gedauert, bis ich in dieses Buch hineinfand. Der Anfang wirkt recht beliebig und ist stellenweise gekennzeichnet von der sprunghaften Erzählweise, die ich Indie-Autoren oft vorwerfe, denen es nicht gelingt, ihre Szenen ganz zuende zu erzählen: Unrund, unfertig, unbefriedigend.Spätestens ab dem ersten Besuch der Hauptfigur bei Naoko finden Murakami und seine Übersetzerin Gräfe aber zu der Meisterschaft, die ich aus anderen Büchern aus seiner Feder gewohnt bin.Eine leise, traurige, hochemotionale Geschichte, diesmal zwar ohne die Elemente des magischen Realismus, die ich bei Murakami sonst so liebe, aber nichtsdestotrotz wundervoll. Der Selbstmord geliebter Menschen ist ein zentrales Thema, neben Verletzlichkeit, emotionaler Instabilität und Trauer.Nicht immer einfach, wenn man selbst schon einmal Nahestehenden ins Grab sehen musste.Insgesamt aber wunderschön, fein, behutsam erzählt trotz all der Brutalität des Themas. Klare Empfehlung.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a Reading Good Books review.This book has nothing to do with Norway or woods. Well, maybe with the woods, setting-wise. It does, however, mention the Beatles song a couple of times. (Okay, that’s a lame opener.)Japanese author Haruki Murakami is known for his complex and surreal style of writing, tackling rather heavy societal issues in his fiction writing. His characters feel grounded and relatable. His themes are, at times, controversial, yet people respond to them.Norwegian Wood is a coming-of-age story of Toru Watanabe, a young man in the 1960s-70s. Toru narrates his story in first person struggling with his friends, school, and love life; dealing with suicide, relationships, and his own personal issues. His best friend, Kizuki commits suicide and this event heavily affects Toru and the people around him. He shares this world with Naoko, Kizuki’s girlfriend, whom he is sort of in love with also. Naoko never really recovers and goes into depression. Through the years, their lives are touched by more people: Midori, Toru’s friend from school; Reiko, Naoko’s roommate; and other colorful characters.The Beatles song that shares the same name as the novel describes Toru and Naoko’s relationship: “I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me…” They have a very complicated – and for one time, sexual – relationship. Did they or did they not love each other?Reading this book is like being transported to an other-wordly, ethereal place as if you are in somewhere magical. His writing is just so beautiful and poetic, the words flow nicely on the page. Toru reminds me of Daria. He just goes with what life throws at him. He doesn’t think he’s any special and he knows that he’s flawed and accepts it. The subject of suicide is heavily featured in this book. In the news, I have read Japanese and Korean and other Asian young people committing suicide. Some of them are famous actors and models. Even though this was first published in the late 80s, it clearly is still relevant today.Kudos also to translator Jay Rubin who managed to maintain the integrity and intensity of the work. Being bilingual myself, I know that are are some words in my language that have no exact translation in English. The way he weaved the words set up a crystal clear atmosphere while maintaining the mood that Murakami’s works are famous for.Overall, it is a tale of growing up. A lyrical piece of fiction that captures the reader and does not let go.Rating: 5/5.Recommendation: Lovely imagery, deep emotions, and exceptional writing. I wish everyone would read this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My favourite Murakami book. Nice length. Interesting story. The way he writes gives me a very visual experience. I love how he writes about food.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When his debut novel Norwegian Wood put Haruki Murakami “on the map” when released, it launched a career for a writer of some very speculative fiction, featuring other-worldly plots and settings. Norwegian Wood however, takes place in very down-to-earth terms with very realistic people, events, and settings. Protagonist Toru Watanabe pursues his college career in the late 1960s and with its inevitable romantic attachments, with typically mixed results. This book took me on a voyage and surprised me with its constant allusions to popular songs of the times, including the Beatles’ song of the title.Watanabe has few friends while living at a dormitory in Tokyo. He simply doesn’t find the young wastrels who are his fellow students very interesting. His one friend from high school killed himself when he was 17. In this bereft and unforgiving world Watanabe turns to his friend’s girlfriend Naoko, and she looks to him. This vulnerable and enigmatic girl doesn’t necessarily return Toru’s affection, but needs him nonetheless. He remains steadfast in his friendship, visiting her at the sanatorium where she tries to recover some emotional strength.Toru, working and studying, cannot see her often at her remote hospital in the mountains, and captures the eye of Midori, a pretty and vivacious young girl who wears her skirts too short. Midori leavens this story with her wit, audacious flirtation, and her worldly-wise take on all situations. She deflates egos, spots a sham a mile away, and is out for herself, in pretty teen-age girl style. Toru catches her eye, and the interactions between these two characters is a definite highlight. Toru’s dense and slow reaction to her overt affection and effort at seduction is hilarious. Typical nineteen year-old guy.This has the very strong flavor of memoir. The tribulations of becoming an adult affect us all, and this book is a bittersweet journey for anyone who has gone through it. If you happen to be of Toru’s age, a time when the Beatles absolutely ruled pop culture, this book captures that moment superbly. But even more noteworthy, Murakami captures a timeless, sympathetic, and beguiling path for his hero. This was a wonderful diversion for me, and I treasure it. While is doesn’t represent an attempt by the author to capture any of the alien and fantastical worlds of some of his other work, this is wonderful in its own right.