Kafka on the Shore
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Kafka on the Shore
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Narrated by:
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Sean Barrett
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Oliver Le Sueur
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Written by:
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Haruki Murakami
About this listen
With Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami gives us a novel every bit as ambitious and expansive as The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which has been acclaimed both here and around the world for its uncommon ambition and achievement, and whose still-growing popularity suggests that it will be read and admired for decades to come.
This magnificent novel has a similarly extraordinary scope and the same capacity to amaze, entertain, and bewitch. A tour de force of metaphysical reality, it is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that, like the most basic activities of daily life, he cannot fathom. Their odyssey, as mysterious to them as it is to us, is enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerizing events. Cats and people carry on conversations, a ghostlike pimp employs a Hegel-quoting prostitute, a forest harbors soldiers apparently unaged since World War II, and rainstorms of fish (and worse) fall from the sky. There is a brutal murder, with the identity of both victim and perpetrator a riddle - yet this, along with everything else, is eventually answered, just as the entwined destinies of Kafka and Nakata are gradually revealed, with one escaping his fate entirely and the other given a fresh start on his own.
Extravagant in its accomplishment, Kafka on the Shore displays one of the world's truly great storytellers at the height of his powers.
©2005 Haruki Murakami (P)2013 Random House AudioWhat the critics say
What listeners say about Kafka on the Shore
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2020-11-11
This book is such a good find
Always wanted to read this book but I'm too busy to read an actual book. Good thing it's on audible! Nice narration overall
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Meredith
- 2023-02-13
So Weird, SO GOOD!!
This is the second book I've read by this author, and wow - such an incredible, weird, intriguing, compelling, and thoughtful story. This is an absolute must-read, I will be recommending to everyone I know. The narration is superb, the two narrators have very distinct voices that lend perfectly to the tone of their respective characters. I don't want to say too much about it as to keep the story for you to discover on your own, but this is one of my top 5 audio books of all time. Give yourself the gift of discovering this story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mariia
- 2024-03-23
Unforgettable journey
I’ve read multiple books by Murakami, but nothing touched me more than this one. A constant tasteful mix of reality with unlimited range of theories and possibilities. The book is a metaphor, a poem about youth, search of love and tying to make sense of this world.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Dantenor
- 2021-09-19
If you know Haruki murakami
I really like the way is was written. The characters and the plot is awesome as always with this amazing writer, i have to say it reminds me a little bit of other books from him. I would recommend this book to someone who has experience listening to audio books but just starting to like them, because I have to say it’s long but the story is very engaging.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S. Philpott MSW, MSc
- 2020-08-30
Quietly Mind-blowing
I am a huge fan of Murakami. I find all his writing intriguing but after reading Kafka on the Shore I am shocked to find it competing with the perfection of 1Q84 for number one in my heart. Unforgettable characters. Throat-grabbing stories. Mind-bending ideas that I will puzzle over in my dreams for some time to come. I will have to ask my neighbour’s cat to help me decide which one I love best.
I would highly recommend anything by Haruki Murakami and Kafka on the Shore is an excellent place to begin.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- petlover
- 2023-02-07
Well Written and Well Performed
If you are looking for something unique, deep and entertaining, this is the book for you.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2024-08-31
Deeply moved by this story
A story of self-discovery. Well developed characters. Through metaphors and adventure aspects of the human condition that are hard to put into words, are. The transformation of forgiveness is palpable.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Perpetua
- 2020-08-30
Loved the message from one of the main characters
There were aspects of this story I loved and those I could do without. At any case it's a unique story you could some how relate to or at least wish you encounter such characters or situations.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Timothy, Toronto, ON.
- 2022-10-03
Strange and beautiful book.
For me, the key to reading/listening to Haruki Murakami’s books is to forget analyzing what’s going on and just enjoy it in small chunks. The story starts to reveal itself as you become attached to the central characters. I can’t begin to outline the story but there are talking cats, visitations from a beautiful and mysterious ghost, mackerels falling from the sky like rain and a terrifying murderer. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I loved it. In fact 1Q84 and Kafka on the Shore have changed my reading preferences. I rarely read fiction of any kind, preferring history, mostly. Now, thanks to HM, I head for the fiction section.
I suspect that this review won’t be much help to prospective readers but you might be pleasantly surprised.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adriano Pereira
- 2020-09-07
One of the best books I have ever read!
This is an amazing book and an amazing narration as well. I can’t recommend this enough.
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2 people found this helpful