Pinball, 1973 [Paperback]

Haruki Murakami (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Tokyo: Kodansha, 1985 (1989)
• ISBN-10: 4061860127
• ISBN-13: 978-4061860124
• ASIN: B000YDAOAY
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #323,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Haruki Murakami was born in Kyoto in 1949 and now lives near Tokyo. His work has been translated into forty-two languages. The most recent of his many honours is the Franz Kafka Prize.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Back in print in Japan, December 5, 2010

By 

Matthew Duncan "chaospiral" (Oyodo, Nara, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pinball, 1973 (Hardcover)

First: Don't pay exorbitant prices for this book. It's available from Amazon in Japan for around $10 (800 yen):
http://www.amazon.co.jp/1973%E5%B9%B4%E3%81%AE%E3%83%94%E3%83%B3%E3%83%9C%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB-1973-PINBALL-%E3%80%90%E8%AC%9B%E8%AB%87%E7%A4%BE%E8%8B%B1%E8%AA%9E%E6%96%87%E5%BA%AB%E3%80%91-%E6%9D%91%E4%B8%8A/dp/4770022085/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291596668&sr=8-1

Next: This book and Hear the Wind Sing (Kaze no Uta wo Kiku - which is more like "Listen to the Wind's Song") feel very much like 2 halves of the same novel. The characters of Boku ("I") and The Rat ("Nezumi") mature and change dramatically in this novel, but they're still in their hometown, and they're still trying to find themselves. The developments and climax of A Wild Sheep Chase make so much more sense with Pinball 1973 to give them a context.

The "Boku" trilogy is really a quartet: Hear the Wind Sing; Pinball, 1973; A Wild Sheep Chase; and Dance, Dance, Dance. The hints and nuance this story gives to the later maturation and development of Boku's character make it worth the read, for sure.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Early Murakami, January 1, 2011

By 

Andrew Tully - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pinball, 1973 (Hardcover)

Having read Murakami for years now, I was skeptical at first of his very early work, which was a mistake. This book was as good, or better than, any of his other books. I especially liked the packaging: small, pocket size, 175 small pages, original Japanese book packaging style, except translated into English. I carried it with me back & forth, until I finished it, then wished there was more.

4.0 out of 5 stars Start of fantasy, April 29, 2011

By 

Bariloche (WA Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pinball, 1973 (Hardcover)

This is second in the Trilogy of the Rat, the first two of which have not been published in the West. This is a Japanese publication in English. It displays his brilliant handling of words. Just at the end there is the first (but very mild) display of Murakami's love of the fantastic. For anyone who liked "Wild Sheep Chase" it is essential reading.