desertcart.com: 1Q84 (Vintage International): 9780307476463: Haruki Murakami, Jay Rubin, Philip Gabriel: Books Review: Fantasy and enlightenment - Caution: story spoilers in review Okay, I have read a few of the reviews for this book, 1Q84 and find them interesting and thought provoking. While reading this book, I kept thinking, "The style of this author reminds me of another book I read." Yes, "The Wind-up Bird Chronicle" was the book that kept creeping into my memory. Until the dots connected, I thought that maybe this was the way all great Japanese literature is written. So what made me love this novel so much? Well first of all, I love unique story lines that push limits. Secondly, stories written by authors outside of the US that portray life outside the US (even mundane life) fascinate me. Third, Murikama's writing style is captivating. Finally, while reading this book, I kept wanting to get back to the book in place of working, socializing, exercising, and essentially trying to live life outside of the novel. Hmmm, I think the term is hyper-focus. I was hyper-focused on this book. Now add that to the fact that the book is still sticking with me as I ponder loose ends of the story and the story in general. Parts of the book kept exiting and appearing in my life at weird times and strange ways. Emails with subject line of "little people" that dealt with marketing aspects of my job. A dog hair ball floating around my house that looked like air chrysalis. While reading this book, I found myself interfacing with people talking cryptically like Fukaeri. I was actually waiting for a NHK worker to knock on my door. LOL Yes, parts of this book drag. As a reader you have the power to scan those pages. Yes this book seems long and I felt as reading it that this book would make a great series/trilogy. After reading this book, I feel the author could follow Tengo and Aomame in the new dimension they are in....surely this is not the original dimension they are from since the Esso tiger was located on the wrong side of the sign. Yes, the author does focus on the mundane--such as cooking specifics, menial conversations and boring day-to-day activities but I found that enlightening about life in Japan on a daily basis. To me how people around the world live their life is fascinating. Yes, the main characters are flat. However I loved this and thought that the author planned this to demonstrate that the average Joe is flat. I wish I could say that if someone invented me in a novel that I would be fascinating and dynamic but in reality the average person is simply just an average person. Boring, with redemptive qualities. Fantasy--I love how the author presented a fantasy situation in another dimension. The little people fascinated me. I wanted to know more about them but the author wasn't going to share everything. I am still not clear about why Komatsu's hair was used in the chrysalis at the end of the book. Is this fodder for the next book? Sex is huge in this book and I feel that it is well-written while pushing limits. Both Aomame and Tengo engaged in what many would call unsafe sex: sex with a married woman and in Aomame's case sex with strange men she picks up. I think this is essential to the plot because they are each comfortable with their sexual choices and it never crosses their minds that what they are doing is inappropriate. Once their characters develop in the book and their final goal to find each other becomes apparent do these two leave their unsafe sexual practices. This book reminded me of an American novel I read long ago and loved, "Winter's Tale" by Mark Helprin. Out-of-box fantasy that keeps you riveted as you absorb as much as you can as you read leaving you to mourn the end of the book with thoughts and memories that keep returning to remind you of visiting this special place. Review: It's Not the Destination; It's the Ride - Upfront caveats: 1. I did not know who Murakami was prior to selecting this book from desertcart's best of the month list and then reading of his oeuvre. 2. Its surprising that I elected to read it after reading "about" it. My reading preferences trend toward densely detailed non-fiction (think Robert Caro and Doris Goodwin Kearns) or complex, intensely human and often "spiritual" fiction (think Dostoevsky or Marilyn Robinson). I do not generally enjoy science fiction or fantasy works. That said, and to my surprise, I really did enjoy this book. It is not a great "novel" and I am not sure it can even be characterized as a novel, unless its unique style results in a redefinition of the genre. What it is is a great story, thematically thin and deceptively simple in its telling, yet compelling in its hold on the reader. In fact, a better word than compelling would be "propelling". The short chapters made of short paragraphs, that alternate between the destined-to-intersect worlds of the two protagonists, and a third Colombo type investigator, move swiftly and purposefully carrying along the reader like a passenger on a steadily moving train on an express route free of stops or stations to pause or ponder along the way. It doesn't matter that its obvious from the very beginning that the story's denouement will be the union of the two detached and lonesome lovers. In this case, it's not the destination, it's the ride. I'll not dwell on the plot elements. If you've read the reviews you know they involve a detour into a parallel world where the main characters' lives are seemingly being controlled at first by human outside forces of cults and ideologies and then by seemingly super-natural ones evidenced by night time visits by Little People and a sky with two moons. Ultimately the story is a love story that involves two loners destined to be united, after, and by, surviving forces of apparent good and evil that turn out to be ambiguously neither. In that sense,it seems, their story is everyman's. Murakami is a great maker of moods. The first chapter had such a wonderfully mysterious quality to it that I was more than a little let down as the more mundane elements of Book One unfolded. I felt then that the book was a lot more "ordinary" than its beginning suggested. But as the story progressed, the air of mystery returned to color the seemingly more mundane events and ultimately to create a rich and sustained sense of other-worldliness. At times, the book seems to border on pulp fiction, particularly when describing the protagonists' kinky or casual sexual encounters and escapades. I suppose the point of these seemingly superfluous curiously unerotic episodes was to depict how actually loveless were the solitary lives of Tengo and Aomeme before their childhood memories of each other were reawakended from the past due to external forces in their newly shared "other" world. In that sense, I suppose, the sex was like exercise and eating, a necessary physical ritual in their respective work a days lives that was scheduled in on a regular basis, but really not anchored to anything permanent or fulfilling in the deliberately then "single" lives of Tengo and Aomeme. Aside from those odd interludes, and maybe even intending, for this purpose, to include them, the author magically mixes the mundane and the fantastic to create a surreal world where the most ordinary things intersect with supernatural ones in the course of single day or even a single paragraph. To me, Murakami (at least in this the only of his works I have read) is less a great novelist, and more a master of the craft of story telling. His style is quite simple, or more likely, his skill is his ability to make it appear simple. For a book of nearly 1000 pages, it was one of the most quickly reading books I've read in recent years. While I have read much criticism in these reviews of the level of repetition, I was not bothered by that. This is not a "subtle" or profound book, and the reader is not asked to ponder what came before and what that may mean in the context of what lies ahead. Its more like a tale you "listen" to on the edge of your bed or by the side of a burning fire (and I think the audio version would be mesmerizing), without stopping to consider its meaning and course and, in that context, the repetition of the facts you learned along the way actually help to create its uniquely propulsive reading quality- no need to stop and look at the map; the author's gps will remind you where you've been and in fact foretell what lies ahead. All you need to do is sit tight and enjoy the ride.
