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mermerdundun's review against another edition
3.0
I don't understand!
I mean, I do understand this book and what happens in it. Murakami makes sure of that. Almost every chapter includes a recap of the entire story up until that point... kind of like the beginning of a television show? Where they show the important scenes from last season/episode/whatever that will come into play later on? Just like that.
Each and every character thinks in this super-plodding, logical manner. It would be an interesting dimension to explore in one character. But they all sit down and ask themselves questions and figure out an answer. Just by thinking really hard! Twice, two different characters were like "where have I heard this person/neighborhood name?" and then just magically remember! Amazing!!!! There are also times when the bad guys explain things LIKE THE MOVIES.
So, because everyone is so damn logical, there is nothing that is left unexplained in this book. However, the fantastical elements seemed to be flattened by this over-explanation. Murakami may be detailing his own thought process when he discusses Tengo's writing of Air Chrysalis... since the world Tengo was describing was so different, his editor tells him to be as clear as possible. And that's exactly what Murakami does. Explains all.
The thing that keeps you going is the suspense Murakami builds up, almost solely by switching back and forth from different characters and reversing time to see the situation/time frame from each point of view (unfortunately, I'm making this sound way cooler than it actually was.)
Here's some quotes! Are they good... or bad????
"He decided instead to imagine Sonny and Cher becoming good friends with the python pair on the ark. It was an utterly pointless thing to imagine, but at least it enabled him to relax the tension in his body."
"He thought again of the socializing between Sonny and Cher and the two pythons. Would they have anything to talk about? And if so, what could it be?"
Murakami mentions Sonny and Cher a few times in a couple chapters and then they disappear. I know, sad!
And now, metaphors. Wait, similes? Or, both?! Uh-oh! Send me back to grade school! Send me to cram school!
"If his erection had been a movie, it would have been low budget, straight to video. Not an erection even worth discussing. Most likely." OK! Assignment is to work this into real conversation. Preferably with an actual erection in the room.
"... he was as inconspicuous as a centipede in a cup of yogurt." Never eating yogurt again!
"A long silence descended. Long enough to walk to the end of a long, narrow room, look something up in a dictionary, and walk back." Props for making this sentence reflect how long this time is!
"'Hello,'" Tengo said, his voice still slurry from sleep. It was like his head was filled with frozen lettuce. There must be some people who know you're not supposed to freeze lettuce." But not me! I like to make lettuce smoothies and replaces your brains with them.
And finally, here is a piece of dialogue. Dialogue that came out of someone's mouth, when they were speaking to another person:
"'And money became a factor, too, as things developed. It's very hard for a mere company employee to pay alimony and child support, isn't it? And you brought Tengo Kawana- an aspiring novelist and cram school instructor who didn't know anything about the circumstances- into the mix. The plan itself was smart, but your choice of the novel and the writer? Not so much. And things got more complicated than you imagined. You were like ordinary citizens who had wandered across the front lines and stepped into a minefield. You can't go forward and you can't go back. Am I correct in this?'"
Surprisingly, this is not punctuated with a loud MU-WAH-HA-HA, nor does that character rub an evil looking cat with his bionic hand. So Murakami did surprise me then!!!!
So I don't get it. This book is long but not dense and captivating but doesn't pay off. AT ALL. UGH. But this would make a great movie starring Angelina Jolie.
I mean, I do understand this book and what happens in it. Murakami makes sure of that. Almost every chapter includes a recap of the entire story up until that point... kind of like the beginning of a television show? Where they show the important scenes from last season/episode/whatever that will come into play later on? Just like that.
Each and every character thinks in this super-plodding, logical manner. It would be an interesting dimension to explore in one character. But they all sit down and ask themselves questions and figure out an answer. Just by thinking really hard! Twice, two different characters were like "where have I heard this person/neighborhood name?" and then just magically remember! Amazing!!!! There are also times when the bad guys explain things LIKE THE MOVIES.
So, because everyone is so damn logical, there is nothing that is left unexplained in this book. However, the fantastical elements seemed to be flattened by this over-explanation. Murakami may be detailing his own thought process when he discusses Tengo's writing of Air Chrysalis... since the world Tengo was describing was so different, his editor tells him to be as clear as possible. And that's exactly what Murakami does. Explains all.
