“Murakami is like a magician who explains what he’s doing as he performs the trick and still makes you believe he has supernatural powers . . . But while anyone can tell a story that resembles a dream, it’s the rare artist, like this one, who can make us feel that we are dreaming it ourselves.” —The New York Times Book Review The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.A young woman named Aomame … 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 Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.
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The author has the power to make the reader want to continue reading. The asides are always interesting. Some are about music, some are about literature, some are just observations. All are thought provoking.
After reading this book, i discovered a nw favorite author. The book is highly original. You never know what will happen next. It is not a thriller, however. It is simply inventive and fabulous.
Incredibly atmospheric, pulls you in…
The surrealism of 1Q84 pulls you in and keeps you engaged until the last page. If you love literature and classical music, you will love all of the references, making the experience even richer.
This was fun! I like Murakami.
The book drags on too long. Don’t know what the plot is. But it does have some good hints about writing and is original.
Carried in & on without much happening, couldn’t finish it.
If you’ve never read anything by Murakami then you should know that he deals with some very strange premises, alternate worlds, talking animals, etc. But for some reason, he’s such a good story teller and writer that it doesn’t seem odd. Read this novel and if you like it, then read everything that Murakami has written. You won’t be disappointed.
This is the first book I have read by Murakami.
I loved it. I listened to much of it via the audiobook on Audible, which was done excellently with collaborating voice actors. If I was only reading the book, without slipping into the audiobook when on the road, I think this may have been more difficult to get through.
Strange. Surreal. Hilarious. Weird sex scenes likely not to be found in other books. Cults. Questioning reality.
The audiobook included an interview with the two translators that worked on 1Q84 english translation. Strangely, one of them worked on the first two parts while the other worked on part three. Both of them worked alone, without collaboration by the sounds of it. Seems fitting for this weird story. I honestly couldn’t tell in the audiobook, but perhaps I would have noticed a slight style difference if I was only reading it myself? Without the assistance of the voice actors persisting across all parts?
Definitely keeping a copy of it on my bookshelf, and I highly recommend the audiobook is one wants to experience another element to the storytelling. I’ve purchased a few of his other books that I’ll need to read through next.
This is probably the best novel that I have read since 2000, I know that it’s been out for a while, but the writing is so precise and the atmosphere so detailed that you are actually in the room with the characters.
This author always blows my mind with his books! They never end quite how I’d like, but the journey is very worth it!
I LOVED this book. Great story filled with surprises. Let go and enjoy the fantasy. Great feminist theme.
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 Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.
It’s Murakami! Something about these characters will stick with you. Has one of the oddest and yet touching love stories I’ve come across.
Haruki Murakami has a style of writing that is so refreshing. He gives unique descriptions that incorporate all of the senses. His characters are all very individual and realistic, although existing in multiple planes. You must read all 3 books in order to complete the story. This was my first experience with this author, but I’m onto my second and third now. He is a great storyteller.
This book is possibly the best book I have read of all times.
Strange, haunting, and a lot of pages (which gives it an edge over Murakami’s other books, which are just as dreamy but shorter). One of those books that jostled something loose in me — I read it on the beach during a vacation, and spent the whole time under a second moon instead of playing in the water with people.
Wow, what a literary feat. This book was all about the journey, and although I’m disappointed with the ending and much left unresolved, the turns taken to get here was still enjoyable. The fluidity of the writing made this engaging, and although it sometimes felt a bit repetitive, I never felt bogged down in minutiae. Glad I finished this, but would not re-read.