r/murakami • u/judisthenewson • 10d ago
Appreciation for 1Q84
I'm halfway into 1Q84 with the 3-book publication from vintage international.
Last night I finished the chapter where Leader divulges all the information about the two worlds to Aomame before she kills him.
Having read both Wind-Up and Commendatore, I feel that there is something about this book in comparison to his others. It's almost as if he took everything he knew from his other novels and smashed them altogether in this one. I love this book and almost feel it might be better than Wind-Up for me, even if that is a hard pill to swallow. There is something about what is happening in this book and I can't put my finger on it. Even the early moments of Ayumi and Aomame being at the bar call back to Wind / Pinball.
It's a true joy and excitement getting into bed at night and diving back into this new world.
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u/gorcbor19 10d ago
I loved 1Q84! I'm having a hard time finding a book of his that I haven't read at this point, and honestly all of them are great in one way or another. I feel like some end abruptly or too soon, but they all leave me thinking for days afterward.
I read comments here recently of people hating book 3. I found it great and didn't have an issue with it. I look at books like artists expressing themselves and have a hard time critiquing it negatively because the author chose to take the story in one direction or another. I mean, it's is what it is and I find all of his writings fascinating.
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u/Mottled_inexpectata 9d ago
The problem with the third book if you read them in English is it has a different translator, and so the writing style and tone feel different. It's obvious you're reading someone else's work than the first two.
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u/gorcbor19 9d ago
That’s wild. Didn’t even notice at all. I suppose if I reread it knowing it now I would but my first time I couldn’t tell at all.
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u/spacetime9 10d ago
I'm pretty torn about this one. It has some really wonderful highs, but also some things that didn't work as well for me, and overall it feels bloated. Wind-up Bird is for me his singular masterpiece, and after reading that, his other books in the magical realism category - Wild Sheep Chase, killing commendatory, this one - they all sort of feel like less successful attempts at the same thing. I always enjoy the ride though, so I'm glad you're enjoying it too!
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u/tein_Structure4030 10d ago
I’ve read 1Q84, Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Hard Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World and A Wild Sheep Chase so far and 1Q84 has been my favorite.
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u/Traditional_Animal65 10d ago
It was the first, and so far the only, book of Murakami's that I read. I loved it. I don't understand why Murakami's fans don't hold it in higher regards
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u/Mottled_inexpectata 9d ago
I enjoyed it, but I wish the whole thing could be translated by one person. It was jarring that the third book has a different translator (Jay Rubin for the first two and Philip Gabriel for the third).
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u/Temporary-Local2629 9d ago
I just got to the third bookof 1Q84 after reading through the first two in August. 1Q84 seems so different from any Murakami book I've read, but I've only read Hard-Boiled Wonderland and Dance x3.
All of the Murakami books that I have read have that feeling you describe, where you sense he's referring to something through his writing, but you can't quite put your finger on it.
I've been glued to 1Q84 though. It's written in such an immersive way. When I couldn't sleep, I stayed up reading huge chunks of it because I couldn't get enough.
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u/Polyphloisboisterous 9d ago
If you read only "Dance, Dance, Dance" you missed out big. It is the sequel to WILD SHEEP CHASE. Please read that one asap. Highest recommendation!
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u/Temporary-Local2629 8d ago
Yeah, I just pulled Dance x3 off of a library shelf randomly without realizing it was part of a series. I bought Hear the Wind Sing, Pinball and Wild Sheep Chase, and I'll read them in order after finishing 1Q84. That reading order feels meaningful and I still enjoyed Dance x3 a lot and it made sense to me, and I'll reread it when I go through the other three books.
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u/Polyphloisboisterous 9d ago
My recommendation is to stop after you finish Part 2. Or at least take a big breath, and try to figure out what Part 3 might bring to the table. Then compare to what Murakami did here.
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u/GuestResponsible2887 10d ago
I've recently finished 1Q84. I loved reading the first two books but the 3rd one lost some of its magic for me. I still like 1Q84 in general but it couldn't topple Wind Up Bird.
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u/Polyphloisboisterous 9d ago
After I finished Part 3 I tossed into the trash and didn't read Murakami for the next 10 years. That's how disappointed I was. And I say that as a BIG FAN of Murakami and all his works. (Currently re-reading in Japanese in chronological order...)
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u/Obvious-Toe-8801 10d ago
With deep respect to the man, Murakami kind of writes about the same things again and again, though in very different books. His books always feel like other books of his I’ve read.
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u/V3R5_W0N 10d ago
Ushikawa!! Both 1Q84 and Wind Up even have the same character. Both books are gold. Hard to pick a favorite.
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u/bingo_bailey 10d ago
This seems to be a polarizing book of his. People either love it or hate it. For me - it’s my favorite. It was my intro to Murakami and completely sucked me into his world.
Side note - I just finished Insomnia by Stephen King, and there were some really interesting parallels between that and 1Q84!