The thing that keeps you going is the suspense Murakami builds up, almost solely by switching back and forth from different characters and reversing time to see the situation/time frame from each point of view (unfortunately, I'm making this sound way cooler than it actually was.)
Here's some quotes! Are they good... or bad????
"He decided instead to imagine Sonny and Cher becoming good friends with the python pair on the ark. It was an utterly pointless thing to imagine, but at least it enabled him to relax the tension in his body."
"He thought again of the socializing between Sonny and Cher and the two pythons. Would they have anything to talk about? And if so, what could it be?"
Murakami mentions Sonny and Cher a few times in a couple chapters and then they disappear. I know, sad!
And now, metaphors. Wait, similes? Or, both?! Uh-oh! Send me back to grade school! Send me to cram school!
"If his erection had been a movie, it would have been low budget, straight to video. Not an erection even worth discussing. Most likely." OK! Assignment is to work this into real conversation. Preferably with an actual erection in the room.
"... he was as inconspicuous as a centipede in a cup of yogurt." Never eating yogurt again!
"A long silence descended. Long enough to walk to the end of a long, narrow room, look something up in a dictionary, and walk back." Props for making this sentence reflect how long this time is!
"'Hello,'" Tengo said, his voice still slurry from sleep. It was like his head was filled with frozen lettuce. There must be some people who know you're not supposed to freeze lettuce." But not me! I like to make lettuce smoothies and replaces your brains with them.
And finally, here is a piece of dialogue. Dialogue that came out of someone's mouth, when they were speaking to another person:
"'And money became a factor, too, as things developed. It's very hard for a mere company employee to pay alimony and child support, isn't it? And you brought Tengo Kawana- an aspiring novelist and cram school instructor who didn't know anything about the circumstances- into the mix. The plan itself was smart, but your choice of the novel and the writer? Not so much. And things got more complicated than you imagined. You were like ordinary citizens who had wandered across the front lines and stepped into a minefield. You can't go forward and you can't go back. Am I correct in this?'"
Surprisingly, this is not punctuated with a loud MU-WAH-HA-HA, nor does that character rub an evil looking cat with his bionic hand. So Murakami did surprise me then!!!!
So I don't get it. This book is long but not dense and captivating but doesn't pay off. AT ALL. UGH. But this would make a great movie starring Angelina Jolie.
drchanequa's review against another edition
4.0
Finishing this tome may turn out to be one of my greatest achievements of the year. At over 1100 pages, Murakami’s book is no easy feat. I had to check it out from my library five times to get it done! But the fact that I did is a good indication that I found the story compelling enough to want to finish it. It’s beautifully written. In a strange way, the ending is both satisfying and leaves a lot of questions to be answered (which feels intentional on the author’s part). It was my first book by Murakami, but it won’t be my last.
gregory_sven's review against another edition
5.0
I'm writing this review quite retroactively--as I finished reading this novel over a year ago. While the sharpness of the plot lines have dulled considerably in this time, I find it remarkable how much of Murakami's tale still occupies space and relevance in my brain. This work was gripping, and romantic, and challenging and confusing and rewarding to finish...far beyond the page count. It was also incredibly unique. This, I attribute at least in part, to the fact that it was the first book by Murakami that I have read.
While reading, I got lost in the world of 1Q84 in such a way that I could put it down for a week, come back to it and become completely and easily engrossed again in the bizarre landscape that Murakami dreamed up. His characters are incredibly developed and the tale had such subtle mysticism at times that its absurdity was not distracting.
Reading 1Q84 was definitely a commitment, but was also well worth it to get temporarily lost in Murakami's world.
While reading, I got lost in the world of 1Q84 in such a way that I could put it down for a week, come back to it and become completely and easily engrossed again in the bizarre landscape that Murakami dreamed up. His characters are incredibly developed and the tale had such subtle mysticism at times that its absurdity was not distracting.
Reading 1Q84 was definitely a commitment, but was also well worth it to get temporarily lost in Murakami's world.
pris_asagiri's review against another edition
4.0
It's been a long time since I've picked up a book that grabbed my attention from the very beginning. But I could not put this book down. I felt compelled to turn the page and continue. I needed to know what was going to happen? Who were these people? What was the Air Chrysalis? Would Aomame and Tengo reunite? And as each book ended, I was strangely satisfied by what I had read and yet eager to begin the next chapter. A complex tale that weaves symbolism and mysticism and faith (more personal, less religious) into what essentially is an epic love story.
