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Killing Commendatore

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Killing Commendatore

By: Haruki Murakami
Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
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About this listen

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami, read by Kirby Heyborne.

The epic new novel from the internationally acclaimed and best-selling author of 1Q84.

In Killing Commendatore, a thirty-something portrait painter in Tokyo is abandoned by his wife and finds himself holed up in the mountain home of a famous artist, Tomohiko Amada. When he discovers a strange painting in the attic, he unintentionally opens a circle of mysterious circumstances. To close it, he must complete a journey that involves a mysterious ringing bell, a two-foot-high physical manifestation of an Idea, a dapper businessman who lives across the valley, a precocious thirteen-year-old girl, a Nazi assassination attempt during World War II in Vienna, a pit in the woods behind the artist’s home, and an underworld haunted by Double Metaphors.

A tour de force of love and loneliness, war and art – as well as a loving homage to The Great Gatsby – Killing Commendatore is a stunning work of imagination from one of our greatest writers.

2019, The Kitschies Inky Tentacle, Winner

©2018 Haruki Murakami (P)2018 Random House Audiobooks Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Magical Realism Small Town & Rural World Literature Magic
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I read a lot of Murakami 20 years ago and loved them. I have just listened to 2 of his books after a long time and I have a bit of a love/hate thing going on... I'm not loving his portrayal of women or sex these days....though I suspect he's always been the same. It's me that's changed. What I do love is that he weaves some kind of hypnotic magic in his stories and I remember the feel of them long after I've finished reading or listening to them. I also love the magical qualities he weaves through all his stories.

Hypnotic, weird and so Murakami

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In English translation the girl's name is written "Marie" I believe, because in Japanese (original) book her name is まりえ (Ma-ri-eh). Suddenly it is Maria here. Wow. Why did it happen? Mari-Ah and Mari-Eh are two totally different names (In Japanese). (And Maria sounds too religeous, where religion has nothing to do with this story. )

The girl's name is not Maria, it's Marie

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I imagine this book greatly divides readers but at least can be appreciated by those who have read his others novels. Murakami has an unusual way of telling stories and his characters can be questionable as to their personality and morality. But I love how he uses his world as metaphors and questions everything we take for granted to be "normal."

Fascinating and intriguing listen

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metaphors abound, whilst the ideas materialise and speak to us. directly and through mysterious journeys Murakami's narrative brings alive the artist and the everyday tasks of life.

another brilliant vibrant magical story

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Murakami presents a vivid story set mostly in seclusion in the Udawara mountains. An artist separates from his wife and takes up residence in his art school friend's father's house as a kind of caretaker. Across the valley, a relatively short distance as the crow flies, but a long and winding route by road, lies the house of the mysterious Mr Menshiki. Killing Commendatore is in part, a homage to The Great Gatsby. Within this close proximity, but isolated by both terrain and the human heart, Killing Commendatore's characters dance together in the twilight of reality as only Murakami can depict. A meditation on interconnectedness, synchronicity, and art: Killing Commendatore is a wonderfully thoughtful and very human story

Kirby Heyborne does a fantastic job at narrating the novel. His characters are distinct and vivid, but not abrasive to listen to. Flawless

A tour de force

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Why the constant breast descriptions?
Otherwise fine.
Could have been 200 pages shorter
Interesting themes

Prepubescent breast obsession

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I’m a big fan of Haruki Murakami and I have to say this is one of his best. It’s got everything you come to except from his work. Beautiful descriptions of mundane everyday tasks and situations; picturesque scenery described with vivid details and the surrealism, magical realism and borderline science fiction that he is known and loved for. I found this story particularly appealing to me personally because the protagonist is an artist living along on the top of a secluded mountain in a house that has a fully kitted out painting studio and that’s kind of my dream. I found myself going about my day while thinking about the house on the mountain and wanting to return to it, partly to continue the story, but partly just to return to this idea of a place I found so appealing. That’s not to say I wasn’t drawn to the story. Since about half way through Killing Commendatore I have been in that place you find yourself in when reading a wonderful book where you can’t stop reading/listening, but you also don’t want to continue because you don’t want it to end. But it did end and on that note I will say that as I always point out in my reviews, Murakami isn’t for everyone, but there was an interesting point at the end of this where the loose ends were somewhat tied up. That’s not a common way for him to finish his books. There are often abrupt endings and unanswered questions and he seemed to have done the opposite in most places in this.
The painterly topic was highly appealing to me and in fact from a scene in the book an image was inspired in my own head which I felt I had to draw. The performance was also very well done and there was no point where the voice of the reader interjected itself and distracted from the story.
All in all I think it may take its place as my favourite Murakami and I strongly suggest it to others.

One of Murakami’s best

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Boring repetitive not a patch on 1Q84. However, Murakami is great. Umm, yes no you decide.

Repetitive

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Wonderful narrator and a magical evocative story, I couldn’t stop listening to it! Highly recommended!

Perfect!

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I have listened and read six of Murakami's books in the last two months and this I enjoyed the least.
While I enjoy the clarity of the narrative, this story digresses and wanders off like lost wounded soldier. It is the first book I forced myself to get to the end because I believed the author would surprise me. He did not. This story could have been written in a third of the book. Again, here he works with very similar characters to build plot and uses similar settings to cross realities (places I like to go with him), but this attempt was far too predictable. Also, his obsession with young women and their budding sensuality does not ad to the story. On the contrary.

You have to love Murakami to finish it!

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