Reviews

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

nongshaw's review against another edition

3.0

nah yeah

marrlee713's review against another edition

3.0

Update a decade later: Having read a few other contemporary Japanese novels (1Q84 was my first!!), I now understand that dropping into a story, spending some time with the characters, and then departing their lives, which appear to continue on without an audience (and without the tidy ending to which I have grown accustomed) is a common enough storytelling method, and I’m much more comfortable with it now. I simply dove into the deep end of the pool. Changing my rating accordingly, as it was a richly immersive book that kept me turning hundreds and hundreds of pages.

I'm not quite sure how to feel about this book - while the world Murakami created was engaging and the mystery demanded attention, in the end...I was left underwhelmed. I think Murakami brings this upon himself by repeatedly conjuring the ghosts of Dostoevsky, Chekov and other writers, writers whose works caused me to see the world differently, or to carry their stories around with me long after I finished the story. However, the world of 1Q84 melted away from me—like fog burning off—the moment I finished the last page. The more bizarre or mysterious characters that I wanted to understand, or at least know more about, turn out to be mere plot devices for the more pedestrian main characters. I finished the book thinking, "1000 pages for that?"

jannak's review against another edition

5.0

Normally I save 5-star ratings for beloved books - the ones I want to pick up and re-read over and over again. This was not one of those books. But I'm rating it highly because I rarely find myself as utterly and totally caught up in the world of a book as I did reading this. A NYT book review included the following quote, which describes my own thoughts in a much more coherent fashion: “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.”

auntted's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia

deathbyspreadsheet's review against another edition

3.0

LIKES
- Real-world fantasy storyline
- Interesting characters

DISLIKES
- Constant, needless repetition (repeat this as 2nd and 3rd dislikes for full effect)
- Sluggish plot
- And maybe it's just me, but plot holes. Things that are seemingly important are dropped unresolved. Tenuous, potential connections are never investigated


Honestly, I am extremely disappointed in this book. As a Murakami fan, this was one of the first books that I've ever pre-ordered. I was looking forward to it that much! Sadly, this book would have been much more solid if it had been edited to half its size.

scallen's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

paganhill's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

1Q84 or as I would like to call it, Another Town of Cats. This is a concoction of a mixed-bag. The novel is both compelling and soooo long, imaginative but typical, detailed but says nothing. Maybe the last one is a bit harsh. Its a minimalist’s psychedelic mystery. It has boring, humble maybe, characters that I want to hang out with and tell them how interesting they are. I am pretty sure I enjoyed the novel.
It hook me right away but I never fault that it was important. The novel does do something that turned me off. Later in the story the author justifies what we think is sexual assault on child, till then, in a way that does not work or needed more reaction from the characters when it’s revealed. In Book 3 a new POV character is introduced. The character fails to be interesting enough for the added pages. Most of what this character adds could have been done in other ways with the characters I like, Aomame and Tango.
Hate to say it, especially with the nice interview with the translators at the end of the audiobook I listen to. The choice to make references to artist from Europe and the US so very often pulled me out of the story every time. It wouldn’t have bothered me if Town of Cats wasn’t written by a Swiss guy and the food they eat wasn’t boring food from the US.
It would have.
There are so many odd references. If one character made them and the people around them didn’t understand that would have been great and funny. I can’t recall any humor in this book. Not that the novel was bad for its lack. The references were bad.
Maybe the book is just okay. It’s a melodrama with a happy ending and some other okay shit.

Great narration.

nelsbels's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

On a macro level, this is a wonderful book. In the details? Murakami makes some deeply disturbing choices that make me question what his stances are on age of consent.

jyurinash's review against another edition

Lost interest

ethanzo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 stars. Slight spoiler warning. I would love to never hear or read the words "pubic hair" ever again. So much of this book references genitals, sex, penetration, and bodily fluids that I felt it almost took away from what was a whimsical, mysterious, and beautifully written book. Maybe I'm just a prude, but why do so many of the interactions, observations, and scenes in this book have to revolve around these things? That all being said, I did feel that the book was enjoyable enough, and I felt that the narrative was strong and intriguing. I both loved and hated that the mystery of the book was unsolved in a sense. I was a bit mystified by the ending, and I'm not entirely sure I even understood it after letting it soak in, but I think I'd say I enjoyed it. The plot itself, I have no notes on, I was entranced by the characters and the magic of it all, and I loved seeing how the characters responded to discovering themselves in an alternate reality. There were definitely some... debatable subjects touched on in the book, so definitely go into it if you're sensitive, looking up a trigger warning. I found one scene in particular revolving around a minor a bit disgusting, but the book then clarifies it somewhat, though I still did not enjoy that. Did this need to be 948 pages long? No, most of those pages were long descriptions, random metaphors, and existentialism on the part of the characters. Am I glad I read this book? Yes, I think I may even be a different person after having read it, it had a poetry about it that really resonated with me at times, and really made me appreciate the art form of written and translated literature. The narration was also splendid, and I think each narrator gave an appropriate voice to their character. Overall, I had a decent time with this book, and would suggest picking it up if the synopsis or blurbs regarding it intrigue you.