Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Haruki Murakami, read by Adam Sims and Ian Porter, Naxos Audio, unabridged, 11 CDs, 14 hrs., $40 ISBN 978-962-634-338-8
Murakami's two stories—which alternate, chapter by chapter—are told by two narrators, who split duties here. Ian Porter is the baritone, thoughtful and deliberative; Adam Sims is lighter spirited, flightier, and more amused by the bizarre comedy of Murakami's puzzle box. Both readers are well chosen, expertly picking their way across the minefield of this intoxicating, perplexing story. And their balancing act mimics the book's alternation of tones, styles, and stories. The recording is studded by occasional studio sound effects that are hardly necessary, but do manage to cleverly amplify the woozy, trippy disorientation of the tale. A Vintage paperback. (May)
Details
Reviewed on: 07/26/2010
Release date: 04/01/2010
Genre: Audio
Compact Disc - 11 pages - 9789626343388
Paperback - 416 pages - 9780679743460
Paperback - 400 pages - 9780099448785
Open Ebook - 281 pages - 9780307777690
Hardcover - 400 pages - 9784770015440
Open Ebook - 416 pages - 9781448103683
Paperback - 410 pages - 9784101001586
Paperback - 471 pages - 9784101001579
Audio book sample courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio