Trade in Yours
For a £2.60 Gift Card
Trade in
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

1Q84 [Audiobook] [MP3 CD]

Haruki Murakami , Alison Hiroto , Marc Vietor
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --  
Paperback £8.96  
MP3 CD, Audiobook £32.12  
MP3 CD, Audiobook, 8 Nov 2011 --  
Audio Download, Unabridged £22.49 or Free with Audible.co.uk 30-day free trial
Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more.

Book Description

8 Nov 2011
“Murakami is like a magician who explains what he’s doing as he performs the trick and still makes you believe he has supernatural powers . . . But while anyone can tell a story that resembles a dream, it's the rare artist, like this one, who can make us feel that we are dreaming it ourselves.” —The New York Times Book Review
 
The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.

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.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product details

  • MP3 CD
  • Publisher: Brilliance Corporation; MP3 Una edition (8 Nov 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1455830518
  • ISBN-13: 978-1455830510
  • Product Dimensions: 19 x 13.7 x 1.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 758,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Review

"Critics have variously likened him to Raymond Carver, Raymond Chandler, Arthur C. Clarke, Don DeLillo, Philip K. Dick, Bret Easton Ellis and Thomas Pynchon - a roster so ill assorted as to suggest Murakami is in fact an original" (New York Times ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

A mesmerising, epic, utterly involving masterpiece from Haruki Murakami --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Can an edition feel cinematic? This one does! 13 Jun 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This review is for people who know Murakami and want a review of this particular box set.

I wanted to read 1Q84 as soon as I heard about it, but the single-volume edition was surely going to be too unwieldy, so I went for this box set instead.

My first impression was (obviously) excitement as I opened the package up. It's a serious departure from the elegant white covers that so distinctly mark the Vintage editions. Not that this is a bad thing, it almost gives a sense of a monumental occasion.

"Hey you! This is something different, pay attention" it seems to say.

The box is transparent plastic, fairly flimsy, with the author's name and book title in pink and blue ink.

The books themselves are odd. I've never handled a book like this. The front and back covers are completely devoid of any text, and the actual finish is matt rather than gloss. They really feel more like you're holding a notepad than a novel. They have a rough quality to them and my first thought was that they felt cheap, but I think I'm coming to realise the covers were chosen to feel like this deliberately.

I'm dedicating a lot of time to describing the tactile characteristics here, but in the world of the Kindle, tactility played a key part of my purchase. I could have just bought the e-book, but I wanted something physical and am far from disappointed.

You can tell that someone has put a lot of thought into the experience of reading these books. You are not subjected to a standard boilerplate "copyright, ISBN, this edition published in 2012, here's our head office address" page of information. Before the story itself begins, the opening pages of the book really feel like a slideshow style introduction to the book. They've been consciously designed to fit together. The two 1Q/84 title pages completed the feeling of its being a cinematic experience.

I haven't begun reading yet, but the typography, chapter headings and page numbers are really pretty - crisp, well spaced, subtle. It's odd, but I feel that physically this will be a pleasure to read. My eyes will enjoy looking at the pages as much as my mind will enjoy understanding them.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Great, with a few small reservations 6 Feb 2012
By D Peers TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio Download
Firstly, can I point out that this is the first of Murakami's works that I have read. I purchased the Audible book through my subscription when this came out in a recommended list, and liked the look of the story. Part way through, I came on here and looked at some of the existing reviews and apparently this is not a great introduction to Murakami's depth and style. It is frequently recommended that "newbies" try Kafka On The Shore. I still found 1Q84 satisfying, and will definitely move on to other works. But if you're finding it a slog, try the recommended alternative.

AUDIBLE-RELEVANT REVIEW CONTENT:

There seems to be mixed to poor opinion of the narration in this from Allison Hiroto, who portays the significant role of Aomame. A lot find that she is too quiet or meek. I am of the opinion that the quiet, calm, measured and precise nature of her voice fits in perfectly with the way the character Aomame is portrayed. She is rarely flustered and always exudes a calm exterior. The narration by Hiroto lends itself to this perfectly, as does the gravelly Mark Boyett for the quasimodo-esque investigator Ushikawa.

GENERAL PLOT AND CHARACTERISATION:

1Q84 is a long, carefully crafted masterpiece of a novel. It is delicate and unique, much like the characters it portrays. The depth of detail is sometimes off-putting, and I can imagine that, were I not forced to hear each word in the unabridged audio edition of this, I would have ended up skimming a lot of it. Do not. There is beauty in the detail. It would seem that a lot of the time Murakami is unnecessarily repeating details and descriptions, but when something in 1Q84 changes, because of this repetition, the reader becomes aware immediately. Almost like a revelation.

