Reading Log, January 2025

Part 1

Today's date: 16.01.2025

Books I have finished reading this week:

Mrs. Dalloway
  by Virginia Woolf

Killing Commendatore
  by Haruki Murakami

Mrs. Dalloway

My edition of the book: Penguin Classics, 2019. English

“It is a thousand pities never to say what one feels.”

Mrs. Dalloway, written by Virginia Woolf and released in 1925, tells the story of a post World War 1 London through the eyes of several members of its upper class. The one seemingly standing in the middle is Clarissa Dalloway, wife of Richard Dalloway. She is a lady of 52 years old, living in Westminster who is known by her acquaintances for the parties she throws.

The book doesn't really have a concrete story it is following, but describes multiple events and occurrences from the character's lives. The plot follows other characters besides Clarissa, such as Peter Walsh, Septimus Warren and Lucrezia Smith, Elisabeth Dalloway and Doris Kilman, as they make their way through London. Really, walking seems to be a big part of the novel, as the characters are always in movement.

There are many general topics that this novel tackles, for example the consequences of the European War, such as the trauma it has caused soldiers. This is explored through the character of Septimus Warren Smith, who is a war veteran whose friend (and possibly former lover) was killed on the battlefield.

It also tackles regret through Clarissa and Peter, who used to be and still are friends to this day. Peter wanted to marry Clarissa in his youth but didn't and still regrets that decision three decades later.

There are many things that this book tackles gracefully, even if a lot of it is written in between the lines of sentences that go on for entire paragraphs. This is what personally made the book a difficult read for myself, since it is long and hefty and written in the most confusing rendition of "stream of consciousness" that I have read to this present day.

Final verdict?
Really only read if you have the patience for it. It is certainly beautiful at times, but you need to give it time, which I couldn't because I had to get through with it for uni. I should've taken a friend's advice when she told me to give the book the time it needs. I might've liked it far better if I had, but you can't win them all.

Credit to: Justine Lecouffe, 2018

Killing Commendatore

My edition of the book: Dumont, 2018. Translated into German by Ursula Gräfe.

“There's something about your paintings that strikes the viewer's heart from an unexpected angle. At first they seem like ordinary, typical portraits, but if you look carefully you see something hidden within them.”

Killing Commendatore, part 1, written and published by Haruki Murakami in 2017 in Japan, follows the story of a nameless artist. After six years of marriage, his wife announces to him that she has been cheating on him and wants to divorce him. He doesn't understand where this sentiment comes from and his first instinct is to flee, to get as far away from Tokyo as he possibly can.

After travelling through the country for a while, he decides he has to build his life back up. With the help of a good friend of his, he moves into a small house in the mountains, where he can be on his own and maybe even start over as an artist, not only doing portraits for a living anymore, but maybe also for himself.

The house he is staying in belongs to an old artist and master of Nihonga style paintings, Tomohiko Amada, the father of his friend. While looking around the house, he finds a painting by Amada, titled "Killing Commendatore", which depicts an assassination on an Edo period emperor.

After the protagonist discovers this painting, many more events seem to unfold around him. A strange figure that lives on the same hill as himself requests a portrait of himself through the main character's former agent, there are strange noises that appear in the night and he uncovers more and more about Tomohiko Amada's mysterious past and the connection "Killing Commendatore" might have had to it.

Final verdict?
Yet another wonderful, strange and whimsical Murakami. Checks all the boxes on how intriguing and detailed it is with every part of its story building. Couldn't not recommend this one, as a big fan of almost everything Murakami. 

Credit to: I can't find the actual source of this image. If anyone recognizes it, let me know.

This is the end of this blog for now! Thank you for reading!

Stay tuned, I will make another part for January, when I finish the technically two other books I am reading this month!