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3.42 AVERAGE
3.42 AVERAGE
Add me to those disappointed. I love Ishiguro's novels and have The Unconsoled on my to-read shelf, so I look forward to a better experience with that.
Nothing at all like his novels. Nocturnes was decent, some of the stories pleasant, but overall not as engaging or intense as the other of his stories.
This book took you to many places. It was relaxing in some way and it flew by before you even realized it.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Back in the day, I thought I was the music type. More than a decade of enforced piano lessons plus a robust taste in diverse genres, the latter of which, unlike everything else, continues to this day, made me believe that I wanted to do more with music than listen to it. So, I took a class in music theory, asked for an electronic keyboard for my high school graduation, added books like this and 'Words With Music' to my TBR. and even went to a few concerts, but all this was merely a side effect of my having been raised to have a worth ethic in place of a personality. Coming to this work nearly a decade after, I thought six previous Ishiguro's, five of which were four stars or higher, might be enough to overcome my having grown out of juvenile indoctrination, in addition to my usual lack of engagement with short stories. However, I get the feeling that Ishiguro, having acquired a great deal of cred at this stage in his writing career, decided to do something different: something a lot more [b:A Visit from the Goon Squad|7331435|A Visit from the Goon Squad|Jennifer Egan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356844046l/7331435._SX50_.jpg|8975330] or [b:Norwegian Wood|11297|Norwegian Wood|Haruki Murakami|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386924361l/11297._SY75_.jpg|2956680] (although it's been a long while since that second one, so pardon if my comparison is a bit weak) than I've grown to expect from him. It's due to the extended and, for the most part, highly gratifying reading relationship that I've had with this author that I'm less disappointed with this result than, oddly, almost cheered in seeing Ishiguro feeling comfortable enough to experiment a tad, even if I don't like the results. So, a pretty eh read, but a satisfying continuation of nearly decade long author-reader relationship.
Out of all of these, the work that jarred with me least would have to be 'Malvern Hills'. This is because it was the least sunken into the side effects of the 20th/21st century music scene, with its stars and and pretty faces and drama that turn the whole thing into an immortal high school scene. Instead, we have a young person negotiating their own individual contract between their dreams and their food on the table in a foreign (for me, at any rate) landscape, plus a healthy enough appreciation for the listening and the composition that didn't devolve (entirely) in domestic disputes. All the others just didn't feel in any way relevant, or, when relevance fails, informative, or, when informative fails, entertaining. Instead, there was music,but most of it was wrapped up in the sort of heterosexual nonsense that pieces of entertainment like to present at the norm (see 'Marriage Story' for more of that), and what was left afterwards felt drained, or at the very least noncommittal. I could've chalked this up to my music tastes not lining up for the most part (anyone know what monumental dance is? or aggrotech?), but 'Come Rain or Come Shine' was just so ridiculous that I felt comfortable not doing the whole benefit-of-a-doubt dance with this one. And honestly, in the wake of Ishiguro winning a Nobel Prize for Lit to boot? He really does not need my pity.
I hope that this isn't the end of my journey with Ishiguro. [b:The Buried Giant|22522805|The Buried Giant|Kazuo Ishiguro|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451444392l/22522805._SX50_.jpg|41115424] doesn't appeal at the moment, but I can see myself grabbing it if I've already reread [b:The Remains of the Day|28921|The Remains of the Day|Kazuo Ishiguro|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327128714l/28921._SY75_.jpg|3333111] and the Ishiguro-urge comes upon me, especially since historical fiction and vaguely magical intimations, if handled properly, are already jams of mine. He's an author who's been a pleasurable read for so long in my reading career that I'll always have a measure of loyalty towards him, and in the wake of ever increasing prestige, it'd be nice if he came out with at least one more work that I felt pleasurably disposed towards. Still, I have at least five works of his that, as the years go by, I can see myself coming back to and hopefully not be disappointed by (although, with my track record, even Ishiguro may not survive a revisit, leastwise not brilliantly). There aren't many authors who have have a similar track record with me, so it's always nice to be reminded that I have a place of comfortable familiarity to return to in future reads, old and new. After this, I know that novels are probably the way to go, and that if there's any music involved, it'd be better if it were a side effect rather than a cause.
Out of all of these, the work that jarred with me least would have to be 'Malvern Hills'. This is because it was the least sunken into the side effects of the 20th/21st century music scene, with its stars and and pretty faces and drama that turn the whole thing into an immortal high school scene. Instead, we have a young person negotiating their own individual contract between their dreams and their food on the table in a foreign (for me, at any rate) landscape, plus a healthy enough appreciation for the listening and the composition that didn't devolve (entirely) in domestic disputes. All the others just didn't feel in any way relevant, or, when relevance fails, informative, or, when informative fails, entertaining. Instead, there was music,but most of it was wrapped up in the sort of heterosexual nonsense that pieces of entertainment like to present at the norm (see 'Marriage Story' for more of that), and what was left afterwards felt drained, or at the very least noncommittal. I could've chalked this up to my music tastes not lining up for the most part (anyone know what monumental dance is? or aggrotech?), but 'Come Rain or Come Shine' was just so ridiculous that I felt comfortable not doing the whole benefit-of-a-doubt dance with this one. And honestly, in the wake of Ishiguro winning a Nobel Prize for Lit to boot? He really does not need my pity.