It did admittedly become annoying to keep on hearing (or reading) "Do you understand" ... "I think so". They're clearly all very unsure of themselves!

In terms of the characterisation as well, every main character is brutally scrutinised down to the smallest detail.

I was therefore left very annoyed with the lose threads at the end. Not the chrysalis threads - that area of the story was tied up for me neatly. But there were a number of main characters built up that I would have liked some closure on how their stories were completed. Fuka-Eri, for example.

In order to read and enjoy 1Q84 you have to leave a little bit of reality behind before you open the book. There are references in here to, and more than a little nod towards, Alice in Wonderland. If you try to be reality-critical, you will not enjoy this novel. If you do not like thinking behind the story, you will not enjoy this.

1Q84 is essentially a love story. But it is so much more, and so beautiful, that I can ignore its general faults in the repetition and style, and the open endings on some of the characters. I will still read this again, and again, and again.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Is the moon out tonight? 15 July 2012
Format:Paperback
Aomame and Tengo grow apart as they grow up. The story is about whether they will ever grow together; or whether something(s) will keep that from happening. We spend the book with them as they grow old enough to cause an ending to actually take place; or, perhaps, another beginning.

With a limited number of characters (just enough to work, not so many to get in the way), the author weaves his own brand of magic into their lives. Nor surprisingly, the readers are allowed to join in on the magic. We get to sense what they do. We get to believe what they do. Or not believe it at all. Regardless, we get to go on a lengthy journey of thoughts and dreams.

Are their events ones that remind us of the world of a little more than a quarter of a century ago? Are their events ones that remind us of today? Yes. And, yes. But, which events are they and do they apply to us in any way similar to how they affected Aomame and Tengo? It will probably take longer to answer that for myself than it took me to read the book.

I don't always understand Haruke Murakami. But, it may be that he wants us to take from each of his books that which we want. Though I always hope for more insight into what he means, I keep reading them because they always give my brain a wonderful sort of exercise. This was well worth the effort.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Great books
I had been wanting to get this book for ages but I could only ever find books 1 & 2 together so having all three in one book is great.
Published 1 day ago by Samantha
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece
In complete contrast to his short stories this is, despite being touted as a trilogy, a continuous narrative and at 1200 pages, quite a meaty one. Read more
Published 1 month ago by nomadintent
4.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Murakami
I'm a big fan of Murakami, so I'm probably biased, but I really enjoyed this. Maybe not the best "first" Murakami book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by ptha
5.0 out of 5 stars The author was up for the Nobel prize for literature in 2012
... He should have won.

This is one of his most accessible works. A detective story, a fantasy, a love story and a surreal examination of what it means to be human all... Read more
Published 4 months ago by GW
2.0 out of 5 stars Terrible author
The author has a poor choice of words. He also extended what should have been one book into three books just to make more money. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Dragos
4.0 out of 5 stars Great story but goes on a bit
I love the story - very interesting and subtle. But it could have been a whole book shorter and still been as good.
Published 5 months ago by branty1970
5.0 out of 5 stars Murakami takes writing to a new level
Haruki Murakami is one of the finest living writers - perhaps the finest. I don't rate this book quite as highly as some of his others, but that's because he's set such an... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Philip Davies
4.0 out of 5 stars Read if you already love Murakami
I was enjoying this trilogy so much that I eked out the reading experience as much as possible. I left a fairly long gap in between books two and three simply because I didn't want... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Marie
5.0 out of 5 stars Now one of my favourite novels!
I bought this on the strength of having read some of Murakami's previous works and I was no disappointed. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Richard A. Brenton
4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely books, although to call it a boxed set is slightly misleading
The books themselves are lovely, with attractive covers and printed on quality paper, but to call this a boxed set is slightly misleading as the 'box' is just a thin, flimsy... Read more
Published 6 months ago by jp177
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Discussion Replies Latest Post
how much can you trust an editor? 46 14 minutes ago
Books that publicly embarrassed you 325 15 minutes ago
Great Authors who are ignored probably because they haven't been on a reality show 65 38 minutes ago
Self-published books: pain or gain? 6001 1 hour ago
Any good books involving buttoned-up characters set in aristocratic homes? 9 1 hour ago
The non author mosty harmless book club. 1602 1 hour ago
Come on - why don't we write our own book right here in the fiction forum ? I'll do the first sentence, and then jump in....hold on, here we go... 7129 3 hours ago
What are you reading now? 8073 12 hours ago
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback