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A Wild Sheep Chase (The Rat, #3) by Haruki…
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A Wild Sheep Chase (The Rat, #3) (original 1982; edition 2015)

by Haruki Murakami

Series: A Wild Sheep Chase (complete), The Rat (3)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
7,7351431,148 (3.9)283
This book ... this book ... this book came at me like Kurt Vonnegut on Risperidone telling his version of Moby Dick.

A great read - I don't quite know what Murakami was trying to say - but I throughly enjoyed being introduced to this author with this book. This won't be the last of his that I read. ( )
  donhazelwood | Mar 12, 2022 |
English (118)  French (9)  Spanish (6)  Dutch (3)  Norwegian (2)  Italian (2)  Danish (1)  Hungarian (1)  Portuguese (1)  All languages (143)
Showing 1-25 of 118 (next | show all)
Nearly 20 years ago I started university and vowed to right a wrong: despite taking English Literature at school, I wasn’t a reader - computer games had ousted my early promise and passion born from eagerly making my way through the Mr Men books, Roald Dahl and The Chronicles of Narnia. For 8 years I had regrettably read very little and so, into Waterstones bookshop I strode, determined to buy a book that symbolised the studious art student I wanted to be now, ready to begin the next chapter of his life! And this was what I chose! (Make of that what you will).

I’ve come/read a long way since then and admittedly I think Murakami came a little bit too soon this first time round for my appreciation. Therefore it has been refreshing to listen to this book anew from a more informed and well read position.

Wild Sheep Chase pretty much does exactly what it says on the tin (like Ronseal). A stereotypical Murakami male lead (reserved, passive, reflective) is given the task/ultimatum by a stereotypical Murakami mysterious character (villain?) to find a sheep printed on an advert that his company once printed. Aided by a stereotypical Murakami female character with kooky characteristics (aphrodisiac ears) and after an adequate amount of deliberation, he sets out on his quest. In the process, he examines the very essence of himself, his life, his choices and what he has become.

I’ve read enough Murakami now for the magic to have worn off but have genuinely loved some of his books along the way (Norwegian Wood, Hard Boiled Wonderland, Kafka, Wind-Up Bird). The criticism of his work is hard to ignore (set character-types, poorly written/envisaged females) and although I still enjoy his work, my impression is undoubtedly tainted. Nevertheless, I think ‘A Wild Sheep Chase’ is a decent book and I got a lot more from it than 21 year old me ever did. Furthermore, it was definitely refreshing to revisit one of his older works, bringing sentimental and melancholic memories of reading him in his pomp.

