Amazon.com
Sputnik Sweetheart finds Haruki Murakami in his minimalist mode. Shorter than the sweeping Wind-up Bird Chronicle, less playfully bizarre than A Wild Sheep Chase, the author's seventh novel distills his signature themes into a powerful story about the loneliness of the human condition. "There was nothing solid we could depend on," the reader is told. "We were nearly boundless zeros, just pitiful little beings swept from one kind of oblivion to another."
The narrator is a teacher whose only close friend is Sumire, an aspiring young novelist with chronic writer's block. Sumire is suddenly smitten with a sophisticated businesswoman and accompanies her love object to Europe where, on a tiny Greek island, she disappears "like smoke." The schoolteacher hastens to the island in search of his friend. And there he discovers two documents on her computer, one of which reveals a chilling secret about Sumire's lover.
Sputnik Sweetheart is a melancholy love story, and its deceptively simple prose is saturated with sadness. Characters struggle to connect with one another but never quite succeed. Like the satellite of the title they are essentially alone. And by toning down the pyrotechnics of his earlier work, Murakami has created a world that is simultaneously mundane and disturbing--where doppelgängers and vanishing cats produce a pervasive atmosphere of alienation, and identity itself seems like a terribly fragile thing. --Simon Leake
Book Description
Haruki Murakami, the internationally bestselling author of Norwegian Wood and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, plunges us into an urbane Japan of jazz bars, coffee shops, Jack Kerouac, and the Beatles to tell this story of a tangled triangle of uniquely unrequited loves.
A college student, identified only as “K,” falls in love with his classmate, Sumire. But devotion to an untidy writerly life precludes her from any personal commitments–until she meets Miu, an older and much more sophisticated businesswoman. When Sumire disappears from an island off the coast of Greece, “K” is solicited to join the search party and finds himself drawn back into her world and beset by ominous, haunting visions. A love story combined with a detective story,
Sputnik Sweetheart ultimately lingers in the mind as a profound meditation on human longing.
Download Description
Combining the early, straightforward seductions of Norwegian Wood and the complex mysteries of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, this new novel -- his seventh translated into English -- is Haruki Murakami at his most satisfying and representative best. The scenario is as simple as it is uncomfortable: A male college student falls, and for years remains, in love with a woman whose devotion to Kerouac and an untidy writerly life precludes any personal commitments -- until she meets a considerably older and far more sophisticated businesswoman. It is through this wormhole that she enters Murakami's surreal yet humane universe, to which she serves as guide both for us and the man (now a teacher) who loves her. In the course of her travels from parochial Japan through Europe and ultimately to an island off the coast of Greece, she disappears without trace, leaving only lineaments of her fate: computer accounts of bizarre events and of stories within stories. The teacher, now summoned to assist in the search, experiences his own ominous, haunting visions, which lead him nowhere but home to Japan -- where, under the expanse of deep space and the still-orbiting Sputnik, he finally achieves a true understanding of his beloved. A love story, a missing-person story, a detective story -- all enveloped in a philosophical mystery -- and, finally, a profound meditation on human longing.
Customer Reviews:
Tells about your story!!!.......2007-10-01
It's not easy to write a review about this book cause it's the story of humanity, it's about our loneliness in this world. Murakami does this storytelling as good as possible. The book wraps you from its first lines and continue like that. The tension along the reading process is fixed very well. In short close your ears to bad reviews and buy this book. You will not regret. By the way whereever you are I don't know but we all love you Sumire
Disappointing.......2007-09-01
I'm a huge fan of Murakami but this one was a disappointment. It contains lots of boring 'filler' where you sense he was padding out what should have been a short story into novel length. And the writing is painfully pedestrian. This could be the fault of the translator, but there's no excuse for overuse of the word 'incredible.' Even the writing of the main character, Sumire, who is supposedly a brilliant writer, is indistinguishable in style and tone from that of the narrator, who is Murakami's usual 'regular guy.' The 2001 copyright date is surprisingly recent. This work feels like juvenilia. I give it 2 stars instead of one because there are occasional flashes of the Murakami I love. But if you're new to this author, don't start with Sputnik Sweetheart.
good, but too long.......2007-07-20
This novel should have been a novella. The core of the novel is about 50 pages long, and really good, but it takes too long to get to it. There is a unique quality of strange ethereal mystery at the core. Fortunately, it's a quick read so you don't feel like it wasn't worth it. It ends like After Dark, leaving you hanging.
The best thing about this author is his tender understanding of people.
