Name: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage
Rating: 3.799613402061856 (388 reviews)
ISBN: 9780385352116

Haruki Murakami

An instant #1 New York Times Bestseller One of the most revered voices in literature today gives us a story of love, friend­ship, and heartbreak for the ages. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is the remarkable story of a young man haunted by a great loss; of dreams and nightmares that have unintended consequences for the world around us; and of a journey into the past that is necessary to mend the present. A New York Times and Washington Post notable book, and one of the Financial Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Slate, Mother Jones, The Daily Beast, and BookPage's best books of the year

A novel

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his years of pilgrimage

I understand all the criticisms on this book here, my first read some years ago pretty much went in one ear and out the other. But now that I've suffered the ravages of life some more I've come to appreciate this story and its sentiments.

barebones

Very honest and interesting, but not as deep as he thinks and slightly sexist

Iris Vesey

A mesmerising mystery story about friendship from the internationally bestselling author of Norwegian Wood and 1Q84 Tsukuru Tazaki had four best friends at school. By chance all of their names contained a colour. The two boys were called Akamatsu, meaning ‘red pine’, and Oumi, ‘blue sea’, while the girls’ names were Shirane, ‘white root’, and Kurono, ‘black field’. Tazaki was the only last name with no colour in it. One day Tsukuru Tazaki’s friends announced that they didn't want to see him, or talk to him, ever again. Since that day Tsukuru has been floating through life, unable to form intimate connections with anyone. But then he meets Sara, who tells him that the time has come to find out what happened all those years ago.

I have mixed feelings reading this book. Murakami's writing is gorgeous and atmospheric as ever that I finally understand why some people keep reading his work, even when he describes boobs more times than I could count. 

A passive protagonist who realizes he isn't as plain as he thought.

I have mixed feelings reading this book. Murakami's writing is gorgeous and atmospheric as ever that I finally understand why some people keep reading his work, even when he describes boobs more times than I could count. 

A passive protagonist who realizes he isn't as plain as he thought.

Maureen

“Our lives are like a complex musical score, … It's next to impossible to correctly interpret these, and even if you could, … there's no guarantee that people would correctly understand, or appreciate, the meaning therein…. Why must the workings of people's lives be so convoluted?”

***

My first book for 2024! It’s classic Murakami where you have this lonely male protagonist and a woman he finds himself obsessed with. Tsukuru’s introspection takes the fore as Murakami carefully weaves his feelings of loss and trauma together with the inner workings of classical music. It is a journey of friendship, healing— but mostly the protagonist’s mundane life and how he comes to terms with his past. I thought the reference to the title was apt and cleverly introduced in the book.

One of the most revered voices in literature today gives us a story of love, friend­ship, and heartbreak for the ages. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is the remarkable story of a young man haunted by a great loss; of dreams and nightmares that have unintended consequences for the world around us; and of a journey into the past that is necessary to mend the present.

Alessandra Tatoy

Despite most of this novel missing Murakami's signature magical realism and feeling somewhat short, his exploration of Tsukuru's identity in his relationship with his closest friends is something I believe many can people can relate to, especially those going from one phase of life to another and struggling with their relationships as they do so.

this the book Richie was talking abt in s2 of The Bear 

amari

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki And His Years Of Pilgrimage A Novel

Paula Plaza Ponte 

"One heart is not connected to another through harmony alone. They are, instead, linked deeply through their wounds. Pain linked to pain, fragility to fragility. There is no silence without a cry of grief, no forgiveness without bloodshed, no acceptance without a passage through acute loss."

Gosh. 

Murakami is truly a master storyteller. I loved the way he weaved stories within stories with this one; how he developed his complex and colorful characters; how he withheld pieces of information at just the right time to the way he made all the details unexpectedly unravel. I still have questions. But that's okay. I just want Tsukuru to be happy. Something tells me, he will be.

Sarah Sammis

I loved it, as always Murakami always will find a way in my heart.

In many ways, Tazaki's journey mirrors my own, striking a chord that resonates deeply within the recesses of the heart; though, that's what the book is about I think... one must get over past events in life and continue to live in the present, because the present is what’s real. 