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    at core, an incredibly sad book that illustrates quite unlike anything else that I have read recently, how life in itself, living in its core essence, alienates oneself from each and every other living being, even cats named seagull. yup, so incredibly sad... so, read it, but be wary if you are of sensitive mind.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A rather frank, clear discussion of love, sex, sadness, loss, depression, and a bit of morality thrown in all together. A bit of a tearjerker. The tone of the book is quite conversational, and doesn't try to be grandiose. Not necessarily for the faint of heart, but it's not too heavy either. A good read.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    OK: I am not a sheltered japanese teenager who might have identified with the revolting main character, but this book was awful. I had to skip through the second half of the book looking for passages which were not about penises, as I was so bored. I guess it might work on the level of a text warning of the boredom of self regard - but it's not for me - and the author was 38 when he wrote this - should have known better! I'm glad I read one of his later books first because I enjoyed that one and after this I would never have touched another.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is a coming-of-age story that also deals with suicide, loyalty and responsibility for others. It's a good read, and I really liked the main character, Toru, who is a university student in love with Naoko. Naoko, however, is unable to return his love as she is dealing with mental health issues of her own. However, I felt the female characters (Naoko and Midori) were not as well developed...they seemed a bit too "far out" in their perspectives and ways of speaking. I definitely didn't like the book as much as many of my fellow LTers did!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A Japanese love story. One that includes as much about death as about life. Is that the Japanese way? Or just Murakami's? Matter of fact, straight line storytelling decorated by imaginative prose. The tale runs along iron rails to its inevitable conclusion. The Japanese way? Or Murakami's?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Amazing Book. Love it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Murakami is always a concise, simple writer, and is gifted with the ability to brilliantly get inside the psychologies of young people. Although I always enjoy his books, I came to Norwegian Wood after having read - and loved - his more surreal, fantastical works such as Kafka on the Shore, and I felt that this lacked something in comparison, some of the magic that I associate with Murakami's world. Nevertheless it is still a touching, tender evocation of a young man's efforts to make sense of himself, his desires and his responsibilities as he struggles to shake off adolescence and move into adulthood. Perhaps the story will appeal more to those who find Murakami's more surreal work difficult to get into - but I must confess I failed to come away from this with the usual feeling of wonder.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Its always a little sad for me when I don't finish a book. Just didn't care about these kids at all. At all. It's a shame, I think I may have just chosen the wrong Murakami book to start with, and now it will likely be a long time if ever that I read something else by him which may be a big miss on my part. Still, I couldn't have been more bored with this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Romantic-erotic book. This is my third Murakami book. My first one was tHe Wind-up Bird Chronicle and I think it has it's similarity: the female characters are "different" but the narrator's character is passive. How many times Watanabe was driven by Midori or Naoko's decisions. Secondly, when reading this book, I cannot stop wondering how easy it is for Japanese teenagers to be depressed and take their own lives. Is that the case at the time the book was written? However, I find this book interesting, curious to see what happens to the characters, although it is a dark, slow and flat book without climax and anticlimax. Murakami tells the story of how teenagers are trying to find themselves and how the death and sorrow build their characters along the way.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Where do i begin? .... i assumed this book had a slow start but turns out that's how the entire story goes until the very end , There is no real story to be told , and the plot is boring and barely existing. The characters don't spark any interest either , we have:"Toru" a student who can't decide anything so instead he wallows in his self pity"Naoko" a depressed girl who has no experience with the real world & her roommate "Reiko" who i still don't know what's her role in the story"Midori" she's supposed to be the "independent and sexually liberated young woman" but throughout the story she is nothing but clingy and insecure, i swear i thought it was a joke with all that "oh please don't leave me" attitude. Actually here's one of her best moments *I'm being sarcastic *: "I'm looking for selfishness. Perfect selfishness. Like, say I tell you I want to eat strawberry shortbread. And you stop everything you're doing and run out and buy it for me. And you come back out of breath and get down on your knees and hold this strawberry shortbread out to me. And I say I don't want it any more and throw it out the window. That's what I'm looking for." Wich of course made our hero "Toru" fall in love with her. Really, there is no story .. , there is the usual weird sexual content that seems to be "Haruki "'s specialty. And oh! The ending was just horrible , the most weird ending you could ever read .I realise that maybe his books aren't for me , so this is the last book I'll read by him.I would not recommend this book to anyone , or maybe i Would , just to have someone to talk to about that creepy ending.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Essential read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A great read. Murakami is a story-teller - gives the reader enough information to paint a picture of the characters and events, and then leaves the details to your imagination. Wonderful.This book is less "weird" than others of the author that I have read, but I didn't miss the weirdness - I was immersed in the people and events. I loved the literary references thrown in (like reading magic Mountain at a mental health sanitarium in the mountains) and how the themes of the main characters were echoed in background stories - the "perfect" child who seduces Reiko, and the "perfect" sister of Naoko who commits suicide.Great stuff.Read September 2016
