A motley crew of characters including talking cats will pull you into Murakami's rich novel. It's a difficult novel to categorize but he weaves large, life themes into a complex story that ping-pongs between two story lines, one following a fifteen year old runaway and the other focusing on an elderly man of limited mental capacity. A novel that will stimulate intriguing questions and conversation!

This book should probably be read twice so as not to miss all the philosophical allegories hidden in it. As a woman I did not always enjoy the male pre-pubescent sexual scenes, but on the whole this book was amazing. As I mentioned above, I think I need to read it again to get the full meaning out of it. I enjoyed the fact that it was written a Japanese man with a life perspective so different from my western view.

Not as engrossing as some of Murakami's other writings. I'm biased though, unjustifiably I think he is a better short story writer than he is a novelist...much like Lahiri.

I am a grunt. I decided to read this book because it is a World Fantasy Award Winner. I have enjoyed these books, though some of them move slower than others. I had to make myself read this book. There was occasional humor, not enough to make me to plow though this book, but I did. I was very disappointed. I kept waiting for the story to take off. It never did. It picked up a little in the second half. ( Or did it?) I will certainly not read anything by Haruki Murakami again. I was hoping to be entertained, instead I was bored as hell. Compared to other World Fantasy Winners: The Prestige, Song of Kali, Perfume, Bridge of Birds, Towing Jehovah, Doctor Rat, Only Begotten Daughter, Koko and my favorite, Boy's Life. Kafka on the Shore will not be fondly remembered. Nor would I recommend it to any of my grunt friends. It is just doesn't have any balls. It is too artsy fartsy. It's tragedy and metaphysics were wasted on me.

Kafka on the Shore may be one of the best places to start reading Murakami's works, and is even a good work to include in a sample of modern Japanese literature. The story has an unusual set of elements to it, including fantasy, dreams, and spirituality, coupled to familiar literary devices, such as parallel and intersecting plot lines and journeys. They're used effectively most of the time, and the writing creates a decent tapestry.

Almost immediately you're sucked into the story, and if you let yourself trust the author's premise for a few pages, you'll be rewarded with a fantastic tale. At times he seems to throw in a twist to save a stale point, but that's forgivable. The ending (which I wont give away) was a bit of a let down, although I can't say I'm surprised. I think it would have been impossible to end with the strength the book builds up from time to time.

I found this to be a fast read, having read it over two nights of my vacation. Again, trust the author (and buy the setup), and you'll find yourself enjoying an engaging story.