BlazingDarkness
Member
I'm onto chapter 20JonStark said:
The book is amazingly readable considering how peculiar some of the content is, and I'm really enjoying how all of the characters are coming together plotwise
Definite thumbs up so far!
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1Q84 - Haruki Murakami
- Thread starter BlazingDarkness
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The book is amazingly readable considering how peculiar some of the content is, and I'm really enjoying how all of the characters are coming together plotwise
Definite thumbs up so far!
8BitsAtATime
Member
Clegg said:
I still need to read A Wild Sheep Chase. I bought Dance Dance Dance not knowing it was a sequel.
Norwegian Wood is easily one of my top 3 books, ive reread it like 5 times and every time i find somebody interested in it I end up buying them a copy. I liked After Dark alot it had a david lynch vibe to it. I didnt care much for Sputnik Sweetheart, it dragged for me.
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
Book finally came in! Gorgeous presentation; though both the jacket and the pages feel rather fragile :/
SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
This god damn thing is huge. Wonderfully, beat somebody to death sized.
Clegg said:
I really liked a Wild Sheep Chase too; I also liked Dance, Dance, Dance, which I would place in my favourites by Murakami. I actually plan on getting a sheep with a star tattoo (and a wind-up bird as well) soon.
I don't think anyone ever mentions South of the Border, West of the Sun. It's not his greatest work, but it's a nice short read and better than Sputnik Sweetheart.
Anyways, I hope I find the time today to read more 1Q84; I've only gotten a little ways in to Tengo's introduction.
BlazingDarkness
Member
I just reached chapter 2 of book 2, really liking it still
did everyone else receive theirs?
did everyone else receive theirs?
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
Are you guys leaving your dust jacket on, or removing it? I took mine off, it's just so fragile :/
BlazingDarkness
Member
I left mine on, will probably take it off if starts to get tattered at the edges, so far so good thoughDynamite Ringo Matsuri said:
8BitsAtATime
Member
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri said:
I actually bought 2 copies because I didnt want to mess up the book and dust jacket. One for my nook and the hardcover.
Decided to download a sample of this book from itunes from reading parts of this thread and other prasies about the book and found myself engrossed in the story so far, -itunes only allows 50 pages to read as a sample on the iphone. I was going to purchase the book from the kindle store but just learned that you can only read this book on one kindle activated device. Did anyone know about this? I bought it on the ibookstore hopefully I enjoy this book.
345triangle
Member
well, i bought it on the kindle store and it's on two ipads, my iphone and my kindle *shrug*
I was looking at it on amazon. It looks like only one device (all the negative reviews).neojubei said:
dubc35 said:
I bought it on ibooks. I didn't want to bother with the DRM issue. I read my books on my ipad and iphone depending where I am at the time.
345triangle said:
You must have lucked out then. I didn't want to take the chance, even Gizmodo confirms it with amazon.
http://gizmodo.com/5854973/amazon-is-letting-publishers-ruin-the-kindle
Awesome Animals
Member
Alright, so this book very much intriques me, but I have seen multiple sources state to not start with this book for Murakami. What do you all recommend I should read first?
EDIT: Nvm. Some thread browsing gave me all I needed. Thanks to all of Murakami-GAF!
EDIT: Nvm. Some thread browsing gave me all I needed. Thanks to all of Murakami-GAF!
So far on the 7th chapter and the story has nothing special so far yet I find myself getting sucked in. The way he describes everything makes it so relatablr. It's as if not a sentence is wasted and its pretty concise.
Oh way this is first Murakami book, I'm not one to jump on a bandwagon but the synopsis of the book was enough to get me started.
Oh way this is first Murakami book, I'm not one to jump on a bandwagon but the synopsis of the book was enough to get me started.
8BitsAtATime
Member
Zyzyxxz said:
Thats the way all of his books are...even his earlier is like that. Enjoy! Everytime a character talks about music and books...You just want to go listen to that song or read that book. Its as each book has its own soundtrack.
I stopped reading, so 1Q84 so I can read the Trilogy of the Rat and Dance Dance Dance. I finished Hear the Wind Sing and am currently Pinball, 1973. I should be done with Pinball by friday just in time for A Wild Sheep Chase to come in the mail. Im actually tempted to reread most of Murakami's books before I continue with 1Q84. I had no problem with 1Q84 but I just had the weird urge to read his earlier stuff.