Life is full of indispensable lessons that usher us towards growth. The people who enter our paths often serve as conduits for these transformative experiences, as displayed by Sara's role in Tsukuru's life. Her presence becomes symbolic of those invaluable lessons.

Initially, Tsukuru is impatient to know the answer during those days until Wednesday. However, the narrative slowly shifts toward an epiphany of acceptance, manifested when he plays the music and enjoys the time in between. The deliberate act of not answering the phone becomes a metaphorical embodiment of embracing the unknown, illuminating one of life's most important lessons — acceptance.

This book skillfully delves into the nuances of solitude and isolation; delineating the chronic numbness that often accompanies these states. Murakami's portrayal of those states always transcends literature and words, he offers a mirror to the complex chains of human emotions.

I believe Tsukuru underwent significant growth as the narrative unfolded. He reached a meaningful milestone in discovering himself and embracing the realization that some things are beyond control — they cannot be as meticulously calculated as train stations.

As always, thank you, Murakami, I shall do my best to put aside the weird sex in every book^^;

laila

Murakami Murakami... 

I loved it, as always Murakami always will find a way in my heart.

In many ways, Tazaki's journey mirrors my own, striking a chord that resonates deeply within the recesses of the heart; though, that's what the book is about I think... one must get over past events in life and continue to live in the present, because the present is what’s real. 

Life is full of indispensable lessons that usher us towards growth. The people who enter our paths often serve as conduits for these transformative experiences, as displayed by Sara's role in Tsukuru's life. Her presence becomes symbolic of those invaluable lessons.

Initially, Tsukuru is impatient to know the answer during those days until Wednesday. However, the narrative slowly shifts toward an epiphany of acceptance, manifested when he plays the music and enjoys the time in between. The deliberate act of not answering the phone becomes a metaphorical embodiment of embracing the unknown, illuminating one of life's most important lessons — acceptance.

This book skillfully delves into the nuances of solitude and isolation; delineating the chronic numbness that often accompanies these states. Murakami's portrayal of those states always transcends literature and words, he offers a mirror to the complex chains of human emotions.

I believe Tsukuru underwent significant growth as the narrative unfolded. He reached a meaningful milestone in discovering himself and embracing the realization that some things are beyond control — they cannot be as meticulously calculated as train stations.

As always, thank you, Murakami, I shall do my best to put aside the weird sex in every book^^;



Kristy Donasco

** spoiler alert **
           I remember enjoying this in a depressing way. The story gripped me immediately since I read the first sentence of the first chapter in some bookstore years ago,

[spoilers] "From July of his sophomore year in college until the following January, all Tsukuru Tazaki could think about was dying."

I wondered why is that so, and reading page after page, there are some parts that resonated with me and others parts, I sympathized with.

It is about the people from Tsukuru's past, the chasm of wounds they left him, the aftereffects of that as he grew older, and in the end, it's about searching for answers.

There were many parts that I doubt I understood in this story, but maybe that's for another re-read. The ending can be deemed flat to others, meanwhile, I saw it as being like real life, it goes on and on, even beyond what's written in this book.

Tazaki is a fictional character but even so, I wish him luck as he perseveres in life.

equal parts disappointingly sexual and eye-openingly real…the message is good when it’s just the message alone if u get what i mean

shels

The exploration of loneliness and rejection is what drew me to this book but it’s really the insistent mentioning of boobs throughout that kept me interested /j

daniela

Hannah Swithinbank

More loose threads than usual for Murakami, but the last 100 pages in particular are beautiful.

In this book, Murakami describes the important issue of feeling isolated and rejected in the form of a simple and straightforward story. I loved it.

Shidehdeishidi

altlovesbooks

The book started out with a premise I could understand; namely, good friends turned strangers, and the coping one has to go through to put things into perspective. I felt like this book took a sudden turn after the first half or so, and turned into something less identifiable and interesting. The main character becomes fixated, almost whiny in places. His inability to move forward grates on my nerves. Side characters end up moving in and out of focus, with no resolution. I don't really know if Tsukuru finds the peace of mind he was seeking throughout the entire book, and maybe that was my biggest gripe. Your mileage may vary.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage A novel

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