Norwegian Wood
Oct 2011 · Random House
4,4star
258 reviewsreport
eBook
416
Pages
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About this eBook
The haunting, enigmatic love story that turned Murakami into a literary superstar in Japan, and is his bestselling title throughout the world
Autumn 1969, and soon I would be 20.
When he hears her favourite Beatles song, Toru Watanabe recalls his first love Naoko, the girlfriend of his best friend Kizuki. Immediately he is transported back almost twenty years to his student days in Tokyo, adrift in a world of uneasy friendships, casual sex, passion, loss and desire – to a time when an impetuous young woman called Midori marches into his life and he has to choose between the future and the past.
‘Such is the exquisite, gossamer construction of Murakami’s writing that everything he chooses to describe trembles with symbolic possibility’ Guardian
'Poignant, romantic and hopeless, it beautifully encapsulates the heartbreak and loss of faith' Sunday Times
'A masterly novel' New York Times
Autumn 1969, and soon I would be 20.
When he hears her favourite Beatles song, Toru Watanabe recalls his first love Naoko, the girlfriend of his best friend Kizuki. Immediately he is transported back almost twenty years to his student days in Tokyo, adrift in a world of uneasy friendships, casual sex, passion, loss and desire – to a time when an impetuous young woman called Midori marches into his life and he has to choose between the future and the past.
‘Such is the exquisite, gossamer construction of Murakami’s writing that everything he chooses to describe trembles with symbolic possibility’ Guardian
'Poignant, romantic and hopeless, it beautifully encapsulates the heartbreak and loss of faith' Sunday Times
'A masterly novel' New York Times
Ratings and reviews
4,4
258 reviews
Mansha Sharma
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22 January 2025
Having read Men without Women by Murakami, I was inspired to read this novel because I wanted to get to know the writing style of the author. I am pleased to say that this novel didn't let me down. I really liked how the author took his time to explain a situation. Some instances from the book came to me like cultural shock. One such instance is the sexual encounter between Toru and Reiko at the end of the novel. Although I don't stand any position to criticize such narration or act, I appreciate the openness and vulnerability of human emotions and connections. This also shows Western culture's influence on the author, and so does the title of the book. Norwegian wood, being a title track of the then and ever famous band The Beatles, must have had a special place in the author's life. This book helped me get my next read, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald , which was mentioned in the book (Norwegian wood) many times.
Aseem Prakash
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11 March 2024
This was my first Murakami Novel and I must say it has been a delight reading this. Murakami has woven such beautiful yet flawed characters which are relatable in more ways than I care to admit. I'm hooked to his writing and would definitely check out his other works too. Watanabe, Naoko, Reiko and of course Midori are not just names when you reach to the end of the novel, such is the brilliance of Murakami.
Lee Zhi Fei
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23 March 2015
The story was simple and nothing too special, but is as realistic as it can be. The real genius lies in the way the author described the scenes and characters. As someone who was born in the 90s, I felt as if I was living in the 60s/70s era that the author set the story in. It's very immersive, and I can feel all kinds of emotions the author was trying to convey. To think that I got all depressed about a certain event nearing the climax of the story. That's how immersed I am when reading this book.
35 people found this review helpful
About the author
In 1978, Haruki Murakami was twenty-nine and running a jazz bar in downtown Tokyo. One April day, the impulse to write a novel came to him suddenly while watching a baseball game. That first novel, Hear the Wind Sing, won a new writers' award and was published the following year. More followed, including A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, but it was Norwegian Wood, published in 1987, that turned Murakami from a writer into a phenomenon.
In works such as The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, 1Q84, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and Men Without Women, Murakami's distinctive blend of the mysterious and the everyday, of melancholy and humour, continues to enchant readers, ensuring his place as one of the world's most acclaimed and well-loved writers.
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