So, so bad.......2007-07-13
Ignore the alluring cover; this book is like reading paint dry. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Profoundly Lonely.......2007-04-27
"Sputnik Sweetheart" is a novel that enters the lives of a teacher, a girl called Sumire and a woman called Miu. The teacher loves Sumire as a woman, Sumire loves Miu and Miu is just Miu. The incomplete love triangle forms the main relational backdrop to the story.
The novel delves into the longings, loneliness and loves of the characters, each one longing for something and not always achieving it. In Murakmi's usual surreal way, he brings the teacher, (who happens to be the narrator of the story), through the barriers to an end that is quite fitting.
I rather enjoyed this book for its relative ease of comprehending what Murakami was getting at. Other books I found perplexing and they left me with a feeling that I had missed a central piece of the story. "Sputnik Sweetheart" is one I would suggest to new readers of Murakami, I think. It was a good book to illustrate how Murakami should be approached at a basic level. I found this aspect of it helpful to understand some of his other works.
There is some cross referencing to other Murakami works, such as a reference to the short story "Man-Eating Cats", which appears in Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. There are other references that appear in "Sputnik Sweetheart" as well.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and one that left me feeling rather satisfied. It was not perplexing to the degree of Murakami's other works, though in some ways, it was less profound, as well. At the end of the day, it was a good way to kill a few hours with a very good book.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from World Literature Today, published by University of Oklahoma on June 22, 2001. The length of the article is 543 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Sputnik Sweetheart. (Japan).(Brief Article)
Author: Yoshiko Yokochi Samuel
Publication:
World Literature Today (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2001
Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Volume: 75
Page: 138(1)
Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Review of Contemporary Fiction, published by Review of Contemporary Fiction on September 22, 2001. The length of the article is 1666 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Sputnik Sweetheart.(Review)(Brief Article)
Author: Brian Evenson
Publication:
The Review of Contemporary Fiction (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2001
Publisher: Review of Contemporary Fiction
Volume: 21
Issue: 3
Page: 215(1)
Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
What is prim and proper Miss Vivianna Greentree to do when her precious haven for orphans is threatened? She has no choice but to turn to the owner of the property, Sir Oliver Montegomery—yet the heartless scoundrel refuses to be swayed by reason. So Vivianna must resort to other means of persuasion ...
Under the tutelage of Madame Aphrodite, London's most notorious courtesan, Vivianna is determined to learn the sensuous secrets that will render a man weak with desire, to melt Oliver's stony heart with a kiss, a caress and a promise. But as her encounters with Oliver become more intense, Vivianna unexpectedly discovers a fiery passion that leaves her breathless. And soon it becomes unclear exactly who is seducing whom ...
Customer Reviews:
Competent and Able Frothy Read.......2007-04-17
Well plotted, good balance between wit and spice, Sara Bennett does a fine job of keeping the reader interested in "Lessons in Seduction." While the plot follows the normative narrative arc of many texts before it, the author paces the narrative and character development in fine form, to create a frothy reading romp.
Let's eat Dessert !.......2006-03-19
'Lessons in Seduction' by Sara Bennett was a very good historical mystery romance novel. Vivianna Greentree goes to London to save her orphanage from Oliver Montegomery. Vivianna decides to seduce Oliver. There are many twist and turns and over all this was a very good novel. I plan to read more of Sara Bennett novels.
new writer.......2005-10-18
I was a little scared to read this book by someone that I had never heard of. Thank goodness I did. I not only enjoyed this refreshing romance, but she wasn't afraid to get down and dirty. No shy helpless heroine for this author. BRAVO Sara Bennett. I will continue to look for more books with your name on them. You really brightened up my weekend with Lessons in Seduction.
Never made it past the second chapter...........2005-10-13
I gave up on page 30 and just quit reading. The heroine came across as a silly, flighty little girl and I just could not take anything she said or did seriously. I couldn't force myself to keep reading.
Don't waste your money!.......2005-10-09
I bought this book because of the good reviews. I read it last week (i.e. less than 7 days ago) already I couldn't remember anything about the story even to the extend the names of the hero! It is so forgettable that I feel I had wasted 4 hours of my life reading it. Could I demand a refund on my time, please? I gave this book 2 stars only because I am a sucker for the Lylic colour on the cover.
