– Theresia

REASONS FOR WANTING TO RAID BARNES AND NOBLE:

Historical Fiction Novels

The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory
The Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir
The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir
The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George
Mary, Queen of France by Jean Plaidy
The Plantagenet Prelude by Jean Plaidy
Madame Serpent by Jean Plaidy
The Italian Woman by Jean Plaidy
Queen Jezebel by Jean Plaidy
Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende
Zorro by Isabel Allende
Katherine by Anya Seton
I, Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis
The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis
The Memoirs of Helen of Troy by Amanda Elyot
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
Leonardo’s Swans by Karen Essex

Fiction Novels

The Judas Strain by James Rollins
The English Assassin by Daniel Silva
The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

Classic Fiction Novels

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt VonnegutFahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

Religious/Spiritual Fiction Novels

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
Eve: A Novel of the First Woman by Elissa Elliott
Michal (The Wives of King David) by Jill Eileen Smith
This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti

• Paperback: 624 pages (it’s almost the length of a Harry Potter!)
• Publisher: Vintage
• Language: English
• Translator: Jay Rubin
• The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle at Amazon.com

Get ready to be swept away into a world of explicitly bizarre dreams, dried-up wells, red-vinyl hats, war stories, and “manskinners.”

At first glance, this 624-page book seems like a typical story about a guy who lost his cat. In fact, all the reviews out there seem to state the same things: that he’s just an unemployed guy who spends his day cleaning, listening to classical music, and cooking–while his wife is the one working to earn their living. But don’t be fooled by Murakami’s stream of words about mundane things. He’s a talented writer who knows how to discreetly reel people in before plunging us headfirst into the character’s mind. Through the eyes of Toru, we get to embark on a journey from our side of the world to “the other side.” Everything falls into place in the end, like pieces of a puzzle put together, which definitely proves that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover–or more like its first few chapters.

Truthfully, I didn’t have high hopes for this book at first. Being an avid lover of “chick-lit,” I would choose Shopaholic or Devil Wears Prada to Moby Dick or Hemingway any day. However, as I continued reading the book, I was overwhelmed with contentment and a strange feeling of satisfaction that I couldn’t describe. It was different in that I didn’t feel anxious or fidgety, dying to find out what was going to happen next. Instead, I would drink all the words in, absorbing all the information and enjoy the journey alongside Toru. This unusual calmness is why I have come to love the book. True enough, I was not disappointed in the end by how everything turned out.

In the end, Murakami has just added one more member to his fanbase.

Reviewer’s note: Keep in mind that reviews are done on a five-star basis. This novel has received four out of five stars.

Reviewed by Beverly

• Paperback: 298 pages
• Publisher: Vintage
• Language: English
• Translator: Jay Rubin
• Norwegian Wood at Amazon.com

The Plot: Set in the late 1960s, the novel recounts Toru Watanabe’s experiences as a college freshman living in Tokyo. Although he refers to himself as “ordinary,” Toru’s honesty, intelligence, and detached tendencies would suggest otherwise. When Toru reconnects with Naoko, a beautiful yet enigmatic girl from his past, their romantic development becomes marred by past tragedies. But as he yearns for Naoko, Toru can’t help but be drawn to vivacious and sexually-liberated Midori at the same time. It’s a story of love, loss, and the emotional maturation of a young man.

I started this book with high expectations. After all, this is the book that catapulted Haruki Murakami to Japanese super-stardom status! I mean, it’s definitely impressive for a writer to go from a six-figure readership to millions of people from the publication of one book. So naturally, I expected nothing short of amazing from this book, especially since I moderately enjoyed Sputnik Sweetheart and fell in love with Kafka on the Shore.

To be honest, it’s nothing like I thought it would be. While not necessarily a bad thing, it’s quite different from the other Murakami books I’ve read, which is probably why I initially thought the progress rather slow. Yet it soon became apparent that I was wrong. What it lacks in adventure and mystery, Norwegian Wood more than makes up for in heart. Instead of merely stepping into the character’s shoes, I felt like I was in Toru’s head. There are scenes that end up striking such a deep chord in me, so beautiful and emotional! Heart-wrenching moments, solemn sadness, thoughtful introspection, and even laugh-out-loud absurdity and humor!

There’s no doubt about it: Murakami is Master of the Mundane, the “boring” everyday stuff that a lot of writers overlook when they write. And for some reason, they seem so much more interesting through his interpretation! I think it’s those little stuff that he interjects here and there that make Toru, Naoko, and Midori THAT much more strikingly realistic and unforgettable.

All in all, a wonderfully heart-tugging read.

Reviewer’s note: It’s no coincidence that the novel shares its title with the Beatles song “Norwegian Wood.” Murakami’s books are so heavily Westernized that it’s sometimes hard to believe that the plots take place in Japan. You can definitely see the effects of Western imperialism in Japan through his works.

Reviewed by Theresia

Enter Earmarked! This blog will be a compilation of reviews on all the books we read henceforth. The reviews are as much for ourselves as it is for any wayward readers who happen to stumble upon our blog, so there’s a lot of room for improvement! Please bear with us since we’re far from professional book reviewers (the only book reviewing we’ve done is for English class), so it would really be great if our opinions are received with a degree of open-mindedness. As for spoilers, we’ll try hard to prevent that and put up a spoiler warning if anything, but if we do slip up, we’d like to apologize in advance.

Of course, we would love to hear your thoughts on the books, so please don’t hesitate to comment!

Happy reading!

- Theresia & Beverly