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Shirley Revill's Reviews > Killing Commendatore

Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami
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bookshelves: audiobook, fiction, thought-provoking

Thoughts while reading.

Your wife she left
I did too
I came back to finish you
Paintings on walls
Men two foot high
My brains been pulped
I give a cry
I've not been drinking
That wouldn't do
But I might before I finish you.
Shirley.
Review to follow when I finish the story.
Update.
If I never achieve anything else in my life I achieved finishing this book. In fact I got to the end of the audiobook some days ago and have since been wondering what to say. I have looked at many five star reviews regarding this story but unfortunately it was not for me. It's far too long and needs to lose at least 200 pages, maybe more. The storyline was very,very slow and I still don't fully understand what I have been listening too.

On a plus note many people have given this book five stars and I am definitely in the minority.
It was extremely well written even though it was rather slow. The narrator had a wonderful voice that kept me listening. So apologies to all the fans of this book for not enjoying this book as much as everyone else. It would be a very sad world if we where all the same. Awarding three stars and I sincerely wish it could have been more.
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Quotes Shirley Liked

Haruki Murakami
“I was desperately clinging to a scrap of wood that had been swept away. In pitch-black darkness, not a single star, or the moon, visible in the sky. As long as I clung to that piece of wood I wouldn’t drown, but I had no clue where I was, where I was heading.”
Haruki Murakami, Killing Commendatore


Reading Progress

October 19, 2018 – Started Reading
October 19, 2018 – Shelved
October 19, 2018 – Shelved as: audiobook
October 20, 2018 –
65.0%
October 24, 2018 –
85.0%
October 25, 2018 –
90.0%
October 28, 2018 – Shelved as: fiction
October 28, 2018 – Shelved as: thought-provoking
October 28, 2018 – Finished Reading

Comments Showing 1-32 of 32 (32 new)

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H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov You've got my interest, Shirley!


message 2: by Shainlock (new)

Shainlock You’d be kick butt at haikus I bet.
I love this. It’s mysterious.


message 3: by Paula (new)

Paula K Awesome, Shirley!


Shirley Revill HBalikov wrote: "You've got my interest, Shirley!"

Have you read anything by this author Peter? It's a first for me. ☺


Shirley Revill Shaina wrote: "You’d be kick butt at haikus I bet.
I love this. It’s mysterious."


Thank you Shaina. 😂


Shirley Revill Paula wrote: "Awesome, Shirley!"

Thank you Paula. 😊


message 7: by Jaline (new)

Jaline Beautifully expressed, Shirley - I love it! :)


message 8: by Ingrid (new)

Ingrid Thank you for being honest!


Shirley Revill Jaline wrote: "Beautifully expressed, Shirley - I love it! :)"

Thank you Jaline ☺


Shirley Revill Ingrid wrote: "Thank you for being honest!"

Thank you Ingrid. I can't believe I finished the story. 😊


message 11: by Diane (new)

Diane Wallace Good review, Shirley!


Shirley Revill Diane wrote: "Good review, Shirley!"

Thank you Diane! ☺


Catherine (The Gilmore Guide to Books) Fabulous opening poem! You're not alone. This was my first Murakami and may be my last. It wasn't bad but when i can put a book down for 2 weeks and not miss it? Not good. It was 3 stars for me as well.


Shirley Revill Catherine at The Gilmore Guide to Books wrote: "Fabulous opening poem! You're not alone. This was my first Murakami and may be my last. It wasn't bad but when i can put a book down for 2 weeks and not miss it? Not good. It was 3 stars for me as ..."

That's exactly how I felt Catherine. In the end it became a challenge to finish it. I also felt really guilty because so many people loved it. ☺


Shirley Revill HBalikov wrote: "You've got my interest, Shirley!"

Not for me I'm afraid and I'm having guilt feelings because so many other people loved this book. ☺


message 16: by Simon (new) - rated it 4 stars

Simon Why do you feel guilty, Shirley? It's not a controversial issue.. Just a novel. You're perfectly entitled to dislike it.


message 17: by Tall (new) - rated it 3 stars

Tall I agree with you. You’ve expressed exactly how I feel!


