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RE: Fiction Review: Hear the Wind Sing by Haruki Murakami (1979, Kodansha International)
Great review. How can I know the stats my parents rolled for me? I'm a bit curious 😉
I wish I could find the rare +2 INT wizard hat!
As for this book, I've read two of Murakami so far, 1Q84 and Kafka on the shore, but not his first one. Looks like a very promising read ; and I admit you hit the nail on the head, it often feels like he writes about the characters like he sees them through a slightly altering lens.
Did you read IQ84? What did you think of it?
Thanks so much, @jalayn! My parents never shared the rolls with me, but I think they were trying for a Paladin and wound up with a really shitty Fighter/Cleric who sucks at both jobs but gets the XP penalty for dual-classing anyway. Best I can tell, I have not a single attribute over 14, and Charisma was clearly the dump stat.
For Intelligence improvement, you can't go wrong with glasses. Just remember, the bonus is to perceived INT by others, not actual intelligence, and you'll lose it as soon as you try to discuss anything sports related. Grants a nice buff to your Bluff skill as long as you're talking about anything STEM-related though. ;)
I did indeed read 1Q84. It was actually my first book of his--not a suggestion I would make to anyone else, but the review I heard on the radio pushed it right to the top of my list.
I absolutely loved it, though I thought the first two books were better than the last one. The last one had a different English translator, so I don't know if that was the problem or if book 3's plot lost my interest by not focusing so much on Aomame. At some point I'll get around to reviewing it here, but I also want to re-read it and see if it still holds up when my life isn't quite so stressful (at the time I read it, I was helping a friend deal with chemo/radiation for his cancer, and my grandmother died). Strange as it may seem, 1Q84 seemed to be the perfect book to help me get through both stressful periods.
At the same time, I'm almost afraid to face it again. What if it loses some of the power it held over me seven years ago? One never can tell with books...I believe they come into one's life when most needed, just like a form of magic. When the time is right to re-read 1Q84, I think I'll know. :)
Haha good one, I do have glasses but rarely use them, maybe I should in fact!
I did not know 1Q84 had different translators, for me it felt like the third one was differently paced. I too wanted the story to come back to the main character. Even overall, there were times when I could not put the book down, and times when I just thought it dragged way too long. Still, I loved the story and it made me want to read Kafka on the Shore right after I finished since I saw glowing reviews. I think the magical realism is what does it for me. It's just enough to make you see the authors's world differently.
I know what you mean when you say sometimes it's best to leave past experiences behind. For example, I read the first trilogy of Forgotten Realms a long time ago and thought at the time it was absolutely brillant😅 Now, I am not so sure about that...
I think you've said something important: the moment you read the book, the things that are going through your life, the environment you are in, all these things play a big part in how we perceive a book.
Anyway, good review, I'll come back here once I am done with Hear the wind sing!