Prophane33
Member
Pre-Ordered, and have had it since day one. However, I've been wanting to read After Dark, and Blind Willow,Sleeping Woman first. Both are sitting on my bookshelf along with 1Q84 They are the only 3 Murakami books translated into English that I haven't read. Unfortunately, I am a literature major, so I'm usually reading like 3 books a week, and working part time, along with going to class, and trying to have some sort of gaming life (damn you Battlefield 3!). Can't wait to dig into this though during Xmas break, I've heard only good things. Definitely my favorite author.
Oh.
I was surprised that literally no one is talking about 1Q84 in the books thread, now I've found the reason! And I thought GAF's Murakami fanbase died a sudden death or something.
My copy of the American version of 1Q84 arrived today, and I've got to say... it looks amazing, to my surprise. It made a rather lame impression on me judging by photos on Amazon and other online shops, but in reality it's gorgeous-looking. Really well designed, and certainly a nice surprise.
I've read the German translation of books 1 and 2 last year, so I know already what expects me for the most part. I will still read it from the beginning though, because I can't remember any of the details of the story to be honest. The German translation of book 3 was released this month too, but I decided against it -- I have to re-read the beginning anyway, and reading it in English will it make more interesting this time around
And, well, ironically enough the German version of Book 3 alone is more expensive than the American version of Books 1-3, lol.
I was surprised that literally no one is talking about 1Q84 in the books thread, now I've found the reason! And I thought GAF's Murakami fanbase died a sudden death or something.
My copy of the American version of 1Q84 arrived today, and I've got to say... it looks amazing, to my surprise. It made a rather lame impression on me judging by photos on Amazon and other online shops, but in reality it's gorgeous-looking. Really well designed, and certainly a nice surprise.
I've read the German translation of books 1 and 2 last year, so I know already what expects me for the most part. I will still read it from the beginning though, because I can't remember any of the details of the story to be honest. The German translation of book 3 was released this month too, but I decided against it -- I have to re-read the beginning anyway, and reading it in English will it make more interesting this time around
And, well, ironically enough the German version of Book 3 alone is more expensive than the American version of Books 1-3, lol.Exclamation-One
Member
So I hate to be that guy, but holy christ is this story terrible or what?
MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW
This is my first Murakami novel, and likely to be my last.
MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW
At first, I was definitely intrigued by the scifi-esque elements - the shift in policeman uniforms, the joint US-Soviet moon base, dual moons... and I loved Aomame's characterization as a badass yet soft-spoken killer.
Soon enough, we've got actual "Little People" coming into play, a cult leader who can inexplicably levitate small objects, metaphysical mumbo jumbo, creepy-ass sex scenes that border on pedophilia, and worst of all, Aomame goes from incredibly interesting in the first 1/3 to submissive, pathetic, internal monologues that consists of "Oh Tengo, we held hands once, I wish u wuz here " for 600-odd pages.
Soon enough, we've got actual "Little People" coming into play, a cult leader who can inexplicably levitate small objects, metaphysical mumbo jumbo, creepy-ass sex scenes that border on pedophilia, and worst of all, Aomame goes from incredibly interesting in the first 1/3 to submissive, pathetic, internal monologues that consists of "Oh Tengo, we held hands once, I wish u wuz here " for 600-odd pages.
This is my first Murakami novel, and likely to be my last.
Exclamation-One
Member
Reread a the few of first chapters. What the hell happened in this book?
The writing definitely had a dream-like feel that sticks with you after finishing, but I was wholly unsatisfied with the fates of the characters. Maybe a Murakami fan can explain what I'm missing, exactly...
The writing definitely had a dream-like feel that sticks with you after finishing, but I was wholly unsatisfied with the fates of the characters. Maybe a Murakami fan can explain what I'm missing, exactly...
Thanks for adding spoiler tags. I really need to finish The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I have been "reading" it for about 4-5 months now. I pick it up once or twice a week and read a chapter or two and then stop. I have a hard time reading just to read sometimes. Still have about 200 pages left.
Just finished it. I've been avoiding the thread because of spoilers. I'll mark any sentences where I talk about the plot/ending in this post.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied. It has the elements of Murakami stories which I really dig, there's great atmosphere and interesting characters, and the humor can be pretty quirky at times. I have to say though, this has to be his most mainstream long form novel ever.
I'll say that there's a lot to like about 1Q84, and it probably has some of Murakami's better characters. I enjoyed this MUCH more than Kefka on the Shore, and the characterizations and pacing of the narrative remind me a lot of my favorite - Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World.
It's pretty interesting to read the reactions of first-time Murakami readers though. I don't blame you guys for feeling weirded out or "left hanging", but you should really check out his short stories too. Get a hang of his style of writing and narrative, and then reflect on how he applies those techniques on his longer novels. It's definitely a unique slice of literature, and it can be a heavy culture shock to read one of his long novels first.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied. It has the elements of Murakami stories which I really dig, there's great atmosphere and interesting characters, and the humor can be pretty quirky at times. I have to say though, this has to be his most mainstream long form novel ever.