Parallel worlds. Strange Little People. Dohta. Massa. Two Moons. Some readers may argue this is typical Murakami magical realism with a sci-fi twist. But I argue that it's not. I certainly am no Murakami expert. I've only read a couple of his other works and none of his other novels. But the books I have read, and what I've read about him, have always made me feel that his work is essentially Japanese--in its style and content. But 1Q84, one could easily replace Toyko with London or New York or Bombay. While the story took place in Japan, the characters and the plot could have happened anywhere, to anyone. And this is where I think Murakami has crossed the line from being a "Japanese" writer to the proclaimed "world" writer. And I think he's a stronger writer for it. To be able to tell a universally identifiable story that still retains elements of who he is as an author is a talent that he is honing to a fine precision.
The only reason this is a 4 star and not a 5 star rating is that, for me, Book 2 felt at times bit too fixated. Perhaps I am getting prudish in my old age (although I don't think so), but I felt there was a redundancy in the amount of sexual descriptions in this second book. Overall, there was relevancy in what was described and the situations created. And I'm not saying it shouldn't have been in the book at all. Perhaps it was the translation (and not so much the translator's fault, but simply English itself couldn't capture what is readily understood in Japanese)? But it felt like too often certain descriptions and passages were being repeated word-for-word. And because of that, I found it distracting to the overall story. But this is such a minor complaint and doesn't take away from the book as whole in the least bit.
For my first Murakami novel, it was a fantastic experience.
Parallel worlds. Strange Little People. Dohta. Massa. Two Moons. Some readers may argue this is typical Murakami magical realism with a sci-fi twist. But I argue that it's not. I certainly am no Murakami expert. I've only read a couple of his other works and none of his other novels. But the books I have read, and what I've read about him, have always made me feel that his work is essentially Japanese--in its style and content. But 1Q84, one could easily replace Toyko with London or New York or Bombay. While the story took place in Japan, the characters and the plot could have happened anywhere, to anyone. And this is where I think Murakami has crossed the line from being a "Japanese" writer to the proclaimed "world" writer. And I think he's a stronger writer for it. To be able to tell a universally identifiable story that still retains elements of who he is as an author is a talent that he is honing to a fine precision.
The only reason this is a 4 star and not a 5 star rating is that, for me, Book 2 felt at times bit too fixated. Perhaps I am getting prudish in my old age (although I don't think so), but I felt there was a redundancy in the amount of sexual descriptions in this second book. Overall, there was relevancy in what was described and the situations created. And I'm not saying it shouldn't have been in the book at all. Perhaps it was the translation (and not so much the translator's fault, but simply English itself couldn't capture what is readily understood in Japanese)? But it felt like too often certain descriptions and passages were being repeated word-for-word. And because of that, I found it distracting to the overall story. But this is such a minor complaint and doesn't take away from the book as whole in the least bit.
For my first Murakami novel, it was a fantastic experience.
deaththewaifureads's review against another edition
4.0
Murakami always shines
If you don't like densely filled books don't read this. I enjoyed it but I also love murakami. I'm not a big science fiction person or fantasy but I've always loved his books
If you don't like densely filled books don't read this. I enjoyed it but I also love murakami. I'm not a big science fiction person or fantasy but I've always loved his books
jljh's review against another edition
4.0
Okay so I am still not sure exactly what happened here but I mostly enjoyed this. Or enjoyed Aomame and Tengo enough to read to the end.
amrahne's review against another edition
1.0
I could not finish this book. The story was a little bit interesting but not enough to make me slog through an extra 800 pages of descriptions of rooms and repetitive thoughts and descriptions of the subjects. The subjects were not people I could care about. If Murakumi had condensed the story into 400 pages, it probably would have a pretty good read. I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of people love it because it was reviewed as an intellectual masterpiece. It was a snooze-fest.
ptalenetxwa's review against another edition
4.0
This book was very Japanese. The story was mystical and magical and didn't make much sense, but the Boy and the Girl ended up together in the end, which is how it's supposed to be, am I right?