After the Quake

Love Murakami's Stories

I love the way his stories feature ordinary people doing ordinary things with their minds wandering and their feelings of alienation creeping up on them, of not being sure who they are, of wanting love but feeling passive or bewildered. I like the way he draws his characters. He's so confident as an author that he doesn't have to "make" things happen -- there are no contrived stories here, people drift apart, take trips, watch bonfires on the beach. A totally refreshing and fascinating collection!

Just nice

Just a nice collection of short stories. Not bad, but not outstanding. Still worthwile to read, though.

Good intro to Murakami

The only problem that I had with this book was that the stories were too short. Other than that I loved each one.

maybe next time.

The overall result was one of disappointment. Though his plots were original, and had potential, he didn't carry them through successfully. And I don't know if it was the translator or not, but Murakami's style of writing does not make up for his fall-through plots. Not even the themes he sentimentally weaves into his stories work. They were interesting, but not worth it. Maybe I'll try a novel of his sometime.

Fascinating yet disappointing

I am disappointed by the cop-out endings, or non-endings, of all the stories except the last (¿Honey Pie¿). Murakami crafts his characters with sublime skill and wit, makes them ¿real¿ enough you get involved with them (and by and large like them), and immerses them in intriguing and original plots, only to leave the reader in the lurch by abandoning the story as though he either suddenly lost interest in it, or, perhaps worse, couldn¿t think of what would happen next. The result, at least for me, is a feeling of disappointment amounting to betrayal. Nevertheless, I will still read anything of Murakami's I can get my hands on, because of his wonderfully inventive storytelling (flawed though it seems to me) and the beauty of his writing, which shines through even in translation. (Mr. Murakami seems to have been fortunate indeed in this respect.)

I'm All Shook Up.

Excellent collection of stories. Highly entertaining, above all else, alone with being thought-provoking and unique.

Great short story collection

I've read a lot of Murakami books and I really liked the series of stories in this one. Strongly recommended for anyone looking for a fun and rewarding reading experience!!

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