Product Description
School for Virgins by Leda Swann Jack Langton is about to be married to Clarissa, the virginal young daughter of his business partner. Helen Fairchild runs a school for respectable young ladies, where she teaches her young charges how to please their future husbands in bed. The moment Jack accidentally discovers the secret of her school, he wants lessons for himself. Not to learn how to please his future wife, however, but to learn how to please Helen, with whom he is instantly obsessed. Helen reluctantly agrees to take him as a pupil. At first she only wants to take this arrogant man down a peg or two and teach him how to treat a woman properly. But as the lessons progress, she gradually falls in love with him. As Jack's marriage draws ever closer, he falls ever more under Helen's spell. But as a man of honor, he cannot withdraw his promise to Clarissa. Helen's lessons must teach Jack and Clarissa, and Helen herself, to recognize what their hearts truly yearn for before all three of them can find the happiness they crave. Seduction of Colette By Claire Thompson The year is 1658. The beautiful young Colette, daughter of a nobleman, has just been 'lost' in a wager, given to the dashing Lord Philippe de Valon as payment for gambling debts. Against a backdrop of the lavish and decadent Court at Versailles, Colette is exposed to the delicious but dangerous attentions of a man used to taking what he wants. When he is called away on King's business, Colette is left in the hands of his sour old aunt, who regards Colette with suspicion and disdain. On their trip to Philippe's castle in the north of France, Colette and her handmaid are brutally abducted by a gang of ruffians. Colette's innocence is lost at the hands of her tormentors. If Philippe does not rescue the lovely maiden, she become the debased sex slave of hardened criminals.
Average customer rating:
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Dancing With Natasha
Gregory Causey , and
Natasha Yushanov
Manufacturer: Romance Divine, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Ballroom | Dance | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Dancers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1934446009 |
Book Description
Dancing With Natasha, written by Greg Causey, takes the reader from "I Can't Dance," to "I'm A Dancing Machine," detailing the often agonizing, but always rewarding endeavor of learning Ballroom Dance. In this engaging, witty and poignant memoir, Greg and his wife Joan make the frightening trek to the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Dayton, Ohio, for a few lessons to better enjoy the professional formal functions they attend. What they find is nothing short of miraculous. In her own exuberant style their instructor Natasha explains how she moves beginners who consider the 'obligatory grope' on the floor to be dancing, to graceful self-expression. With the foreword written by Barbara Haller - Four-time United States Professional Theatrical Arts champion, and details from other students, instructors, and dance pros, Dancing With Natasha will give the reader an uncommon peek into this incredibly popular and exciting endeavor.
Average customer rating:
- very good easy-going romance
- Who cares?
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A Lesson in Seduction
Susan Napier
Manufacturer: Thorndike Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Romance | Subjects | Books
Literature & Fiction | Large Print | Formats | Books
Romance | Large Print | Formats | Books
ASIN: 0263150690 |
Customer Reviews:
very good easy-going romance.......2003-08-09
This is a light-hearted romance between an actress and
a male fan. There is no dark mystery here, no ultra-motives or
eleventh hour upsets. This is an enjoyable read and my second
Susan Napier romance. If you're looking for intensity, suspense
in your romance, look for Lyndsay McKenna.
Who cares?.......2003-02-14
Back Cover description: They met at the airport. He wore a suit and carried a briefcase. He seemed quiet, a little shy. Definitely not the type to flirt with a fellow passengerýeven if she was famous actress Rosalind Marlow! His name, Roz discovered, was Luke James. She was determined to discover more about himýsuch as why he appeared to following her. And was he as innocent as he seemed? What he really needed was a lesson in flirtationýand, on impulse, Roz decided to be his teacher! Luke was a fast learner. In fact, Roz soon discovered that he didnýt need lessons at all. He could teach her plenty about the art of seduction!
Not one of Ms. Napierýs better books. I didnýt like Roz or Luke. The plot was unbelievable and some of the things Roz did, when she knew the press was always after her were just stupid. Read THE REVENGE AFFAIR instead
Average customer rating:
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Lessons in Seduction
Michel Millot
Manufacturer: olympiapress.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Adult Fiction | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Erotica | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1596545178 |
Book Description
A robust and daring series of dialogues between two of the spiciest young ladies in French letters. Susanne and Fanchon, having just ventured beyond the boundaries of innocence, are still fresh and naive, yet their candid conversations unveil the wildest of sensual experiences in their attempt to reach sexual maturity. Originally published in 1655, this French classic has also been translated as "The School for Venus," and despite its initial title (L'ecole des Filles), should not be confused with "The School for Girls" (L'ecole des biches).
