Audition

From what I listened to, the story itself seemed decently written, besides the over-explaining of Yoshikawa's plan to help Aoyama get a wife. But I want to write this review to let possible buyers know that the story features animal cruelty. A dog is killed (poor Gangsta) by the antagonist and I want to warn those who, like myself, are bothered by that kind of subject matter. If you think you can handle it, the audiobook is a nice listen, but I'm not comfortable listening any further now that I know about the dog. I'm going to give it three stars because I don't want to be unfair to the work just because I am sensitive to a particular moment.

There's a lot to like about Ryu Muramaki's Audition. It's a fast-paced and quick read one can easily finish in a single sitting and it manages to capture one of the enduring human mysteries--that of what it means to actually know another person--in horrifying fashion. However, while I expected a novel of building tension and terror, what I actually found it to be is something at once more horrifying as an idea and less satisfying as a novel.[Note: This paragraph contains minor spoilers.] The bulk of the novel reads very much like a romance novel. It's the story of a man falling in love with a mysterious woman, and it proceeds about as one would expect. It's only in the last few pages that things take a sudden turn toward the dark and terrifying when he realizes she's not the person he thought she was. While I'll not spoil exactly what happens, this sharp turn at the novel's finale is rather terrifying in its implications regarding the unexpected turns almost any human relationship could take. However, knowing that this is a horror novel in advance takes some of the air out of that revelation because the reader is constantly expecting that turn and is increasingly confused by the fact that the earlier majority of the novel barely even hints at this final destination.Ultimately I found it worth reading despite its flaws, though largely because it's short enough to read in a single sitting.

I had high expectations for this book but... I have sadly been let down..I was excited too read this and then watch the movie. The movie is on all the best horror lists and the book was also listed on many... But it was mainly a boring read mostly about business, day dreaming & Japan locations...I read it for the horror aspect which didn't really show up till pg169 out of 190 ... Plus i had a problem with the issue that the author didn't take the time to describe the situations well enough so he had to go back and tell you what/why the characters did/ didn't do things when it should have been an understood thing to begin with... There are no plot twists, no suspense, no horror, no anything that this book had promised... Some gore at the end but at animal cruelty I draw the line... even though I am a huge horror fan and watch and read it all the time I still stand by animal cruelty and child porn/torture not being ok even though the later was not involved in this book. So for the the gore it wasn't anything to bad at all not over the top for me just done in a unnecessary way. There was so many other things that could have been done to the man and son that would have made the horror... Even the ending of the book was a let down... You wait and wait and think since you waited so long that the ending must be this awesome dramatic... why else would it be taken till the very end... but no... read the reviews or the synopsis and you will know pretty much the who story ...Not sure how I feel about seeing the movie now... Sooner or later im sure I will... As long as there isn't any dog torture...

The book takes a while to turn into horror, but it's rife with unsettling moments that make you question the characters.

If you've seen the movie, you basically know what you're getting into: most of the book is about a kind of cute budding relationship between a businessman and a girl he meets at an audition set up by a friend, followed at the very end by an explosion of violence. While the specifics are different, the heart of the story is the same. The romance makes the contrasting violence so much worse.WARNING: there is one extremely graphic and extended scene featuring the worst animal cruelty I've seen in print since American Psycho.

I read this book in a couple days and enjoyed it very much. The big problem is that it's almost impossible to not compare it to the movie. You definitely get to explore the main character's experience and mind much more in the book but the movie really explores additional aspects of Asami's life that are compelling in that sick way. Lastly, I was really disappointed in how the book ties up and communicates Asami's motivations. Overall I had a good time but this is one of the *few* occasions where the movie is better than the book. I'd recommend it to people who have never seen the movie or fans of Ryu Murakami.

I loved this movie so much I bought the book and was NOT disappointed! The book is very good at building to the climax! I would def read this before you watch the movie . The movie has a bunch of dream sequences where as the book has none and is easier to figure out what is going on. Def a must buy. It is a little slow but The main characters are so well devoloped that you can't put the book down! I read it in 2 days. And the ending is epic! If you buy this book I promise you will buy the movie because it is soooo good! A great read if you love the Asian horror.

The idea of the story was quite interesting and catchy. A well respected well off man falls head over heels in love with a beautiful woman with a checkered past and although those closest to him warn him that something is not right he is too far gone to listen to anything anyone has to say. The concept sounds great and the book itself is well written the only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because of the ending. I felt as though the ending was rushed and not well explained. There were way too many things that were left to the readers imagination and while that might be a good thing in most cases I would have liked the author to provide more details at the end. Over all not a bad book just a weak ending.

