Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 42
 Zen running, Zen writing August 10, 2008
emma who reads a lot (London)
110 out of 115 found this review helpful
Haruki Murakami has run for his entire writing life, taking it up when he realised that the sedentary existence of a novelist was making him fat; he has eventually tackled more than twenty-five marathons, half-marathons aplenty, and even one gruelling 100 kilometre "ultra-marathon" whose odd spiritual benefits are described here in satisfying detail.
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br /His simple approach to running is set down on the page with great skill and grace. But is it a hobby? An obsession? A way to keep fit? Or something more spiritual and meaningful? You can't help plumping for the latter when you read this book, so evocative and powerful are his thoughts on the way in which running requires tenacity, persistence, and a willingness to make the mind and body do things they don't really want to do. Running becomes a way of talking about all the difficulties of life - self-discipline, lack of willpower, the need for consistency.
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br /On the other hand, he's also fantastic on the joys and delights of running: a "very attractive" young Japanese runner who smiles at him everyday on his Tokyo circuit; the mists of the wintry Charles river in Boston; a quick turn around Central Park reservoir in the company of fellow novelist John Irving.
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br /If you aren't even slightly interested in running the book still has something to offer. It goes into detail about his philosophy of life, and he gives his thoughts about being a writer, which is intriguing for anyone who's read his strange and delightful fiction. But in the end I kept thinking about Zen buddhism - not a subject he directly touches upon. But there is something Zen about the simplicity with which he is determined to live his life, eliminating people he doesn't really want to see, pursuing single-mindedly his time and distance goals as a running, admitting that he really prefers just being on his own. The book is charming, completely thought-provoking, and I think very profound. You might even put on your trainers and go for a run after you read it. I have to admit, I did.
The Lonliness Of A Long Distance Writer September 30, 2008
pjr (London, England)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
Anyone who knows anything of Murakmi's work should be aware that a book about running written by him won't just be a book about running. Short, but never slight, the book muses on many subjects from memory, to why he started writing, perfecting a swimming technique, to some of the best music to run to. All written in Murakmi's own distinctive voice.
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br /Whatever he writes about this is Murakami's voice you're hearing. There is insight into the kind of person he is and also the kind of person runners are. There is plenty of running here and at times it does almost feel like the book has been written at the pace of a long run as its energy is brisk yet economical. For anyone looking for a big novel, it's not here. For anyone who wants a look into the world of a man who likes to write and run and tell you about it there's enough here to keep you entertained for a while.
I know how he feels August 16, 2008
M. J. Mooney (Leeds, West Yorkshire)
21 out of 25 found this review helpful
Well I'm coming at this from he opposite direction from Emma (above), but I agree with her assessment of the book.
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br /As a 50-something runner and lover of Murakami's novels I found this fascinating - read it in one sitting (well, lying - it was an overnight hospital stay).
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br /Recmmended for runners and couch potatoes alike.
Writing and running at its best October 17, 2008
Lazy Lee
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I enjoyed this book immensely, both as someone who has read all of Murakami's books available in English, and as someone who has just trained for and run a half marathon.
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br /For the first time, Murakami publishes a unique insight into the man behind the vivid imagination that created all his legendary titles, explaining how he started running to stay fit while sitting at home writing, and how the discipline he attaches to writing is very much the same discipline it takes to run an average of 6 miles a day, every day, for the last 23 or 24 years.
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br /Having just trained for a reasonbly long run for 4 months, and run "only" 3 to 4 times a week, I enjoyed finding that Murakami describes so well the thoughts of a runner - he sums up brilliantly how you overcome the fatigue and pain when running by stating: "pain is inevitable, suffering is not". Once you realise that, he explains it is a matter of how you manage your expectations when focussing on any task that requires stamina, dedication and a bit of pain, be it running, writing or anything else in life.
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br /The other aspect of Murakami's personal life that comes out of this book is his sad realisation that you can not beat the ageing process; no matter how much he trains, he can not improve on his times any more, and he acknowledges with much pain the inevitability of getting older by the day. Alongside his diminishing running capabilities, he fears that his best writing years may be past him, though he takes comfort from knowing that a few writers produced their best works in their late years.
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br /We will have to see what else Murakami has to offer - I certainly will continue to buy his books.
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Fantastic Material for runner even non runners can benefit from it !! Very Inspiring !! September 10, 2008
HuntersGold (London)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
br /I found this book very inspiring and charming. When I started reading it, I found it hard to stop, literally read it from cover to cover ...not many books do that to me.
br /This book is very thought provoking, it makes you think about yourself, goals, its about achievement as well as doing something to live life to the fullest!! Its also about passion and lessons to be learned,and overcoming failure
br /I love running and this book has motivated me to keep going and set new goals not just in running but also helped drive my motivation to learn new skills and avoid procastination
br /He talks about how ''if something is worth doing, its worth giving it your best, even more than your best'' !!
br /I highly recommend this book to people who love running , and other sports. Even for the non-sporty, there is a lot to be learned from this book !!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 42
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