Rating: 
Summary: Eh.
Review: It started out interesting -- a normal guy with a normal life that starts experiencing a couple of weird things. Then the book comes full circle and by the end, it's strange if anything normal happens. Basically, I was bored and annoyed by the end. I was disappointed by the lack of "wrap-up" and while, halfway through the book, I was recommending it to everyone I met, by the time it was over I decided not to read another of his books. So... eh.
Rating: 
Summary: haunting...
Review: I read this book over one year ago and I am writing this review because I am rereading it now! The story is fascinating and frightening. I agree with the author- it is his best work.
Rating:
Summary: From Mundane to Supernatural
Review: I picked up this book a year ago and was smitten with its cover. I read the first chapter at the bookstore. It seemed interesting but a bit too everyday. I decided to wait for it to go on sale (most Knopf seem to hit the bargain rack - perhaps too literary for wide printings?). It turned out that what kept me from reading the book a year ago is what made "Wind Up Bird" work so well. I was drawn in by the prose and the day to day events of Mr. Okada. And it is from these mundane events that the author slowly peels back a surface and reveals to the reader a second reality that is as credible as the first. I admit that I didn't realize what has happening with the two realities because the language and detail kept the story moving and I couldn't get enough of all the characters. When I finished the book, I didn't know how to categorize it, and that may be its biggest strength.
Rating: 
Summary: I don't get it
Review: I can't figure out why this book is so popular.It was a major disappointment to me. It's not that I don't like weird stuff. Or maybe I'm just too conservative: I loved Tanizaki& Abe Kobo, especially his Woman in the Dunes & his Box Man. But this is just a confused mishmash where nothing really ever seemed to happen.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: I can't wait to read this in my book club. There is so much imagery to keep a club talking for hours! I read a couple of the chapters in the New Yorker as short stories before the book was published, and I couldn't wait to read the novel. One aspect of the book that I found interesting was that even though this book is set in Tokyo, the main characters seem more Western than Japanese. The opening scene has our hero cooking pasta for lunch. They drink coffee in the morning instead of tea, and beer instead of sake. Cliches and stereotypes are flouted in this novel. At the end of each day I couldn't wait to read the book, because the story is so convoluted and the characters are all joined in a web, even though they don't know it. The prose is beautiful, the story is fascinating, the characters are intriguing, and the imagery never quits. It is a perfect book club book, but also a great book to read over and over again to figure out all of the connections.
Rating: 
Summary: Eastern Twin-Peaks
Review: If you enjoyed "Twin-Peaks" you will love this book. It takes you off on directions never thought of. It starts in normality - a guy making spagetti and starts to twist and turn into alternative realities. Its themes are present, past and the supernatural world that lies just beneath the surface. It shows how all these worlds are linked. If you are into sincrinicity then you will understand this book entirely. I really enjoyed this book and will definately buy other books by this author.
Rating:
Summary: Murakami does it again.
Review: In this book, Murakami's latest, he reinvents his old style of surreal settings and plot, and the "Anything Goes" type of writing that we've come to find so prominent in Japanese literature. Bizarre things happen in this book, and that goes to make the book just as interesting. This probably isn't Murakami's best book, but it's his latest and shows the evolution of his writing style into something much more complex than before.
Rating:
Summary: riotous read
Review: Not the most profound of books, but a keen literary pleasure nonetheless. A curious blend of Richard Brautigan and Don Delillo. I was quickly drawn in and became super-confident of Mr. Murakami's inventive gifts; I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.
Rating:
Summary: Do yourself a big favour and take this book to bed with you.
Review: Don't believe all those pretentious "I got there first" beard stroking types who will try to tell you this isn't Murakami's best work. This is possibly the most gorgeous, engrossing, touching and inspiring novel I have ever read, it manages to combine all of the best elements of his previous works into a great throbbing consciouness expanding masterpiece. The subtle beauty of Norwegian Wood, the deranged storytelling of a Wild Sheep Chase and the stark simplicity of the good bits out of Hard Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World are all here adding up to something unique and magical. Added to all this is a central character who not only has a name for once but who is also a truly appealing individual who simply oozes sincerity and integrity throughout. In its own way I believe that this book can stand up against the likes of Thomas Pynchon at his best and where Gravity's Rainbow left me exhausted and depressed at my own feeble ambitions, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle left me elated and inspired. Surely there can be no greater recommendation?
Rating:
Summary: brilliance!
Review: This is the first book i've read by Murakami. I was in the bookshop when its strange cover beckoned me. i didn't feel like reading anything too heavy and the thickness of the book made me a little reluctant. but i bought it anyway and i don't regret it. On the surface, everything seems simple. the plot seems simple, the lives of the characters seem simple. but as you read further into the book, you can't help but get totally absorbed. this book really made me think about things...life, its meanings, japan.... such bizarre, surreal concepts arise from such a simple plot. even though the book is fairly thick, i wished it was thicker. i didn't want to put the book down, and when i finished, i wish i still had a chapter more to go. brilliant brilliant brilliant! go buy this book now!
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