Haha good one, I do have glasses but rarely use them, maybe I should in fact!

I did not know 1Q84 had different translators, for me it felt like the third one was differently paced. I too wanted the story to come back to the main character. Even overall, there were times when I could not put the book down, and times when I just thought it dragged way too long. Still, I loved the story and it made me want to read Kafka on the Shore right after I finished since I saw glowing reviews. I think the magical realism is what does it for me. It's just enough to make you see the authors's world differently.

I know what you mean when you say sometimes it's best to leave past experiences behind. For example, I read the first trilogy of Forgotten Realms a long time ago and thought at the time it was absolutely brillant😅 Now, I am not so sure about that...
I think you've said something important: the moment you read the book, the things that are going through your life, the environment you are in, all these things play a big part in how we perceive a book.
Anyway, good review, I'll come back here once I am done with Hear the wind sing!