| Best Sellers Rank | #23,909 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #42 in Magical Realism #93 in Dystopian Fiction (Books) #667 in Literary Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (10,292) |
| Dimensions | 5.2 x 1.94 x 8 inches |
| Edition | Reprint |
| ISBN-10 | 0307476464 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0307476463 |
| Item Weight | 1.8 pounds |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 1184 pages |
| Publication date | January 22, 2013 |
| Publisher | Vintage |
C**B
Fantasy and enlightenment
Caution: story spoilers in review Okay, I have read a few of the reviews for this book, 1Q84 and find them interesting and thought provoking. While reading this book, I kept thinking, "The style of this author reminds me of another book I read." Yes, "The Wind-up Bird Chronicle" was the book that kept creeping into my memory. Until the dots connected, I thought that maybe this was the way all great Japanese literature is written. So what made me love this novel so much? Well first of all, I love unique story lines that push limits. Secondly, stories written by authors outside of the US that portray life outside the US (even mundane life) fascinate me. Third, Murikama's writing style is captivating. Finally, while reading this book, I kept wanting to get back to the book in place of working, socializing, exercising, and essentially trying to live life outside of the novel. Hmmm, I think the term is hyper-focus. I was hyper-focused on this book. Now add that to the fact that the book is still sticking with me as I ponder loose ends of the story and the story in general. Parts of the book kept exiting and appearing in my life at weird times and strange ways. Emails with subject line of "little people" that dealt with marketing aspects of my job. A dog hair ball floating around my house that looked like air chrysalis. While reading this book, I found myself interfacing with people talking cryptically like Fukaeri. I was actually waiting for a NHK worker to knock on my door. LOL Yes, parts of this book drag. As a reader you have the power to scan those pages. Yes this book seems long and I felt as reading it that this book would make a great series/trilogy. After reading this book, I feel the author could follow Tengo and Aomame in the new dimension they are in....surely this is not the original dimension they are from since the Esso tiger was located on the wrong side of the sign. Yes, the author does focus on the mundane--such as cooking specifics, menial conversations and boring day-to-day activities but I found that enlightening about life in Japan on a daily basis. To me how people around the world live their life is fascinating. Yes, the main characters are flat. However I loved this and thought that the author planned this to demonstrate that the average Joe is flat. I wish I could say that if someone invented me in a novel that I would be fascinating and dynamic but in reality the average person is simply just an average person. Boring, with redemptive qualities. Fantasy--I love how the author presented a fantasy situation in another dimension. The little people fascinated me. I wanted to know more about them but the author wasn't going to share everything. I am still not clear about why Komatsu's hair was used in the chrysalis at the end of the book. Is this fodder for the next book? Sex is huge in this book and I feel that it is well-written while pushing limits. Both Aomame and Tengo engaged in what many would call unsafe sex: sex with a married woman and in Aomame's case sex with strange men she picks up. I think this is essential to the plot because they are each comfortable with their sexual choices and it never crosses their minds that what they are doing is inappropriate. Once their characters develop in the book and their final goal to find each other becomes apparent do these two leave their unsafe sexual practices. This book reminded me of an American novel I read long ago and loved, "Winter's Tale" by Mark Helprin. Out-of-box fantasy that keeps you riveted as you absorb as much as you can as you read leaving you to mourn the end of the book with thoughts and memories that keep returning to remind you of visiting this special place.
S**L
It's Not the Destination; It's the Ride
Upfront caveats: 1. I did not know who Murakami was prior to selecting this book from Amazon's best of the month list and then reading of his oeuvre. 2. Its surprising that I elected to read it after reading "about" it. My reading preferences trend toward densely detailed non-fiction (think Robert Caro and Doris Goodwin Kearns) or complex, intensely human and often "spiritual" fiction (think Dostoevsky or Marilyn Robinson). I do not generally enjoy science fiction or fantasy works. That said, and to my surprise, I really did enjoy this book. It is not a great "novel" and I am not sure it can even be characterized as a novel, unless its unique style results in a redefinition of the genre. What it is is a great story, thematically thin and deceptively simple in its telling, yet compelling in its hold on the reader. In fact, a better word than compelling would be "propelling". The short chapters made of short paragraphs, that alternate between the destined-to-intersect worlds of the two protagonists, and a third Colombo type investigator, move swiftly and purposefully carrying along the reader like a passenger on a steadily moving train on an express route free of stops or stations to pause or ponder along the way. It doesn't matter that its obvious from the very beginning that the