It feels strange to give Murakami anything less than five stars, but even he has said that his first two novels weren't his best by any means. I think I enjoyed Hear the Wind Sing more, but they're very similar, even featuring the same characters, mostly. I think the joy in reading the two comes more from reading lyrical prose, writing that's enjoyable in and of itself without any need for a story because neither of the books has any type of cohesive story. They have great moments and beautiful words, but nothing sticks together very well. That isn't to say that they aren't great books because even four stars is a great book. They just aren't as Murakami-level as his later stuff.

Still top notch.