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Book Club Wednesday 11th May 8pm - Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

DonnaDonna
edited April 2013 in StroudGreen Book Club
The next book club meeting will be at 8pm on Wednesday 11th May 2011 at the Old Dairy and we'll be discussing Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. Published in 1987, the novel is a nostalgic story of loss and sexuality. The story's protagonist and narrator is Toru Watanabe, who looks back on his days as a freshman university student living in Tokyo. Through Toru's reminiscences we see him develop relationships with two very different women — the beautiful yet emotionally troubled Naoko, and the outgoing, lively Midori. <http: en.wikipedia.org="" wiki="" norwegian_wood_(novel)=""> You can buy it from Amazon for £4.92: <http: www.amazon.co.uk="" norwegian-wood-haruki-murakami="" dp="" 0099448823=""> You can swap it for free on Readitswapit: <http: www.readitswapit.co.uk="" bookdetails.aspx?bookid="6996"> New members welcome!</http:></http:></http:>
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  • AnnbagAnnbag
    edited 4:14PM
    This sounds great. I'll come along for my first book club :-)
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  • missthingmissthing
    edited 4:14PM
    me too!
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  • topsfieldtopsfield
    edited 4:14PM
    I'll be in for this one also, read a couple of his other books but not this one. Sounds interesting!
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  • katiejanekatiejane
    edited 4:14PM
    has anyone read it? is it better than the film?
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  • Dani BearDani Bear
    edited 4:14PM
    I believe the book is better than the film
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  • miss anniemiss annie
    edited 4:14PM
    That is almost always the way. A case in point being 'The Crimson Petal and the White' which is currently being shown on the Beeb. Whilst the tv series is beautiful and has much to commend it, the original book is truly extraordinary and is one of the best I've ever read.
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  • JennyJenny
    edited 4:14PM
    Hello All
    Sorry for my general quietness and not turning up at last book-club. I have been super busy.
    I read Norwegian Wood quite a few years ago and really enjoyed it so I'm looking forward to reading it again and catching up with you all in a few weeks.
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  • RoyRoy
    edited 4:14PM
    @miss annie: I think the general rule is not that the book is better, but that the original is better. I can't think of a good example now, but when a story is originally a film but then adapted as a book, the book is often inferior. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy has been a radio show, an LP, book, a TV show and a film. The radio series, in the opinion of most people, was far superior to the various adaptations that followed it.
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  • ADGSADGS
    edited 4:14PM
    You don't see many revivals of the play <i>Everyone Comes to Rick's</i> these days, but people are still wowed by the film adaptation, <i>Casablanca</i>. Indeed, many classic films of that vintage are adaptations, often very loose ones, of plays or books which are now remembered only as footnotes to the screen versions.
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  • miss anniemiss annie
    edited 4:14PM
    Yes, that's quite so. People who love the film often don't realise that The Wizard of Oz is a series of 17 books and that it was also adapted as a Broadway play in the 1900's. I'd prefer it if modern film makers would stick to adapting plays or books if they have no original ideas in their heads, and stop churning out endless sequels or remakes of celluloid classics. For example, I love Tim Burton but the world does not need a remake of Labyrinth! Bowie's codpiece is one of the wonders of the modern world. I went to see a modern adaptation of Brief Encounter a few years ago, which reimagined it as a kind of 1940's comic farce spliced with bits of the film. It was wonderful.
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  • ArkadyArkady
    edited 4:14PM
    If they remade Labyrinth I have an inkling that they'd use Russell Brand as Jareth. Man, I love that film.
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  • ADGSADGS
    edited 4:14PM
    Except wasn't <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> a remake as well as an adaptation? There had already been at least one, and I think two, silent version(s). Again, this applies to a lot of films now regarded as monumental classics - <i>Ben Hur</i> is another that springs to mind, the Heston version likewise being both a remake and adaptation.
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  • miss anniemiss annie
    edited 4:14PM
    Yes, there are at least a couple of earlier Wizard of Oz films. One is just plain weird, I haven't seen the others.
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  • DonnaDonna
    edited 4:14PM
    Argh. Thought this was on Thursday. Not going to be able to make it tomorrow. Have to go a work event (we are up for an award but we won't win so it's a bit pointless but I have to go)! I quite enjoyed the book but found it hard to get into. It did remind me of intense adolescent romantic feelings so he captured something there I think. characters very complex and interesting but overall the plot was quite boring I thought and sad and a bit silly. It felt very slow and pretentiously written at times like it was trying too hard to be a novel you would study at gcse. Not sure I'd want to read anything else by him but I did like the characters and it did remind me of how it felt to be young and painfully in love with a stupid person!!! On another point my husband really enjoyed oryx and crake and has started the sequel. Sorry again I can't make it tomorrow, hope you all have a good time.
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  • DonnaDonna
    edited 4:14PM
    Ps Need to listen to Norwegian wood again as I don't understand the symbolism - am assuming it must be terribly meaningful why she likes that song do much. Also is it normal to be suicidal in japan? What's with all that?
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  • sophiesophie
    edited 4:14PM
    i'm still coming tonight! i just finished reading it after only getting hold of it on monday. i'm exhausted.
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  • miss anniemiss annie
    edited 4:14PM
    I've got Brownies tonight so can't come, I've missed the last couple so really want to come next time.
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  • CharloCharlo
    edited 4:14PM
    I'll be there although (as usual!) I haven't managed to finish the book - I only started on Monday too and haven't had much time this week! I was putting it off as I started reading it a few years ago and got bored for some of the reasons Donna mentions but this time I'm really enjoying it. Sorry we won't see you tonight Donna and Miss Annie.

