1Q84: The Complete Trilogy

Having read and adored Wind-up Bird Chronicles, I decided I wanted to lose myself again in the immersive surreal world of Murakami. What best than reading his second oceanic novel 19Q4? I was not disappointed. What an amazing story! Beautiful and gripping like a mad, transcendental thriller! A woman-assassin, an enigmatic dowager, a dodgy powerful cult, a eerie teenager-author of a weird best-seller...The list of what makes this novel a superb and incomparable masterpiece is long...it is packed-full of moments and images forever engraved in my imagination. For the first half I could hardly believe that Murakami could carry on at that level of 'amazing' for 1320 pages! But alas towards the middle, at some point, yes, the oversized novel starts to show its flab. It probably starts to sag when the chapters with Ushikawa are introduced. This flawed character might be needed to make the plot move on but dwelling that much on him also terribly slows it down, paradoxically. The alternate chapters of Tengo/Aomane/Ushikawa then also start to often cover the same events from each character's point of view. Bit tedious for the reader. It really feels like that the second half would have greatly benefited from a taut and strict editing. Instead, the plot wades in many instances of disgressions or excessive divagations. It is a great pity because it is an heroic, fantastic novel in so many ways. By over-dwelling on certain passages Murakami has undermined his own masterpiece. The ending, I could say, is also a little problematic and underwhelming after a build-up of 1320 pages! Of course you can't have a rational, neat resolve to a mostly irrational story but still. Quite a few threads are left hanging that after such lengths, lyou'd hope squarrely finalised. But nevertheless, in spite of its little flaws here and there, it would be silly to rate 19Q4 at anything else than 5 stars as it surpasses by such long way (not in size but in quality of course!) any novel you can currently read! Reading his prose is like sliding into a magic, effortless parallel world indeed. Murakami is a true writer everyone should read rather than waste time (like I do too!) with mini-author-egos freshly out of a 'creative writing course'. A not perfect but wonderful masterpiece.

IQ84 has helped me through the most testing time of my life. A brutal diagnosis, life limiting surgery and the beginning of a slow and unsure recovery. Its winding narrative, savage happenings and unsteady footing held together with an urgent love was strangely reassuring, exactly what I needed when I needed somewhere to hide. Thank you Haruki Murakami.

Strange but fascinating tale. The book has over 1000 pages, so it is much easier to read on Kindle!

I usually take forever to finish a book. However IQ84 is genius. I found myself wanted to get home from work and find out what was going to happen next. The imagination to write something like this is just astounding and I each time I read the next chapter I felt I was there with the characters. This book has led me to buy every single one of murakamis books. I can’t get this out of my head even though I read it over a year ago

This was my second Murakami novel after reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle about a year ago. As soon as I started reading I felt I was back in familiar territory and also strangely at home. I must say that I loved it from the first page to the very last. It gripped me and kept me wondering and confused just like TWUBC did. I have no idea why some people didn't enjoy it, maybe they were letting their expectations colour their experience rather than just going with the flow. Personally I highly recommend it. It's basically a love story..... And I'm an old romantic, however bizarre the setting. Don't let the moany brigade deter you. It's long but highly readable and worth every moment.

Bought this for a holiday read. Liked that the complete trilogy was in the one book. The storyline was decent, although I definitely preferred part 1 and 2. Could be a bit of a slow read at points but still enjoyed (have found this to be the case for a few Murakami books).

This trilogy is unlike anything I've read previously and it's certainly a refreshing and rewarding read in many ways. I did, occasionally, find it a little like a Tarantino movie, with some scenes going on just a little too long, leaving me hoping that things would get a move on. However, just as I thought I might give up, there was another twist and my attention was re-engaged. This was my first Murakami novel - probably won't be my last - so I don't know if the things I viewed as being a little overdone - lots of navel-gazing, constant use of simile, for example - are the norm in his books. Overall, I'm glad I read this trilogy, and I can imagine it being turned into an excellent movie (perhaps by someone with great visual imagination, like Denis Villeneuve) that I would definitely look forward to watching. If you're a fan of reading, then this is certainly one (or three) to put on your list.

Im a Murakami fan, right from the day i first took Kafka on the shore in my hands. This is an incredibly awesome book. The reason i love Murkami a lot is, his way of writing is evocative, in a sense, even though the actual story is a fiction, you can still feel the events described in it, with a personal touch. I find him immensely interesting and it just keeps me in place for a long time. I love the sexuality exhibited in his writing. I enjoy it. Its a gift and he has a flair to toy with the emotions. Mind you, sexuality has been exhibited without or rather less inhibitions in Japanese culture, than other parts of the world. ( i tend to think about the author when he writes his piece and try to understand how and where his work or literature came to be) And now to the book, 1Q84 is just great! I was hooked from the moment i read the first chapter. And i always love his taste for music and i am indeed greatly moved towards music through his works. The story about two people said in a parallel perspective of their own lives, which will collide later undoubtedly. It hits all the right notes in both the characters. There are a slew of strong and expressive plot lines which grips you and keeps you rooted in your place. I am loving everything that is going on till now with the book. Its almost tantalizing to read his books. The book is long and i can understand why it is and i have no worries about it. The first and second books came out in 2009 and the third the next year. I would recommend this book to anybody who wants to read a long book and still captivated by it. The language is simple and crisp, easy to understand for anybody, unlike Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who has a penchant for expressive and complex language and at times a lil archaic, which is in its own way a beautiful masterpiece. It has a beautiful ambience to it. Go for it. Especially a Murakami fan should read it. And now for this book itself, its a good imprint. The font, spacing and size are all good. The cover of the paperback is thin, but it has held all the pages of the book intact. I have took it in trains and buses and it has been through all. The paper quality is good. No issues with it. Its a great work of fiction. Hope you too will have a good time as i had! Cheers!!!

There is some erotica that am not a fan of but the rest is great worth the read

What a book, I was intrigued, fascinated and enthralled. Murakami is a master, this was a truly wonderful book indeed.

This is imagination personified

Un excellent Murakami, la trilogie en un seul ouvrage, belle reliure. Bref, un classique. Acheté en anglais, accessible avec un niveau C1-C2