Some of his short stories are similar in the sense that they're relatively neat and tidy by the end, but his novel length features are usually much more inconclusive, which leads to more reflection by the reader.
With 1Q84, if it ended with book 2 (which it originally did in Japan), it would have been more or less what I expected from a typical Murakami novel in terms of an ending. It is interesting that the popularity of the book led him to continue a book 3, which ends up tying it all up neatly in a happy ending. I was getting the feeling that he was going to cop out with a happy ending mid-way through book 3, but he managed to totally sell the happy ending by the end of the book, so I'm satisfied with that. It does feel unusual as someone who is familiar with Murakami though.
With 1Q84, if it ended with book 2 (which it originally did in Japan), it would have been more or less what I expected from a typical Murakami novel in terms of an ending. It is interesting that the popularity of the book led him to continue a book 3, which ends up tying it all up neatly in a happy ending. I was getting the feeling that he was going to cop out with a happy ending mid-way through book 3, but he managed to totally sell the happy ending by the end of the book, so I'm satisfied with that. It does feel unusual as someone who is familiar with Murakami though.
I'll say that there's a lot to like about 1Q84, and it probably has some of Murakami's better characters. I enjoyed this MUCH more than Kefka on the Shore, and the characterizations and pacing of the narrative remind me a lot of my favorite - Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World.
It's pretty interesting to read the reactions of first-time Murakami readers though. I don't blame you guys for feeling weirded out or "left hanging", but you should really check out his short stories too. Get a hang of his style of writing and narrative, and then reflect on how he applies those techniques on his longer novels. It's definitely a unique slice of literature, and it can be a heavy culture shock to read one of his long novels first.
duckroll said:Just finished it. I've been avoiding the thread because of spoilers. I'll mark any sentences where I talk about the plot/ending in this post.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied. It has the elements of Murakami stories which I really dig, there's great atmosphere and interesting characters, and the humor can be pretty quirky at times. I have to say though, this has to be his most mainstream long form novel ever.Some of his short stories are similar in the sense that they're relatively neat and tidy by the end, but his novel length features are usually much more inconclusive, which leads to more reflection by the reader.
With 1Q84, if it ended with book 2 (which it originally did in Japan), it would have been more or less what I expected from a typical Murakami novel in terms of an ending. It is interesting that the popularity of the book led him to continue a book 3, which ends up tying it all up neatly in a happy ending. I was getting the feeling that he was going to cop out with a happy ending mid-way through book 3, but he managed to totally sell the happy ending by the end of the book, so I'm satisfied with that. It does feel unusual as someone who is familiar with Murakami though.
I'll say that there's a lot to like about 1Q84, and it probably has some of Murakami's better characters. I enjoyed this MUCH more than Kefka on the Shore, and the characterizations and pacing of the narrative remind me a lot of my favorite - Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World.
It's pretty interesting to read the reactions of first-time Murakami readers though. I don't blame you guys for feeling weirded out or "left hanging", but you should really check out his short stories too. Get a hang of his style of writing and narrative, and then reflect on how he applies those techniques on his longer novels. It's definitely a unique slice of literature, and it can be a heavy culture shock to read one of his long novels first.
Agree with most of what you say here, except the pacing. I do feel book 3 was a cop out
although the Ushikawa arc was interesting
Well, I finished book1-2 in less than a week, but took a whole other week to read book3, so that might be why the pacing didn't really bother me. The way I see it,
book1-2 is the complete initial story. While book3 can be seen as either a feel-good sequel conclusion, or a 'what if' expansion with a happier ending. Either way, I definitely agree that it feels different compared to the original story, but it didn't bother me too much towards the end.
Too bad you feel that way since Murakami has already talked that he might write a 4th book for the series.7aged said:
I also cleared out my backlog and finally started reading this, I'm only five chapters in but so far I like it. I still kinda wish Murakami would try out new things, so far the structure is very similar to Kafka on the Shore. While it's not a bad thing I still would have liked him to take different route.
I Have no idea what you are refering to since I'm only 5 chapters in :b Accorind to Murakami at this point there could be fourth novel featuringduckroll said:He'll have to change the title.
older Tengo
Murakami: What I can say now is there are stories before (volume 1) and after (volume 3).