I am a huge fan of Japanese fiction. I love how these authors have perfected magical realism and enriched the book form. I was however unmoved, disappointed by this book though. The story was great but it seemed like the author had the idea to write a horror story. The story I felt broke down two thirds through. Significant for a short book. It went from an enjoyable story to unreadable nightmare very quickly. I will btry reading more from the author someday.

Audition es una de las películas más aclamadas del cine japonés y dado que no la he visto, decidí leer primero el libro en el que está basada.El libro arranca con una premisa simple; un hombre viudo que desea casarse de nuevo y para encontrar a la mujer indicada decide hacer una audición para una película ficticia.La historia arranca bien y lleva buen ritmo. Los personajes están bien escritos y son simpáticos, sin embargo se va avanzando en la historia y no se siente mucho avance hasta la últimas páginas donde sentí que todo se apresura al desenlace.Me gustó el libro y es ameno sólo me hubiera gustado que este se fuera con más calma al final.

"Quem vê cara não vê coração." Essa máxima é puro clichê. Mas acontece que, muitas vezes, a vida é isso mesmo, uma sequência de clichês, toscos e grotescos. Então quando um artista transforma o clichê em algo mais, ficamos, no mínimo, intrigados.O escritor japonês Ryu Murakami (que não tem qualquer parentesco com o conterrâneo mais famoso Haruki Murakami) investe em sua literatura no que há de sombrio sob a superfície civilizada da sociedade. Ele se interessa em expor os monstros que nós mesmos criamos.Em Audition, acompanhamos a estória de Aoyama, um tranquilo viúvo de meia-idade, dono de uma produtora de vídeo. Ele decide se casar pela segunda vez, incentivado pelo filho adolescente, Shige. Como ele não tem mais paciência para namorar, concorda em ser cúmplice do amigo Yoshikawa numa ideia maluca: entrevistar candidatas à noiva por meio de uma seleção falsa para um filme.Depois de analisar pessoalmente vários perfis de mulheres, ele se encanta pela tímida e jovem, Yamasaki. Para Aoyama, ela é tudo que um homem como ele procura como segunda esposa: ela é bonita, elegante, comedida, delicada, inteligente... e ex-bailarina.O amigo Yoshikawa, um cara despachado e vivido, não gosta dela. Acha Yamasaki uma garota estranha. Mas Ayoama não quer saber, e mesmo contra sua própria intuição, decide entrar de cabeça num compromisso cheio de respeito e expectativa.A partir daí, sua vida na surperfície se torna um sonho, mas, sob esse verniz de normalidade, esconde-se um pesadelo cada vez mais aterrador à medida que a relação dos dois se aprofunda.É um livro curto, praticamente uma novela, com um prosa bem direta, em 3ª pessoa. O ponto de vista de Aoyama é dominante. É por meio de suas ações e pensamentos que sabemos como são os outros personagens, como é o mundo à sua volta.Temos aqui a visão do homem de meia-idade japonês. Apesar de sua retidão de caráter e até ternura, em relação às mulheres, Ayoama não pensa muito diferente do homem médio japonês, que possui uma relação mal resolvida com o sexo oposto. Homens de outras culturas acabam, muitas vezes, externando esse problema com violência, em discussões, espancamentos e mortes. Na cultura japonesa, em geral, o homem procura resolver isso de maneira mais discreta, transformando a mulher em objeto, para dominá-la, secretamente.Ryu Murakami transformou a traumática relação do homem japonês com as mulheres numa história de terror com uma tensão crescente até o clímax chocante.A personagem de Yamasaki é a maior escorregada do livro, por ser bidimensional demais para nos importarmos com ela.Em 1999, foi lançado um filme que virou cult. Ele é bom justamente por não ser tão fiel ao livro. A essência está lá. Mas pequenas mudanças tornaram a história ainda mais assustadora.No filme, também acompanhamos a trama pelos olhos da ora doce, ora macabra Yamasaki. O livro ganha no melhor desenvolvimento dos personagens ao redor de Ayoama, o filho, o amigo, a dona de um bar. O filme ganha em seu terceiro ato, que soube intensificar ainda mais uma sequência que já era perturbadora no papel.

Mi compra llegó en buen estado y muy rápido. Proveedor 100% recomendado.

A slow start, but a must read for genre fans