Average customer rating:
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Lessons in Seduction
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739450247 |
Product Description
What is prim and proper Miss Vivianna Greentree to do when her precious haven for orphans is threatened? She has no choice but to turn to the owner of the property, Sir Oliver Montegomery -- yet the heartless scoundrel refuses to be swayed by reason. So Vivianna must resort to other means of persuasion ...Under the tutelage of Madame Aphrodite, London's most notorious courtesan, Vivianna is determined to learn the sensuous secrets that will render a man weak with desire, to melt Oliver's stony heart with a kiss, a caress and a promise. But as her encounters with Oliver become more intense, Vivianna unexpectedly discovers a fiery passion that leaves her breathless. And soon it becomes unclear exactly who is seducing whom
Book Description
TITLE: Lessons in Seduction AUTHOR: Melissa Schroeder ISBN: 1-59998-560-8 PAGES: 240 USD: 13.00 GBP: 11.00 BISAC: FIC027070, FIC027110 PUBLISHING DATE: 01/15/2008 STREET DATE: 01/15/2008 DISCOUNT: 55% US/ 50% UK RETURN: Yes, destroy ANNOTATION: What is a lady to do when her chosen rake changes her lessons in seduction to lessons of love? Book two in the Once Upon an Accident series Cecily Ware understands how society works. At the age of twenty-six, she has been around long enough to know that she is doomed to spinsterhood. But she refuses to go without ever knowing what it is like to be with a man. So she comes up with a wonderful plan to find a rake to teach her, complete with a list of possibilities. At the top of that list sits Douglas the Duke of Ethingham. When he asks Lady Cecily to waltz, Douglas never expected her to request seduction, or that it would intrigue him quite as much. With each glance, each smile, each touch, he finds himself falling under her spell, unable to resist her lure. In her he finds a soul mate, someone as lonely as he is, who understands his pain, and will give herself to him without demands or expectations. But as he finds himself falling in love, he also discovers a wicked plot to kill Lady Cicely. As they race to discover who wants her dead, they fall deeper in love, leaving them to decide if the lessons in seduction could lead to a lifetime of happiness.
Customer Reviews:
Basanos' mega saga is pure genius.......2006-09-15
With the four part story arc titled Inferno, ends one of the most ambitious and extraordinary dark fantasy sagas of modern fantasy.
Comprising of about thirty two numbers that began on the first trade The Devil in the Gateway, Carey's epic of power and ambition ranks among the best theological/urban/dark fantasies ever written.
Carey is a master of continuity, allusion, indirectness and oblique multilayered narrative, metaphor and arcane religious symbolism.
Like the majority of comic book writers, Carey's visual imagination(sometimes disturbingly surreal) and plotting are strong, unlike them his attention for style, characterization, tone and atmosphere is remarkable.He is a literate who chose the comic book medium to express his vison about power, arrogance and ambition.
It's the many levels of significance that puts Lucifer apart of other comics books.
I wouldn`t do the book justice if I didn`t mention the excellent artwork and coloring of the artistic team.Regular artists Peter Gross (story arcs) and Dean Ormston (single issues)did an excellent job; the equally excellent artist Chris Weston left the book early.
Gross` drawings on the first issues seems to me rather crude and sketchy but in later issues gets much better.Ormston's disturbingly creepy gothic drawings gives the perfect mood for the single issues, I love his work.The colour pallete is rich; sometimes dark and moddy, sometimes bright and colourful.
For the true conoissieurs Lucifer is an indipensable comic book.
The Duel, The Wings, The Loan.......2006-03-18
Inferno marks the conclusion of a major story arc: whatever happened to those blasted wings of Lucifer? Last seen in the possession of Susano-O-No-Mikoto, they left the battlefields as the Basanos committed suicide, apparently into the mists of time (or whatever passes for cryptic walking- off- into- the- sunset in Lucifer's world anyway.)
Lucifer duels with Amenadiel - that duel promised in Lucifer #2, Children And Monsters (p.196), but sends his deputy to deal with the wings. Along the way, she meets... someone from her past. A Lilum like herself, which would technically make the union incest, but hey, this is 'Lucifer', after all, and there are no taboos.
The duel fought and won (sort of, on a technicality), Lucifer ends the book by taking on a loan from Loki, setting the stage for Lucifer #6: Mansions of the Silence.
As usual, there's a kooky laugh-at-it story within this collection as well: look out in particular for the bizarre-bittersweet "Bearing Gifts", with Dean Ormston's distinctive art.
End of a great story arc.......2004-03-19
This is the end of the first big story arc that has been foreshadowed in the divination of the Tarot deck in part one. And, please note, this part one is not 'Sandman presents: Lucifer' but 'Lucifer: Devil in the gateway'. (That's why the first review by millernw was not helpful, although I fully support his message.)
Well, almost all that has been foreshadowed. Except the divination of the 'innocence' card where Lucifer has been told that he'll have to repay the favour of Elaine Belloc. The last two-parter 'Come to judgement' that nicely ties up loose ends such as the fate of Cestis starts Lucifer's quest to do exactly that.