    See you later!
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  • sarahcsarahc
    edited 4:14PM
    Unfortunately I can't make it tonight after all as i have to collect my husband from hospital (nothing serious!) at 7.30pm. I'm enjoying the book though. Hope book group goes well - sorry to be missing it.
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  • DougDoug
    edited 4:14PM
    I put in the homework and read the damn thing but unfortunately I missed the meet this evening. I was hoping to come as I would like someone to explain the point of the book to me. It could be that I am missing some subtext, but having read this and a couple of other books by Murakami (I also saw the stage production of The Elephant Vanishes at The Barbican) I find that he describes events, then another event, then perhaps something else, and then it ends. There seems to be no point to the telling of the stories at all. Something happens. Another thing happens. someone commits suicide. Another thing happens. The end.

    Oddly though, the stories stay with me.

    What am I missing?
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  • andyandy
    edited 4:14PM
    *Oddly though, the stories stay with me.* Isn't that enough?
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  • DougDoug
    edited 4:14PM
    Well maybe it is, and I can see that, hence the comment. I still need someone to tell me the further point of it all though.

    Should have turned up at The Old Dairy.
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  • DonnaDonna
    edited 4:14PM
    I totally see what you are saying Doug, and I think andy is right too. I wish I'd been there for the discussion. It does leave you with a feeling of emptiness and pointlessness just after you finish it, but somehow it also is very memorable adn brings up memories as well when you read it. It's interesting, definitely, but not entirely enjoyable... depends what you want out of a book I suppose. Sophie/Charlo what did you think? any firm conclusions?
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  • CharloCharlo
    edited May 2011
    I haven't quite got to the end yet so I don't know how I'll feel but at the moment I'm finding the story engaging and care about the characters, which I didn't feel the first time I tried to read it. I agree with you Donna that it depends what you want from a book. I don't think my priority when I read novels usually is to look for a specific meaning and subtext, although of course it is part of the enjoyment to think about these things. I think my primary enjoyment comes from being able to relate to characters and events and also to learn about cultures, situations etc which I don't know much about too. I'm finding the setting of '60s student life in Japan interesting and can identify with some of the situations in the book and the feelings it evokes. We did comment on the sometimes banal level of detail in the storytelling and how this seems a bit ridiculous at times, but at the same time I think this level of realism really helps to bring the characters and time and place to life.

    There was a very small group of us on Wednesday - just me, Sophie and a new member, Missthing! We had an enjoyable and interesting chat and all seemed to have liked the book a lot. Missthing suggested our next book: Something to Tell You by Hanif Kureishi. The meeting will be on Monday 20th June - hope that date is ok for everyone. We also discussed a possible book for July - The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson.
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