Mini-Comments

Collection of twenty-four stories that generously expresses Murakami’s mastery of the form. From the surreal to the mundane, these stories exhibit his ability to transform the full range of human experience in ways that are instructive, surprising, and relentlessly entertaining. Here are animated crows, a criminal monkey, and an iceman, as well as the dreams that shape us and the things we might wish for. Whether during a chance reunion in Italy, a romantic exile in Greece, a holiday in Hawaii, or in the grip of everyday life, Murakami’s characters confront grievous loss, or sexuality, or the glow of a firefly, or the impossible distances between those who ought to be closest of all.

 

After losing her parents, young Mary Lennox is sent from India to live in her uncle's gloomy mansion on the wild English moors. She is lonely and has no one to play with, but one day she learns of a secret garden somewhere in the grounds that no one is allowed to enter. Then Mary uncovers an old key in a flowerbed - and a gust of magic leads her to the hidden door. Slowly she turns the key and enters a world she could never have imagined. 

Two more mini-comments on books that I liked enough to appreciate its value or "message" but that I probably won't feel like re-reading in the future.

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami is a set of 24 stories which I've read in Portuguese. I liked other titles by this author in the past and I was trying to see if those had been a so-called fluke or if I really could love the author's work in general. 

I think I wasn't as successful because despite these stories being interesting, considering the whimsical and often magical realism style of the author, I just didn't find them all that captivating. Some were cute, some were well thought but most felt too much disconnected from reality that not even by accepting them as metaphors I could really enjoy them.

I won't talk about each one but I can say that from the 24, my favorites were, in order of appearance:

2nd Story: Birthday Girl (a girl asks for a wish and the reader must wonder exactly how it came to be true)

16th Story – The Rise and Fall of Sharpie Cakes (it's clearly a metaphor for Murakami's experience with critics of his books and his writing path)
21st Story – Hanalei Bay (About a woman who loses her son to a shark attack and returns every year to that place as homage, I thought it was emotionally well done)

All in all, one could also notice the change in strength in the year each story was written, most of the last ones felt more consistent and all wee written in 00s. Something to think about regarding his style but I'm now not certain if I prefer his full length books or if my interest has diminished. I'll try another book eventually, to reach a conclusion. 

Grade: 6/10

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson  Burnett is a classic for children (and adults too, of course) and tells us the story of young Mary Lennox whose parents die in India and she is sent back to England to live with her uncle. However, her uncle doesn't seem to be that interested in her, which means Mary is pretty much alone except for the servants. At first Mary is very arrogant and ill mannered and quite spoiled from how she was treated back in India.  With time, though, she started to go outside, to become interested in the garden and by discovering an entrance to a garden which has been forbidden makes her discover a lot about herself and also in how others are worthy people and friends.As the plot progresses, Mary goes through an evolution of who she is as a person, as well as helping others doing the same.

There is clearly a lesson here, not that hard to understand but for children I can see why it would be a good way of letting you think about how to be nice for people and how having a sunny disposition can make you happier and those around you as well. From the point of view of a reader, I can see the appeal. From my own personal preferences, this was quite simplistic and I did assume it would be/feel even more special, so i do feel rather disappointed with the emotional impact. Perhaps the writing didn't convey as much feeling as I imagined it would. It was nice to read, though.

Grade: 6/10