In the main story arc I particularly liked the re-telling of the old Venus-Vulcanus-Mars story. (The ugly engineer and his pretty wife ...) I know that the originals are Greek gods, not Roman gods, but few readers would know 'Hephaistos' would they?
Also very impressive how the whole story is told by the Duke of Gly. His comments show that Carey has not lost one bit of his ability to surprise the reader with a sentence that you may think about for a long time afterwards. (As you may do about the last words of the inspector at the very end of this book.)
What a story!.......2004-03-04
Man, I just stumbled onto this series after getting turned on to the Sandman library, Lucifer is a science fiction fan's dream come true-
Incredible plots, great art, it's the best thing I've seen since, well, Sandman.
I sure hope this series runs for a long time, I'm amazed at the creativity that has gone into this title!
Excellent Fantasy Fiction.......2004-02-17
You'll do yourself a disservice if you think of this book as anything other than a fantasy fiction novel. The engrossing, inventive storylines and the detailed characters will capture you from the first page. Mike Carey has taken Neil Gaiman's version of the fallen prince of angels and developed him into a calculating, reflective manipulator on a cosmic scale.
This collection begins right as the last one ends, and just when you thought Lucifer was beaten and his plan completely unfolded, a completely new layer emerges, rising from the ashes like our prideful protagonist. Pick it up for something new, complex, and original.
Book Description
Reclaiming the Great Commission describes a biblically based model that can restore the missionary power of first-century Christianity to twenty-first century denominations and their congregations. Based on shared vision and mission, the model can guide the members of any congregation or denomination into deeper and broader evangelism, an enhanced experience of community, and a renewed hope of personal and spiritual transformation.
Customer Reviews:
THE place to start the discussion about mainline renewal.......2005-10-24
In the last fifteen years or so there have been a zillion books written about mainline renewal. Most of them were written by consultants like Lyle Schaller or academics like Will Willimon. Most of them show a lack of real world concreteness. Payne and Beazley provide an cure for that problem
They take the changes made in the ministry of the most hidebound, change resistant group in the Protestant world-the Episcopal Church-and show what they did in Texas. They deal with real world problems and real world solutions. They call the organizational structure of the church to again become responsive to the needs of local churches and communities and work to accomplish the ministry of the church instead of perpetuate the structure at any cost. The one particular tool they developed that caught my eye was Team 1000 a plan to raise $1 million yearly for church development. Also important was the reminder that some churches we start will never be self supporting, but we as a church have an obligation to support them because the ministry is the right thing to do. Further it shows how important it is to have a leader who is willing to expend his/her leadership capital to accomplish what needs to be done
I highly recomend this book for anyone who has an interest in structural reorganization of denominations, or for those who have given up on the possibility of reform within their own judicatory bodies.
Church as mission outpost.......2005-08-19
This is a literate description of how the Anglican Church in Texas turned several hundred Churches into successful mission outposts. Well-written and helpful for the would-be mission Church.
Must Read.......2003-06-03
In a time of "Church Growth" gurus, books, and workshops - it is very refreshing to have a book that doesn't focus on bells and whistles and technological ways to manipulate, but calls the church back to the mission given by Christ - to go into the world with the transformative Christian faith. If only those of us in mainline denominations would be willing to lift our eyes off of agendas, useless meetings and other distactions and consider "Reclaiming the Great Commission." Mission, not maintenance, is the call of this book, bringing the focus of the church on God, people, and relationships. Shared vision founded in Biblical faith is the key for the local congregation and the larger church. I recommend this to pastors, priests, lay leaders, bishops, and all who are interested in sharing the Gospel.
Building the church of Christ or building a denomination?.......2003-05-04
The author says the present generation church can be like the first generation church, but how can that be? The first church had 'the same' gospel, there was only 'one denomination' at that time and they were simply called Christians. There was no need for denominations in the early church because disciples all believed 'exactly the same things'. To say the present church can be like the first is to not understand the first.
The teachings in this book merely show how to run a successful corporation for that is was this present generation of many churches has become.
Every Church Vision Should Model This Book.......2001-10-22
Our church is using this book as a model for its vision for the year 2001. Our Daughters of the King prayer group is using this book as its study for the coming year.
Books:
- Suttree
- Taft: A Novel
- Tapestry of Spies
- The 25th Hour
- The Antelope Wife: A Novel
- The Better of McSweeney's, Volume 1
- The Black Flower: A Novel of the Civil War
- The Conjurer's Bird: A Novel
- The Dangerous Hour (Sharon McCone Mysteries)
- The Day of the Triffids (20th Century Rediscoveries)
Books Index
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