For me, A Wild Sheep Chase was predominantly a book about change - how people react to change, the difficulties which come from trying to resist (for it is inevitable) and the new experiences it gives if accepted. The narrative is littered with those who accept and resist, even Japan itself embodies the theme in the form of a town languishing at the end of a rail route with very little to inspire visitors to come there. And from these examples, Murakami offers reflections on stagnation, holding on to the past, of not letting go, being too scared to try something different but likewise the invigorating experiences that come from being open to the unknown. It had a transformative feel despite it being quite dark in parts (namely conversations with the rat) and successfully entertained along the way. If we were to sort Murakami titles into two piles of good and bad, A Wild Sheep Chase would comfortably be in the good pile. ( )
  Dzaowan | Feb 15, 2024 |
Maagiline lammas, jumala telefoninumber ja vastupandamatult erootilised kõrvad
Pärast “Kafka mererannas” vapustavalt positiivset lugemiskogemust eelmisel aastal olen silmad Murakami muude asjade suhtes lahti hoidnud. Järgmisena sattus mulle ette “Wild Sheep Chase”. Ja tõesti – kui eesti keeles ilmunud “Norra metsa” ja “Kafka” puhul on pidevalt rõhutatud, kui erinevad need raamatud on, siis WSC läheb minu jaoks vähemalt “Kafkaga” samasse klassi – see müstiline, voolav, kummalisi tegelasi ja süžeepöördeid täis teos on jäägitult köitev. Erinevalt kahest eelmisest eesti keeles loetud teosest tajusin ma selles ka esmakordselt tempo erinevust – lugu voolab kohati väga aeglaselt, on paljude kurvide ja käändudega. Kuid see ei muuda lugemist sugugi igavaks, lausa vastupidi, sest sügavate tumedate võrendike pinna all varitsevad kummalised olendid/märgid, kellest päris mitme olulisust loo jaoks pole võimalik näha enne, kui oled lõppu jõudnud.
WSC lõpetab Murakami nn Roti-triloogia (esimene “Hear the Wind Sing”, teine “Pinball”, mõlemad 1973) ja seda peetakse tema nn läbimurdeteoseks. Pole ka raske mõista, miks. WSC-d võiks teatud mööndustega pidada korraga nii road-novel’iks, krimkaks, fantaasiateoseks kui filosoofiliseks mõtiskluseks pärastsõjaaegse Jaapani ühiskonna üle. Aga hoolimata sellest, et tegemist on väga mitmekihilise allegooriaga, on lugu tegelikult väga lihtne – see on lugu mehest, kes on üdini keskpärane ja kes triivib sihitult läbi elu. Kõik muutub, kui ta avaldab ühes reklaambrošüüris illustratsioonina Roti-nimelise sõbra poolt saadetud suvalise foto mäenõlval söövast lambakarjast. Järgnevas sunnitud retkes läbi Jaapani (kadunud sõbra ja üheainsa väga konkreetse müstilise lamba otsingul) põimib Murakami täiesti geniaalselt kokku kõige igavama igapäevase elu, Jaapani ajaloo, ülikummalised inimesed ja müstilised olendid ning juhtimised, mis ometi klapivad omavahel vähimagi ebakõlata – on võimatu mõelda, et lugu võiks toimida kuidagi teisti. Raamat moodustab võimatu terviku, mis on ometi ainuvõimalik. Ja nagu juba öeldud – viimased killud langevad paika alles päris viimastes peatükkides.
Kirsiks koogi peal on muidugi Murakami kirjutamisstiil ja suutlikkus anda edasi meeleolusid, kirjeldada paiku ja eelkõige nende õhkkonda, anda edasi seda tabamatut miskit, mis teeb paikadest selle, mis need on. Elavaks ja isikupäraseks on raamatus saanud isegi pimedus ja vaikus, tuulest ja maast rääkimata.
( )
  sashery | Jan 29, 2024 |
My second Japanese author, though I will not visit Murakami again. The book was strange and slow, like an early David Lynch film. I won't say it was directionless, because it ended reasonably, but it was life-like, which is to say boring and poorly paced. The only value was the ear-fetish: I should start paying more attention to them now.
This was a recommendation by the way... ( )
  MXMLLN | Jan 12, 2024 |
Very enjoyable. Surprisingly funny. The mystery is solved but the "big so what" is weaker. The ending was a little…unemotional.
  BookyMaven | Dec 6, 2023 |
Good straight-forward Murakami. A little less labyrinthine, perhaps not quite so assured, but as it's such an early one that's understandable. If new to Murakami, I think you'd do better starting with one of his later novels. This one is good, but it feels a little less distinctive than his later books. ( )
  thisisstephenbetts | Nov 25, 2023 |
A wild sheep chase indeed...
  Readings.of.a.Slinky | Nov 20, 2023 |
Murakami leaves me liking his novels, whether I understand them, and even when I can hardly remember what happened. ( )
  mykl-s | Aug 13, 2023 |
Ripeto, ci sono cose che non si possono spiegare in due parole. Ma come ha detto Nietzsche, anche gli dèi ammainano la loro bandiera davanti alla noia... Il succo del discorso è questo, insomma.
(32)

Si può dire che noi esseri umani vaghiamo senza meta sul continente della casualità, come i semi alati di qualche specie vegetale portati da una capricciosa brezza primaverile.
Tuttavia si può anche sostenere che la casualità non esiste. Ciò che è accaduto è accaduto, senza se e senza ma, e ciò che è di là da venire, è di là da venire. Insomma, la nostra fuggevole esistenza è stretta fra quanto abbiamo alle spalle e il nulla che abbiamo davanti, e non c’è posto né per il caso né per l’eventualità.

