Dance Dance Dance Paperback – January 31, 1995

I do not have much to add to the other positive reviews.The negative ones are just silly (of course apart from the objection against abridging the English edition; that annoys me too, but let's not hold it against HM, and I would not have noticed anyway).I like the comparison made somewhere that this is like Kafka in a Chandler novel, but I have to object to the notion that Kafka had no sense of humour. Please read the Hunger Artist or even the Verwandlung again, what are they if not hilarious in a black sort of way.The protagonist of Dancex3 is sometimes like a Philip Marlowe without a mission, but that is a fleeting impression. He starts off looking for somebody, but gives up quickly. Marlowe wouldn't do that.Nothing sticks. The novel might be a normal noir mystery, if it did not escalate into esoterics once in a while. One expects that from HM.I liked the names of Yuki's disfunctional parents: the father's name, the writer's, is an anagram of HM's, and the mother is called Rain, like Barry Eisler's half Japanese killer. Coincidence?I liked the encounters with unexpected developments: the receptionist, the actor, the writer, of course the brat. One of HM's strengths, developing people relationships off the beaten track.What I mean by my review title: reading Murakami is like listening to Coltrane or the Stones or Brahms, it does not matter so much what the plot is, nor who the characters are, it is a purpose in itself. You don't need to learn anything from it, nor is it to be used in the sense of the protagonist's frequent spouts of "killing time". Of course it is not shoveling snow either.It is what it is. A way of life. Like meditation.Great stuff.

“Wild Sheep Chase” must be read before starting this sequel, because Murakami does not give the new reader adequate background about the characters or plot of the previous novel. The story kicks off with the narrator forming a friendship with former classmate Gotunda, who is now a matinee idol. Gotunda has also slept with Kiki, the narrator’s one-time girlfriend, ear model and call girl, but she has vanished from both their lives. Hoping to find her, our narrator returns to the Dolphin Hotel, only to find that the old hotel has been replaced by a modern hotel high-rise. The new hotel is inhabited by the spirit of the old hotel, which occasionally reappears on different floors, somewhat like “Brigadoon” meets “The Shining.” He becomes enamored of the very proper desk clerk, Yumiyoshi, and it is she who brings sassy, clairvoyant, 13-year old Yuki into his life. From here the story a delightful human drama, with the two of them guiding and transforming each other’s lives. Murakami then engages us in a murder mystery, which involves Kiki and takes a rather bizarre turn. For those of us who did not want “Wild Sheep Chase” to end, Murakami has given us a satisfying and surreal second half. Though not as exciting as “Wild Sheep Chase,” it is filled with memorable characters. If you are new to Murakami, your might gauge your reading pleasure by how much you liked or disliked the tv classic “Twin Peaks.”

Wonderful imagination and eye for detail.

I continue to read Haruki Murakami with absolute delight. This is heralded as a sequel of his "Chasing wild sheep" It is helpful to read "Sheep", but it is not necessary as Murakami provides enough details to give you a solid background to read the story. I had finishing reading "Sheep" and was looking for another one of his stories (I have read six so far) to read. I researched some of the book reviews and "Dance, Dance, Dance" was recommended. One of the reason people were recommending the book is Murakami provides some biographically facts through his character and story. I thought "Sheep" was a good read. "Dance" was one of those books that not only do you relate to, but it become a friend and you are sad when it ends. The narrator is a lost soul at thirty four. By using character foils the narrator goes through a metamorphosis. The metaphysical world continues through the book with his lost girl "Kiki" leading the way. I also felt the author biographical part of the story, to the point I could relate to not only the narrator's metamorphous but some of the characters he meets.The only downside I found is you read a lot of Murakami, he seems to use stero type characters.To me it was a great book and one of the reasons I gave it five stars is there enough material in the philosophy and thought the major of the readers will enjoy it.