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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
(2014) In my opinion, this book was about hardships in communication. This hardship is something that's bothered my mind for quite some time. People cannot understand each other fully no matter how much they try. Because in the end we're all prisoners in our own flesh. We can't ever get out(I don't know about death and what happens afterwards. There's no way you can know for sure. But I strongly suspect that no matter what awaits us on the other side, whether it's nothing or a whole different world, this hardship cannot be solved. At least not that easily). I enjoyed this book with some pain and a wish to finally someday see all the obstacles of pure and complete communication and understanding removed.
A book about mainly two people in their thirties both unknowingly in love with each other for the past twenty years. Aomame a young who works for a wealthy older woman, the Dowager. She is a hired assassin by the Dowager. Aomame is usually ordered to kill men who are extreme abusers. Those who should no longer exist in this world or any other.
At the same time there is also a man of the same age named Tengo. Tengo is known as a math prodigy, but his real passion is writing. He has never been able to publish his own. One day after reviewing a piece of literature for a contest he contacts Komatsu, a close friend and editor. The story is rooted in a world of fantasy yet there's a slight horror behind it. It's written fairly poorly, so they make up a plan to rewrite it. Tengo the ghost writer while the original writer Fuka-Eri will be the name and the face.
The story will continue on with both characters finding themselves in a predicament all surrounding a religious group. The story that Tengo is writing let's out secrets of their religion. It tells the every day person about what is called "little people" these people originally come out of a blind goats mouth and they grow now more than a meter and no less than an inch. The spread of their existence pushes them to stop interacting with the religion as much.
While as the books is flourishing and Tengo has yet to surmise the problem him and Fuka-Eri have created a girl is found brutally assaulted. So the Dowager and Aomame create a plan where Aomame will kill the leader of the religion believing he's the one who hurt the girl. The death of the leader would thankfully pull attention away from Tengo but put a target on her back where she must be hidden.
It ends after being watched and hiding both Tengo and Aomame meet once again after the twenty years confessing their love and finding a way to escape the world and the problems they've gotten themsbes into.
All in all the book was decent it has a fantasy point to it with the little people, and a few other points, but it's not shown a lot and it's up to you to learn what it means. The story at some points were lackluster and repetitive. There was a lot of over sexualization in the book that most likely could have been avoided. I would suggest reading only if you can handle something breathy that goes through twist and turns at random points. The multiple perspectives probably really helped develop the story and fill in the gaps of the characters so I will say that is well written.
At the same time there is also a man of the same age named Tengo. Tengo is known as a math prodigy, but his real passion is writing. He has never been able to publish his own. One day after reviewing a piece of literature for a contest he contacts Komatsu, a close friend and editor. The story is rooted in a world of fantasy yet there's a slight horror behind it. It's written fairly poorly, so they make up a plan to rewrite it. Tengo the ghost writer while the original writer Fuka-Eri will be the name and the face.
The story will continue on with both characters finding themselves in a predicament all surrounding a religious group. The story that Tengo is writing let's out secrets of their religion. It tells the every day person about what is called "little people" these people originally come out of a blind goats mouth and they grow now more than a meter and no less than an inch. The spread of their existence pushes them to stop interacting with the religion as much.
While as the books is flourishing and Tengo has yet to surmise the problem him and Fuka-Eri have created a girl is found brutally assaulted. So the Dowager and Aomame create a plan where Aomame will kill the leader of the religion believing he's the one who hurt the girl. The death of the leader would thankfully pull attention away from Tengo but put a target on her back where she must be hidden.
It ends after being watched and hiding both Tengo and Aomame meet once again after the twenty years confessing their love and finding a way to escape the world and the problems they've gotten themsbes into.
All in all the book was decent it has a fantasy point to it with the little people, and a few other points, but it's not shown a lot and it's up to you to learn what it means. The story at some points were lackluster and repetitive. There was a lot of over sexualization in the book that most likely could have been avoided. I would suggest reading only if you can handle something breathy that goes through twist and turns at random points. The multiple perspectives probably really helped develop the story and fill in the gaps of the characters so I will say that is well written.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
An absorbing, unique modern fantasy. I have to agree with those who complain about how it can be repetitive (and its such a long book that any cuts would be welcome). I also wasn't 100% satisfied with the ending--I thought it left some loose ends and unanswered questions. But the positive far outweighs the negative. And maybe the slow paced sections are part of what makes it so special: the reader has to take his time and get lost in the world of 1Q84.
Murakami weaves a fabulous story in IQ84. As always, however, his pristine and exacting skill with the pen is marred by his insistence on mistreating the women he writes so beautifully. The masterfully constructed narrative is marred by Murakami just, like, being a creep. Why the underage sex? Why did so many women have to die violently? Why build up such a promising, interesting female character only to hitch her entire narrative to men and what men do? Male fantasies, male fantasies. I'm sick of men writing women for garbage and the male gaze. The cooking scenes are nice and I always appreciate the dissociative charm Murakami brings to the table. But I really don't give a shit about his weird ear kink or creepy underage-girl fetish.
Plus - why, after writing like the longest novel ever, with plenty of room for explanation, end it without tying up literally any loose ends? I understand leaving stuff to mystery; but it's not something I'm into. At a certain point it just feels neglectful. I'm sure I'm not alone in being frustrated about it, although I'm also sure a lot of people enjoy the mystery. Whatever. I did really like the two characters in this book, Tengo and Aomame. And of course, Murakami's ability to set a scene left me bewitched and feeling like I was really inside the book, in the world of IQ84. But the novel is too long and the payoff isn't worth it. Plus all the sexist stuff peppered in completely turned my stomach.
Yes, I finished the book, all thousand-odd pages. No, I would not recommend it.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Murder
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Murakami explores loneliness and societal drift in this 1000 pg opus. He skewers the effect of religion and what it normalizes, power structures that are still inherent to it, and how in some societal areas, the replacement of religion with work and capitalism has not yielded any better results.
At times this book teeters on a knife edge driving forward and at times it drives into boredom. Murakami does both of these things purposefully and with skill.
Unfortunately some of his bad habits around sex, and women are on full display and even heightened here, and his interest in condemning abusers doesn't do enough to offset any of that weirdness. If you can abide and look past those weird spells, there is something majestic here but if those moments will throw you, stay clear.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion, Suicide attempt
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No