(52)

Il mondo... questa parola mi fa sempre pensare a un’enorme tavola rotonda tenuta su con sforzo spasmodico da elefanti e tartarughe. Gli elefanti non capiscono il ruolo delle tartarughe, le tartarughe non capiscono il ruolo degli elefanti, e sia gli uni che le altre non capiscono a cosa serva il mondo.
(83)

Già, ma se non la troviamo, quella pecora, non sapremo piú dove andare a posare le nostre ossa. Può darsi che ci stiamo cacciando in una bella grana, che ci tocchi vagare da un posto all’altro per tutta la vita.
(123)

C’è un posto per la pecora di Murakami in una ipotetica «arca letteraria», insieme allo scarafaggio di Kafka, i maiali di Orwell, l’elefante di Saramago e Moby Dick.
(269)
( )
  NewLibrary78 | Jul 22, 2023 |
Having read two previous novels (Killing Commendatore, 1Q84), the humor in the story came as a surprise. Bearing resemblance to Monty Python, the nameless characters are a true circus as is the journey to find the 'mystery sheep'. A Sheep Professor, the Boss and 'girl with nice ears' raise eyebrows, while the narrative reminds the reader of a detective story, which is odd since the central character is in advertising. Murakami definitely shows his chops with fantasy when the story nears completion, which given his history is to be expected. If you like the unusual with dabs of humor and more importantly don't object to 'sheep stories', you'll enjoy this book! ( )
  Jonathan5 | Feb 20, 2023 |
Mich hat dieses Buch gereizt, nachdem ich "Die Ermordung des Commendatore" gelesen hatte. Murakami und eine Schafsjagd, das klang irgendwie vielversprechend, schräg und ich wurde nicht enttäuscht. Erst nach dem Lesen ist mir aufgefallen, dass dieses Buch Teil 3 der Serie "Ratte" ist. Ich fand das insofern toll, dass ich nicht das Gefühl hatte, dass mir Informationen fehlten, die in den vorherigen zwei Büchern vorhanden waren.
Das Buch an sich fand ich spannend, irgendwie skurril und es hat mir super gefallen. Die Charakteren sind, wie immer super und durch die Art Murakamis, alles zu beschreiben, ist man sofort mitten drin. Es ist eines der kürzeren Bücher Murakamis, die ich bisher gelesen habe, aber vielleicht kam mir das auch nur so vor, weil das Lesen darin sehr kurzweilig war.
Ich kann es auf jeden Fall sehr empfehlen und werde mir jetzt Teil 1 & 2 der Serie vornehmen. ( )
  Merano | Feb 19, 2023 |
Murakami manages to write a ersatz novel; in fact in places I wondered if he was writing a novel-parody. Not, really, for political or ideological reasons, but just because of an uncommon want to go against novel standards. Many critics/readers have compared his writing to other literary roadmarks, yet I have not seen a comparison to the one author that I think this book most feels like: Philip K. Dick. I can imagine most readers not being as accepting as I was of this dream-like novel, some might be angry at the lack of rigid novel features. Still, the experience is probably worth the fast-turning pages. ( )
  AQsReviews | Nov 20, 2022 |
This was a fun book to read — especially the second time. I read it twice, which was good because it seemed really disjointed the first time. It is very well written, which also means that Murakami selected an excellent translator since I read this in English. There is lots of humor, mystery and physical impossibilities, but that does not take away from enjoying the story. My only problem with the book is the ending is sort of empty. The explanation for why the people in the book manipulated the main character to do what he did and what happened (and why) to his girlfriend is not completely clear to me. I don't know whether reading the first 2 books of this trilogy would help, but couldn't find them and somehow think maybe not. Nevertheless, I do recommend reading it. ( )
  krazy4katz | Aug 25, 2022 |
This is an odd book. I've seen it descried as magical realism, but that only partially seems to fit for me. It reads to me more like a contemporary fiction novel (at least, fairly contemporary for when it was written) that has elements of either fantasy or hallucination written into it, and with absolutely no clear indicator which one is the truth. I'm not sure that I like it... but I'm also not sure that I don't. ( )
  ca.bookwyrm | Aug 16, 2022 |
Loved it. early murakami. dead on ringer for Raymond chandler. the mysterious powers making him hunt for this starred sheep. knocked around - in over his head - finally figures it out (like Marlowe!). winds up trailing up to cold, cold Hokkaido and the Rat (his friend)- the sheep man. not as subtle or full featured as the later ones, but pretty great still. ( )
  apende | Jul 12, 2022 |
This book ... this book ... this book came at me like Kurt Vonnegut on Risperidone telling his version of Moby Dick.