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    "Read by everyone in Japan," Norwegian Wood was an experiment by Murakawi in writing a "straight" story and staying away from the magical fiction that he's better known for. His natural style and intimate character development have a magic all their own in what's been described as a coming of age love story.It begins in retrospect, from the point of view of a 37 year old man reflecting on past relationships as a 20-something in college. It quickly moves to the first person of the story teller, as his relationships build and some fall away. It's as much a story of love as it a story of introspection and self-discovery.There is a lot of loss as the story progresses, but the reader will find something to hope for as well. At times, there are graphic scenes of intimacy, but they don't overwhelm the story. A great read and another way to connect with more contemporary Japanese culture.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I don't read other people's reviews before writing my own, but I've got a feeling I'm going to be out on my own here, in that I found this irritating and boring. It started off OK - in fact I loved Storm Trooper with his obsessive ways, and it was a pity he didn't stick around longer. My high hopes for the rest of the book were quickly dashed as it descended into a mishmash of psychobabble and sex. The narrator, a Japanese student, when he isn't out shagging his way round town with his new friend, is led a merry dance by two capricious women. They are attractive, but of course that's the way of things, as ugly women would never be afforded the latitude to game-play the way they do. The way the cover is designed and the whole aura around the book - with the snippets of reviews praising the author's writing - make it come across as a serious work of literature, so you feel the gratuitous sex and constant references to genitals and who was "wet" etc etc must be symbolic or high-minded. However for me it was like being trapped in a corner at a party by some pervy guy who constantly makes suggestive comments accompanied by an urbane smile so you don't feel you can complain.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Little too long. Descriptions about places. Senery. Interesting sexual American in Tokyo and his love fir two women. One hangs her self
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The first line of the Beatles' great song, Norwegian Wood, describes the general context of Murakami's slice of human development novel: "I once had a girl, or should I say, she once had me." The popular Japanese author systematically sets the stage for exploration of love relationships during the critical period of ages 17 to 20 in contemporary Tokyo. During this period, people feel compelled to make lasting commitments even though they are struggling with the transition from idealism to realism, from being children to becoming adults in a competitive culture. The story of four main characters who believe they have only a small window of freedom to decide on their life paths shows readers the dangers of confusing movement with action.Murakami focuses on the interaction of four main characters who discover that during the late adolescent years, if they avoid the hard psychological work of making the transition from childhood illusion to adult realism, there will be lifetime consequences. The narrator, Toru Watanabe, has a phlegmatic personality reminiscent of Thomas Mann's character, Hans Castorp, in The Magic Mountain. Like Hans, Toru is a rather naive young man from a middle class family who has learned to enjoy his youthful pleasures without making undue efforts to prepare for life's inevitable adult challenges. This avoidance of direction is reinforced by his relationship with a beautiful young girl, Naoko, who has maintained an idyllic relationship with her childhood boyfriend Kizuki even though the two realize they will not be able to live like children after their adolescent years, when they turn 20. Toru happily plays the friend of both, assuming a lackadaisical attitude and enjoying his own maturing pleasures though his self-understanding is delayed. Toru's roommate, Nagasawa is the epitome of this self-indulgent uncommitted lifestyle and Toru learns the art of using casual relationships with girls to satisfy sexual if not emotional needs.The ages 17 to 20 allow for exploration and preparation for adult roles, including some forgiveness for errors of judgment. But, at the end of this idyllic period, major choices loom. The characters must decide on maintaining ideals of carefree childhood at all costs (like Naoko and Kizuki), confronting the realization that they have a responsibility for accepting their own ultimate solitude in life and death (like Toru), or actively avoiding any real choices in life taking the path of least resistance to the best deal (like Nagasawa).Toru's favorite novel is The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald that features a man who refuses to give up his lost youthful illusions. But, Toru rereads The Magic Mountain at a time of transitional crisis that features Hans Castorp who decides to leave the dependent life on the mountain to take on the realistic and ultimately solitary role of a responsible adult on the flatlands. The readers will greatly enjoy discovering the decisions Toru makes during his transition of what Erik Erikson called the Intimacy versus Isolation psychosocial crisis. Is Toru most like Jay Gatsby or Hans Castorp?