1Q84 (Vintage International)
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A tremendous accomplishment. It does every last blessed thing a masterpiece is supposed to—and a few things we never even knew to expect.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Brilliant . . . an irresistibly engaging literary fantasy.”—The Washington Post
The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.
A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.
As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.
A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s—1Q84 is a striking feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.
“Brilliant . . . an irresistibly engaging literary fantasy.”—The Washington Post
The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.
A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.
As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.
A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s—1Q84 is a striking feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.
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Community Reviews
I really don't know if I am going to review this book just here and now.
This is my first of any Murakami works and though I did find it monotonous, repetitive at times, I ended up wanting more of what and how these principal characters were playing in my mind's eye.
What I do want to say, first of all, is that it made me want more... and I firmly feel I am going to read more, much more by the author. The ending of the book was a bit abrupt for me and certain plot references in the first half of the book seemed contrived and intentional as far as the lives of the characters double up... or the way these lives are introduced to the foreign reader. But there are a few things that must be given a mention in my view. In the end, you feel you have acquainted yourself with the character mentality thoroughly and it seems you know them, met them and started following up there lives somewhere. This is made possible for the expansive dimensional space Murakami chooses to exert over the reader.. It goes bit by bit and this presumably threefold space sort of sucks the reader into the world of 1Q84.
I found some of the literary references concise and well placed...
Apart from Aomame and Tengo, I could really feel Ushikawa develops into a full blood and bones character. His and Tamaru's interaction, for me, is one highlight of the book.
I feel like writing more on this book... just as I have stated that it makes me read more by Murakami. The possibility of story-telling manifests pretty crisply through this book, and though I don't find it a great book I'd say you cannot put down or ignore the parallel magical world witnessed so.
This is my first of any Murakami works and though I did find it monotonous, repetitive at times, I ended up wanting more of what and how these principal characters were playing in my mind's eye.
What I do want to say, first of all, is that it made me want more... and I firmly feel I am going to read more, much more by the author. The ending of the book was a bit abrupt for me and certain plot references in the first half of the book seemed contrived and intentional as far as the lives of the characters double up... or the way these lives are introduced to the foreign reader. But there are a few things that must be given a mention in my view. In the end, you feel you have acquainted yourself with the character mentality thoroughly and it seems you know them, met them and started following up there lives somewhere. This is made possible for the expansive dimensional space Murakami chooses to exert over the reader.. It goes bit by bit and this presumably threefold space sort of sucks the reader into the world of 1Q84.
I found some of the literary references concise and well placed...
Apart from Aomame and Tengo, I could really feel Ushikawa develops into a full blood and bones character. His and Tamaru's interaction, for me, is one highlight of the book.
I feel like writing more on this book... just as I have stated that it makes me read more by Murakami. The possibility of story-telling manifests pretty crisply through this book, and though I don't find it a great book I'd say you cannot put down or ignore the parallel magical world witnessed so.
If you know Murakami, you know this gets weird. I couldn't put it down and I make it a point to read it once a year it seems. Fantastic stuff.
âIf you canât understand it without an explanation, you canât understand it with an explanation.â â Tengoâs Father
I feel like that was Murakamiâs justification for his whole story, haha!
Okay I agree this book doesnât really âmake senseâ or have a clear meaning, but Iâm just going to rate it on how much I enjoyed it. And I enjoyed it a lot.
I find that whenever I read Murakami, I have to take my time and savor it. Unlike some others, I didnât find that the book was ever boring or slow. It didnât feel like a âlong book.â I kept wanting to read ahead, and not just to find out what happens, but just to experience whatâs happening.
I think some people who disliked this book because it didnât explain enough are probably just experiencing cultural differences. I remember someone saying once that while American films are usually about a character going for a goal, encountering obstacles, and then achieving their goal, Japanese films often have a less clear cut plot. Think of My Neighbor Totoro for example. Nothing really happens, much is left unexplained, yet so many like that film. Why? I donât know, but I do too.
This review is really more for my future self than for others. If you want to know if you would like the book, just try reading it.
I feel like that was Murakamiâs justification for his whole story, haha!
Okay I agree this book doesnât really âmake senseâ or have a clear meaning, but Iâm just going to rate it on how much I enjoyed it. And I enjoyed it a lot.
I find that whenever I read Murakami, I have to take my time and savor it. Unlike some others, I didnât find that the book was ever boring or slow. It didnât feel like a âlong book.â I kept wanting to read ahead, and not just to find out what happens, but just to experience whatâs happening.
I think some people who disliked this book because it didnât explain enough are probably just experiencing cultural differences. I remember someone saying once that while American films are usually about a character going for a goal, encountering obstacles, and then achieving their goal, Japanese films often have a less clear cut plot. Think of My Neighbor Totoro for example. Nothing really happens, much is left unexplained, yet so many like that film. Why? I donât know, but I do too.
This review is really more for my future self than for others. If you want to know if you would like the book, just try reading it.
Long! But totally worth it, really makes you rethink the term “slow burn”. Emotional and deep, take your time reading it.
The way this book is written has a lot to do with why I rated it high. I really enjoyed the alternating chapters and the way in which the story unfolds. I can honestly say it maintained my interest despite it being quite lengthy.
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