400 pages in and so far this has been a big disappointment. Characters are really, really boring, especially Tengo who is pretty much the shoe in character you see in many Murakami's books but this time he isn't least bit interesting and he is paired up with Fuka-Eri who is another uninteresting and boring character. Would it kill Murakami if he would change the usual traits even a bit. I'm kinda bored of these everyday joes getting sucked into bizzare situations and dealing with the bizzare situation with their usual nonchalant manners.
I don't know if it's the translation or what but the dialog is just awful, especially Tengo's and Fuka-Eri's conversation about her
This moment was just plain bad.
Only reason why I keep on reading is the fact that the cult stuff is interesting and so is the world 1Q84 but if I take my friends word for it
I also have heard that the second and third book are even worse is this true, I ask without a questionmark.
I don't know if it's the translation or what but the dialog is just awful, especially Tengo's and Fuka-Eri's conversation about her
white shirt that shows off her chest shape beautifully.
Only reason why I keep on reading is the fact that the cult stuff is interesting and so is the world 1Q84 but if I take my friends word for it
the book goes very little into those aspects.
I can understand this sentiment but I'd recommend that you try Dance Dance Dance or Kafka on the Shore.
I crushed through 3 books of 1Q84 and it's not that impressive compared to his earlier books.
BlazingDarkness
Member
Finally managed to read more of this, done a 51hr work week so had no free time at all
I'm nearing the end of book 2, and picked up book 3 the day before yesterday! Hoping to finish some time this week
I'm nearing the end of book 2, and picked up book 3 the day before yesterday! Hoping to finish some time this week
BlazingDarkness
Member
50 pages into book 3 now
I thought the conclusion to book 2 was really good, I would definitely agree that would be a perfectly good place to end the story on a cliffhanger (albeit there would be loads of loose ends)
I think my only complaint would be that the mundane parts are very densely detailed (and often repeated) whereas the fantastical parts are dropped in and only vaguely explained so the book demands a lot of attention otherwise some parts fade into obscurity a bit underneath all of the depth. It's more a personal thing though because I enjoy the weirder aspects of 1Q84 a lot, and want more of it
The love story is very unusual and at it's source feels quite underdeveloped, but the book does a good job of developing both Tengo and Aomame as individual characters and I really feel like, especially in the second half of book 2 - their stories are becoming very well intertwined despite the foundation
barely existing - I guess that's part of the charm of their relationship - I thought the part with
was a very poignant moment. I'm intrigued as to whether we will find out why the two are being drawn together despite not being a part of each others lives before then, it was being touched on in Book 2 but I want more
Also hoping that Fuka-Eri's relationship with her father is touched on a little more
It'd be nice to see a more 'human' side to her, considering her story is pretty much entirely entrenched in the 1Q84 world
But yeah, really enjoying it. It's definitely a slow burner, but that suits me just fine
I thought the conclusion to book 2 was really good, I would definitely agree that would be a perfectly good place to end the story on a cliffhanger (albeit there would be loads of loose ends)
I think my only complaint would be that the mundane parts are very densely detailed (and often repeated) whereas the fantastical parts are dropped in and only vaguely explained so the book demands a lot of attention otherwise some parts fade into obscurity a bit underneath all of the depth. It's more a personal thing though because I enjoy the weirder aspects of 1Q84 a lot, and want more of it
The love story is very unusual and at it's source feels quite underdeveloped, but the book does a good job of developing both Tengo and Aomame as individual characters and I really feel like, especially in the second half of book 2 - their stories are becoming very well intertwined despite the foundation
(20 years earlier)
Aomame seeing Tengo on the slide
Also hoping that Fuka-Eri's relationship with her father is touched on a little more
Air Chrysallis pretty much described what happened in vague terms with her dohta and whatnot at least
But yeah, really enjoying it. It's definitely a slow burner, but that suits me just fine
DeadFalling
Member
Just finished reading this and it's my first Murakami book. I read the American version where it's all combined into one book, and so I read it as one book.
It seemed to drag way too much in the second and third "books". The story also seemed to kind fall apart towards the middle, but he managed to pick back up some of the pieces by the end. I also got tired of the internal monologues that make up 3/4 the story. 6/10 for me and I probably won't read any more Murakami.
perfect free
Member
This was my first Murakami as well. I enjoyed the writing, but the book was (obviously) very long and the extreme isolation of both main characters (particularly Aomame during
) started to really wear at me, almost in a physical sense, about 2/3 of the way through. I suspect I'd probably really enjoy one of his shorter works, but first I need a breather.
her months-long stay in the safe house
I just finished book 3 today but i really do have mixed feelings about it. I sort of had to force myself to finish it. That never happened to me before with Murakami's other books.
Does anybody else believe that Kumi Adachi is a part of Ayumi the policewomen that lived on or am i just over-interpretting things?
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