A great read - I don't quite know what Murakami was trying to say - but I throughly enjoyed being introduced to this author with this book. This won't be the last of his that I read. ( )
  donhazelwood | Mar 12, 2022 |
I've read several of Murakami's novels and I've become a huge fan of his style. This book is one of my favorites, and I usually recommend A Wild Sheep Chase to people who have never read him before, for a few reasons: it's relatively short, there's some sense of plot that moves the action along, and I feel that it gives a good "survey" of Murakami's style. So if your interest is piqued, then it makes sense to try some of the more ambitious novels.

Perhaps the only problem with starting with this novel as your first Murakami is that the plot isn't super compelling (like 1Q84 or Kafka on the Shore was to me). ( )
  hugepark | Jan 24, 2022 |
I wish I had read this before Hard Boild Wonderland. I enjoyed it much more. Still not totally my cuppa. ( )
1 vote dualmon | Nov 17, 2021 |
As usual, Murakami weaves the bizarre into an everyday tale. The narrator had to hunt for a specific sheep with a star, which led him to his friend's family's house in the middle of nowhere. There, he discovered that his friend aka The Rat had died. During this journey, he learned the power of this sheep. I don't know what is going on, but it is still an enjoyable read, with me scratching my head half the time. ( )
  siok | Sep 18, 2021 |
My reading has been a bit all over the place recently and my mojo is up and down more than I care for. I go through days where I read hundreds of pages and then seem to hit a period where I just can't get into whatever I am reading at the time. In an attempt to solve this problem I decided to fall back on an author whose books I have always enjoyed, Haruki Murakami. I have two of his books on my bookcase at the moment, A Wild Sheep Chase and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. I went for A Wild Sheep Chase because it is a shorter read and I didn't want to tempt fate with my mojo.

I seem to be gradually moving towards some of Murakami's more surreal work and this certainly fits that description. It wasn't until after I had finished it that I found out that is was the third book in the 'Rat' trilogy, this may, or may not explain why it took me some time to get into the book. We start with our protagonist wondering where his life is heading after the breakdown of his marriage. He ends up meeting a quirky girl who has the most amazing ears in the world. He works with a good friend of his in a joint business in which he uses a photograph of a flock of sheep that has been sitting in an office drawer for ages. This leads of a series of events which includes a run in with a shadowy crime organisation, a sheep professor and a whole manner of trippy things. Yes, this sounds odd and it is, but with Murakami I feel that you have to suspend disbelief and just go with it and see what happens.

There isn't really a particular plot to latch on to but as usual its Murakami's writing which I enjoyed. He creates dream like imagery like no one else that I have read and there is just something about his writing which moves me. It's very hard to describe and I struggle to put my finger on what exactly is it that makes it work, but for me it just does. Although it took me a long time getting into this book I am glad I stuck with it because once I had settled into the rhythm of the book it was a great read.