story's denouement will be the union of the two detached and lonesome lovers. In this case, it's not the destination, it's the ride. I'll not dwell on the plot elements. If you've read the reviews you know they involve a detour into a parallel world where the main characters' lives are seemingly being controlled at first by human outside forces of cults and ideologies and then by seemingly super-natural ones evidenced by night time visits by Little People and a sky with two moons. Ultimately the story is a love story that involves two loners destined to be united, after, and by, surviving forces of apparent good and evil that turn out to be ambiguously neither. In that sense,it seems, their story is everyman's. Murakami is a great maker of moods. The first chapter had such a wonderfully mysterious quality to it that I was more than a little let down as the more mundane elements of Book One unfolded. I felt then that the book was a lot more "ordinary" than its beginning suggested. But as the story progressed, the air of mystery returned to color the seemingly more mundane events and ultimately to create a rich and sustained sense of other-worldliness. At times, the book seems to border on pulp fiction, particularly when describing the protagonists' kinky or casual sexual encounters and escapades. I suppose the point of these seemingly superfluous curiously unerotic episodes was to depict how actually loveless were the solitary lives of Tengo and Aomeme before their childhood memories of each other were reawakended from the past due to external forces in their newly shared "other" world. In that sense, I suppose, the sex was like exercise and eating, a necessary physical ritual in their respective work a days lives that was scheduled in on a regular basis, but really not anchored to anything permanent or fulfilling in the deliberately then "single" lives of Tengo and Aomeme. Aside from those odd interludes, and maybe even intending, for this purpose, to include them, the author magically mixes the mundane and the fantastic to create a surreal world where the most ordinary things intersect with supernatural ones in the course of single day or even a single paragraph. To me, Murakami (at least in this the only of his works I have read) is less a great novelist, and more a master of the craft of story telling. His style is quite simple, or more likely, his skill is his ability to make it appear simple. For a book of nearly 1000 pages, it was one of the most quickly reading books I've read in recent years. While I have read much criticism in these reviews of the level of repetition, I was not bothered by that. This is not a "subtle" or profound book, and the reader is not asked to ponder what came before and what that may mean in the context of what lies ahead. Its more like a tale you "listen" to on the edge of your bed or by the side of a burning fire (and I think the audio version would be mesmerizing), without stopping to consider its meaning and course and, in that context, the repetition of the facts you learned along the way actually help to create its uniquely propulsive reading quality- no need to stop and look at the map; the author's gps will remind you where you've been and in fact foretell what lies ahead. All you need to do is sit tight and enjoy the ride.
J**I
Still haunting months later
This book is truly unique: the perspective, the characters, the story. It came up on BookBub today for me, but thankfully, I had already bought it and have already read it twice. It's just that good that it bears repeated reading. I think this is my favorite book from a favorite author. Highly recommended. Buckle in, it's quite a ride.
I**L
I received the book and it's pretty good. It was reached to me in its finest state and I have almost completed the first tome by now. I received it in 2 days thanks to the fast payable shipping.
A**H
Este libro fue para mi la primera vez que leo a este autor, y al cerrar la contraportada no pude más que preguntarme ¿que he hecho con mi vida?, 1Q84 es una obra maestra, no hay otra forma de describirlo, como una respuesta directa a 1984 de George Orwell, Murakami logra crear una discusión contemporánea de la obra introduciendo elementos también de otros autores y dándoles un sentido único, su estructura y organización son ejemplares, puede ser que sea muy lento para algunas personas que disfrutan de libros más televisivos, pero si le dan la oportunidad, este libro dejará una huella increíble en sus vidas, ya es de mis libros favoritos, 5 estrellas
J**G
Absolutamente genial. Los dos primeros tomos enganchan un montón a pesar de que esté en inglés. Se entiende bastante fácil (nivel B2-C1). El tercero se me hizo demasiado raro y no sé, como algunos otros lectores, pienso que ese tomo se lo podría haber ahorrado. En cuanto al formato del libro, es un tocho considerable, para leer en casa está bien, pero si eres de pasear libros, mejor no. Cómpratelos separados. Y si eres un esquizofrénico con las arrugas en el lomo del libro como yo, este libro te sacará de quicio al ser de tapa blanda.
D**S
My all-time favourite book.
E**P
Thank you Amazon for providing the international Vintage Paperback Edition at such unbeatable price. The book was in excellent condition. Now for the literary part, it's hands down one of the best Murakami creation of Magical Realism. Tango,Aomame and Fuka Eri are interwoven so intricately in this novel with such daydreaming narrative is simply unputdownable.
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5 days ago
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