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Toru Watanabe hears Norwegian Wood by the Beatles when he lands in Germany and the song starts him thinking about his first love. She was a girl called Naoko but there was a problem she was the girlfriend of his best friend.Back in the 1960's we follow Toru as his best friend kills himself and he he grows closer to Naoko. Close enough to sleep with her but not close enough to learn of her problems. Also during his time at college where student demonstrations closed the college but, once they were over, the rebels were always the students at the front of the class taking the notes. Being one of those left on the sidelines you see how he sees the rebels in reality being the mainstream, how sex takes the place of love and friendships are made over the simplest of things (such as reading F. Scott Fitzgerald).This is unitl Midori comes into his life. And he needs to decide between love and a dream which comes closer but with problems when Naoko starts therapy.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My actual Ratings is 3.75 Stars. Murakami is one of my fave authors but I can’t honestly say this was his best work that I’ve read. I enjoyed it nonetheless.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Defiantly one of the best of his works, good book could relate alot being in my early 20s
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I’ve read several books by Murakami and this is my favorite one so far. Usually in his books ,weird insignificant little things happen and nothing really significant happens, but it’s interesting enough to keep me reading. But in this book a lot happens! I also feel like real life does not go the way it does in Murakami books, but it still interesting and fun in a weird way.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Like all of Murakami's books, a pleasant read but disappointing overall. Not a trivial book, ok. Meaning is there, but just the minimum expected. The simple style is pleasing and inspirational. However, from almost 400 pages of an emblazoned text, one definitely expects more than the story of a boy who candidly narrates his love indecisions and how life resolves them for him.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Considering that this is a translation I thought the writing dreamy, whoever did it managed to capture the spirit of the words. The main plot I thought was excellent and some of the twists incredible. I would recommend it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the first time I have read one of Murakami’s novels and I am impressed. This book is beautifully written – Murakami’s style is elegant and atmospheric. In Norwegian Wood, he explores love, loss, fear, and memory.

    As the book opens, protagonist Toru Watanabe is looking back on his college days, seventeen years past. He had moved from Kobe to Tokyo to study at Waseda University after suffering the loss of his best friend, Kizuki, to suicide. The story follows Toru’s relationships with two young women – Naoko, his friend and Kizuki’s girlfriend, and Midori, an eccentric college classmate. Naoko is struggling to overcome severe mental health issues, which leads her to a secluded sanctuary in the countryside. Midori has had a rough early life with parents that paid little attention to her, and she has developed a bold and unconventional approach to life. All three try to overcome painful memories and find their way in the world, some more successfully than others.

    This is a powerful story about grappling with loneliness and depression. It portrays how sex and love can be both positive and negative forces. Toru attempts to break through grief and find a path to a happier life. He wants to help Naoko get back to the world of the living. Midori holds a more optimistic attitude toward life despite her earlier hardships. The supporting characters are well-developed and lend depth to the narrative. This book stimulates reflection and will linger in my thoughts.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I liked this book, but I struggled with the meaning. I also took a break in the middle of reading it due to some unforeseen circumstances so I didn't have an uninterrupted reading which is always a little disorienting. It reminded me of reading Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children. It's like I was reading it on one level yet I knew it was trying to convey something on a different level, but I was struggling to understand what that was. I ended up using an online lit guide to help me understand the ending.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Reason Read: Bookspin, double spin. Japanese author, ROOTStory of young people who are "alone" in their isolation even when with others and even when in the sexual act. Norwegian Wood is a Beatles song and incorporates another of Murakami signatures "music". It is set in the sixties. I did not appreciate this novel as the graphic sex is beyond acceptable. You would not be able to listen to this in public or read it aloud. I do think it maybe emphasizes even further the isolation of the characters.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Having read (and loved) Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and currently reading (and loving) 1Q84, both by Murakami, I was excited going into this almost completely blind. Unfortunately, I was left disappointed as Murakami's charming writing felt like it had disappeared and all I was given was a story about the main character's miserable life feat. women he had sex with in the most boring and dullest way possible.

    If I want to read a japanese author's book about a man's misery, all the women and shitty people he met in his life told in first person ever again, I'd rather reread No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai. At least that book evoked some kind of emotion in me.

    I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by James Yaegashi, and I recommend it. I chose it because I don't like hearing names getting butchered, but his performance was very pleasant overall. If it weren't for him I might have not finished this book at all.