Shirley Revill Billy wrote: "Why do you feel guilty, Shirley? It's not a controversial issue.. Just a novel. You're perfectly entitled to dislike it."
You are so right Billy. Wasn't my cup of tea at all. 😊


Shirley Revill Tall wrote: "I agree with you. You’ve expressed exactly how I feel!"

It feels so good to know that someone felt exactly the same as I did. Thank you for that Tall. 😊


message 20: by Daniel (new)

Daniel Garwood Sometimes, we read a book and appreciate the writing more than we enjoy it. This sounds like one of them.


message 21: by Cassandra (new)

Cassandra Listening to the audiobook now and loving it. I have a ways to go so that could change lol. Mind you, Murakami is one of my favorite authors and I'm totally loving the Gatsby vibe


message 22: by Pam (new) - rated it 3 stars

Pam I agree that it's too long. Could have used a bit of editing but I still like it so far, at 60%.


message 23: by Greg (new) - rated it 4 stars

Greg So the book stuck with you? That says a lot!


message 24: by JG (new) - added it

JG Same thoughts.


message 25: by Ashley (new) - rated it 4 stars

Ashley Is this your first Murakami? Just wondering if your comments of it being slow and you not fully understanding are in comparison to other Murakami books, or did you go into this blind?

His works are often very slow, such as "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage" (my first Murakami read) which constantly feels like it's building to something happening, but literally nothing ever does - I found myself extremely frustrated at this, yet somehow fell in love with his writing! As for not fully understanding, that's not much different to pretty much everything he writes..

So basically, I'm hoping that this was your first time reading him and he's just not your cup of tea, rather than you being a fan that feels this way about this one particular book. I plan to read this very soon so I really hope to disagree with your review (though that being said, NEVER apologise for not liking something as much as others do - if anybody takes offence to that then they're just petty and their opinions almost certainly aren't worth paying any mind to. And as you said, it'd be a sad world if we all agreed on everything!)


message 26: by Ashley (new) - rated it 4 stars

Ashley P.s apologies for the paragraphs just to ask a simple question.. my mind seems to have got a little carried away and my fingers clearly gave way to the mess that it contained..


message 27: by Christina (new)

Christina You're a better woman than I am, Shirley - I have decided to give up at 40%. I am not even liking his writing much here - there is so much repetition and while each sentence is energetic and spare, the sum total is monotonous. I much preferred IQ84. I think I will try Norwegian Wood instead. Love your poem - you took GR reviews to another level with that 😊


message 28: by Greg (new) - rated it 4 stars

Greg Christina wrote: "You're a better woman than I am, Shirley - I have decided to give up at 40%. I am not even liking his writing much here - there is so much repetition and while each sentence is energetic and spare,..."

Christina, the more I think about this book, the better I like it. There are so many images stuck in my head. I've literally become the narrator (never named) in the book, and like the quote Shirley "liked". Neither the narrator nor me has any idea where we are going. No one does. what's the saying, "Man plans, God changes them." we can plan and plan and plan to the very last detail, but it won't matter: the theory of chaos is in control and everything in our lives just becomes more chaotic. This might be my favorite Murakami after all, it's been 6 months since I read it and it rocked my world. Today, I woke up and thought I was in the narrator's neighbor's guest room.


message 29: by Greg (new) - rated it 4 stars

Greg Christina wrote: "You're a better woman than I am, Shirley - I have decided to give up at 40%. I am not even liking his writing much here - there is so much repetition and while each sentence is energetic and spare,..."

Repetition....yes, there is a lot of it, like in real life. Like in bills due the first of the month. Like in "Every time I go to the grocery store I get in the longest line" (an exaggeration many of us repeat often.) Repetition of certain activities is the thing that helps us manage through the chaos.


message 30: by Beth (new) - rated it 3 stars

Beth I can't imagine this as an audio book vs reading. I think the power is in the reading.


message 31: by Christina (new)

Christina Happy you found a book to treasure, Greg.


message 32: by Jim (new) - rated it 4 stars

Jim Lane Could the oft complaint that the book is too slow not be a product of our technology driven ever faster paced lives/world?


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