I think this is going to be a rating that will change periodically, depending on how I feel about it. With a book this size, there is so much to say so hopefully I can remember all the points I want to make about this book. 

I thought this book was amazing until around page 850. I mean, I loved everything about it. The story, the Murakami weirdness, his storytelling abilities, the interesting cast of characters, etc., all of it worked for me. Then, after about 850, I was done. Like, completely and totally done. One of the main characters got on my nerves so bad that it had an emotional impact on me. It's not like this character was doing anything different than before, I was just through with this character. Another reason I was done, was because I thought I was almost through with it. When adding this to good reads, I thought I had the 972 page version. When I got to around 800, I was stoked that I was almost finished. Then, I looked at the version I had and it was well over 1,100 pages. I was pissed. 

While this is an interesting story, it lost me when I realized how long it was. I wanted it to be over. I wanted a resolution. I wanted my sanity back. Like the characters in 1Q84, I was taken to a new world and was trying to get out! A bit dramatic, I know. 

Now, I think this book would have been more successful and I would have liked it more if he was able to remove 300+ pages. There were side stories that I didn't feel were relevant and distracted from the novel. This novel is huge and even 300 pages less would still have been something massive. 

That being said, if you've read Murakami before, you'll realize he has pulled out all his old tropes and uses them effectively. Mentions of non-Japanese food- check. 30ish year old man having a friendship with a teenage girl- check. Jazz music- check. Classical Music- check. Cats- check. All of his normal motifs are here and I loved how he pieced these together. I loved his meandering pace, something that I love from him in general. I love the way he includes the ordinary aspects of daily life in his books. 

My only hangup was that it was too meandering. It went on too long and needed to stop. I guess that's why it's separated into three books. If you were to pick up this book, I recommend taking a break between book two and book three. Get out of the world and re-enter it. Give yourself a break.