From Goodreads:
A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.
As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.
A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s—1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.
I know lots of people who love Haruki Murakami. I don't think I'm one of them. Her story is great, or the premise is {its what keeps me coming back}, and her characters are generally believable. It just draaags on. And on. And on.
I feel as though Hurakami could have found a way to end the story awhile ago, but just hasn't. I sort of accredit this to a language barrier, as I felt much the same way about the millenium series. What is poetic and gripping in one language is often boring and dull in another. I enjoy the little escape when I read this novel before bed, but this is by no means a quick, easy read.
What are you reading lately?
I listened to this as an audio book - it was 38 cds and 46 hours long. Looking back I am not sure why I bothered to finish it. It was my first book by this author and I am pretty certain it will be my last. So thanks for confirming it wasn't just me.
ReplyDeleteIt's okay to put a book down unfinished every once in a while. Your time is valuable! Read something that you love :)
ReplyDeleteI've been reading Game of Thrones #2.. which is also very long, but fun in that each chapter is a different character, so it goes by rather quickly :)
I hate putting books down without finishing them, but I've found myself doing just that a couple times this year!
ReplyDeleteI have heard good things about this one, but I've also heard that it's a really LONG read. I think at some point I want to give this one a try, but it probably won't be till I have a ton of free time.
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