I wouldn't recommend this as a place to start with Murakami but it is a good book none the less. ( )
1 vote Brian. | Jul 25, 2021 |
Murakami Chronicles 02: A WILD SHEEP CHASE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRtaYSjzSX0 ( )
  chrisvia | Apr 30, 2021 |
possibly Murakami's most playful book - he is so clearly having a good time writing it. a very quixotic and vivid narrator undertakes a sort of comic Quest; the seeming simplicity of the psychic mystery story as he tells it masks a very rich background, in which nothing is as it seems, time is all wonky, and the territory covered is both surreal and existential. highly recommended. Dance Dance Dance is a sequel, and his first writing, a pair of novellas published as Wind/Pinball, 1973, introduce the character called The Rat who recurs here. ( )
  macha | Mar 16, 2021 |
As you would expect from Murakami this is a strange tale, but a good read nonetheless. All about the search for a specific sheep with a star on its back. This has everything you would expect with a good Murakami, trippy plot, bizarre characters but all written in such a matter of fact style that it works. ( )
1 vote CharlotteBurt | Feb 1, 2021 |
Murakami's first widely published novel. It took me a while to get into this one, the first 30 pages or so went very slowly. This is the fourth book by him I've read and it seems to me that Murakami wasn't yet running at full speed with this one. All the Murakami-typical elements are here: a cat, solitude, girls, cooking, smoking, drinking and also crazy shit. There are great parts in here: the Dolphin hotel, the chauffeur and the mystery surrounding the man in the black suit and the sheep, the Sheep Man,... but to me it feels like it doesn't really come together. This could be because I have not read the two books leading up to this one, but supposedly it should not be an issue. It does feel quite fragmented, and at times I was was completely at a loss. Now it is not a novelty that Murakami confuses me, but I don't really get what he's trying to convey here as a whole. That might well be faulted completely at my end, though. Mayhap this needs a re-read. And mayhap I need to wildly chase those hard to find first two books of his.

That said, I did enjoy this. Murakami is a fantastic writer, whether I know what he's on about or not. And hey! Sheep. What do you know? Bloody sheep. Not like any of the sheep I've ever known. I can't really think of any cartoon that prominently feature sheep, or even just one. I can't even think of a company logo that uses a sheep. Poor sheep, so underused. Baa. So, in that respect, I am glad I have finally endulged in sheep-themed media. Hooray for sheep!

Anyway, yeah, this was pretty good, and I'll keep working my way through Murakami's oeuvre, because he rocks. Have a 3.5/5. ( )
  superpeer | Feb 1, 2021 |
I was enjoying the plot but then it went off to never never land. Not sure what happened there. Not clear why a Japanese author writing a story that takes place in Japan keeps throwing in pop cultural references to american music. Yes it did at times feel like Thomas Pynchon. ( )
  Ed_Schneider | Aug 9, 2020 |
Ca mare fan Murakami, n-o să-i dau chiar 5 stele, deşi e romanul cu care s-a făcut cunoscut pe plan internaţional. Totuşi, marile teme abordate - şi care mai tîrziu devin o amprentă, un stil "Murakami" - aici abia se cristalizau: alienarea, însingurarea, perpetua căutare a "ceva" misterios care să frîngă în două cotidianul plin de rutină şi plictiseală. Elementele de fantastic (nu vă gîndiţi chiar la SF&F) sunt prezente atît cît să fie acceptate şi de o minte mai raţională.
Deşi mulţi spun că poate fi citită ca un roman de sine stătător, recomand totuşi citirea primelor două volume din trilogia "Şobolanului", pentru a savura mai pe îndelete nuanţele şi fineţurile care se întrevăd dintre rîndurile acestei cărţi. ( )
  SebastianMihail | Jul 16, 2020 |
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