I hope that this isn't the end of my journey with Ishiguro. [b:The Buried Giant|22522805|The Buried Giant|Kazuo Ishiguro|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451444392l/22522805._SX50_.jpg|41115424] doesn't appeal at the moment, but I can see myself grabbing it if I've already reread [b:The Remains of the Day|28921|The Remains of the Day|Kazuo Ishiguro|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327128714l/28921._SY75_.jpg|3333111] and the Ishiguro-urge comes upon me, especially since historical fiction and vaguely magical intimations, if handled properly, are already jams of mine. He's an author who's been a pleasurable read for so long in my reading career that I'll always have a measure of loyalty towards him, and in the wake of ever increasing prestige, it'd be nice if he came out with at least one more work that I felt pleasurably disposed towards. Still, I have at least five works of his that, as the years go by, I can see myself coming back to and hopefully not be disappointed by (although, with my track record, even Ishiguro may not survive a revisit, leastwise not brilliantly). There aren't many authors who have have a similar track record with me, so it's always nice to be reminded that I have a place of comfortable familiarity to return to in future reads, old and new. After this, I know that novels are probably the way to go, and that if there's any music involved, it'd be better if it were a side effect rather than a cause.
Not really sure why, but these stories just didn't work for me at all.
Leggendo i primi due racconti mi sono tornate in mente tutte le ragioni per cui considero Ishiguro uno dei miei autori preferiti, anche se prima di Nocturnes avevo letto solo The Remains of the Day e Never Let Me Go: lo sguardo rivolto al passato, la malinconia, la narrazione in prima persona che sottintende cose, tutta una serie di sensazioni che mi fanno pensare alle pioggerelle primaverili e alla luce delle sei del pomeriggio d'estate. In questo tripudio di bei sentimenti, il resto non mi è sembrato all'altezza.
Al contrario dei romanzi di cui sopra, in questi racconti ho trovato un surrealismo e un umorismo sopra le righe, combinazione quasi fuori luogo nell'insieme. Degli esempi? Per il surrealismo in generale gli estranei che ti raccontano la storia della loro vita e in particolare l'ex moglie del protagonista di Nocturne che convince il futuro nuovo marito a pagare la chirurgia plastica al protagonista. Per l'umorismo i pasticci da cartone animato in cui si ficcano i protagonisti di Come Rain or Come Shine e Nocturne.
Non fraintendetemi, è una lettura piacevole, ma preferisco l'Ishiguro serio, o perlomeno con un umorismo più sottile.
Crooner: ****
Come Rain or Come Shine: ****+
Malvern Hills: ***
Nocturne: ***
Cellists: ***
Al contrario dei romanzi di cui sopra, in questi racconti ho trovato un surrealismo e un umorismo sopra le righe, combinazione quasi fuori luogo nell'insieme. Degli esempi? Per il surrealismo in generale gli estranei che ti raccontano la storia della loro vita e in particolare l'ex moglie del protagonista di Nocturne che convince il futuro nuovo marito a pagare la chirurgia plastica al protagonista. Per l'umorismo i pasticci da cartone animato in cui si ficcano i protagonisti di Come Rain or Come Shine e Nocturne.
Non fraintendetemi, è una lettura piacevole, ma preferisco l'Ishiguro serio, o perlomeno con un umorismo più sottile.
Crooner: ****
Come Rain or Come Shine: ****+
Malvern Hills: ***
Nocturne: ***
Cellists: ***
Short stories are always such a curious affair for me. I'm a long novel sort of person, so I'm always looking out for the long, expansive worlds and the rich characters which unravel as you read. But short stories are different; there's no time or space for meandering passages, so everything usually is written with purpose and direction: the end-line always in sight.
With that in mind, I've found Nocturnes to be an immensely interesting collection, because during its five stories, I've never felt that I was being rushed through a tale. Every one of them spends just enough time with its characters to give them purpose and feeling, you're allowed to figure out just enough about them to get what they're like, and I was constantly impressed by that. And while most of the stories do share a sense of wistfulness that music and nightfall always seem to bring about, the mood isn't always somber; "Come Rain or Come Shine" made me chuckle quite a lot, for instance.
All in all, it's a good book to spend a night or two with. Quite worth the read.
With that in mind, I've found Nocturnes to be an immensely interesting collection, because during its five stories, I've never felt that I was being rushed through a tale. Every one of them spends just enough time with its characters to give them purpose and feeling, you're allowed to figure out just enough about them to get what they're like, and I was constantly impressed by that. And while most of the stories do share a sense of wistfulness that music and nightfall always seem to bring about, the mood isn't always somber; "Come Rain or Come Shine" made me chuckle quite a lot, for instance.
All in all, it's a good book to spend a night or two with. Quite worth the read.
this is my first Ishiguro read and i loved it.
as a night person and music lover, every story in this book felt alive in my head, i liked 4/5 of them especially Crooner which is probably up there in my list of favorite short stories.
Nocturne was such an adventure that I got sucked in a movie like trance while reading it in the cafe.
im excited to to read Never let me go next so I can see both his writing on short stories and novels.
as a night person and music lover, every story in this book felt alive in my head, i liked 4/5 of them especially Crooner which is probably up there in my list of favorite short stories.
Nocturne was such an adventure that I got sucked in a movie like trance while reading it in the cafe.
im excited to to read Never let me go next so I can see both his writing on short stories and novels.