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revonue's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: War, Infidelity, Death, and Gore
bookerbride's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and War
Minor: Infidelity
booksjessreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I am struggling to summarise my thoughts for this novel into a coherent review, but I think this deserved three stars because the intellectual ideas behind this novel were good, but they were not carried out in a way that was interesting or engaging with the reader?
The setting was so magical and was definitely what drew me in to begin with. It was told in a folklore-ish way and was set in an ancient, fantasy world which felt so cosy and mysterious. Axl and Beatrice were also lovely characters, and whilst I was not completely drawn to them all of the time, their bond and love for one another was inspiring and loveable. However, I felt the story was super slow. I listened to the audio alongside this, and I even felt it was difficult through that. I also felt the third-person narrative did not suit the other stylistic choices that Ishiguro had chosen to tell the story with.
However, I still really enjoyed the themes running through the book, such as the idea of collective identity and memory and the complexity of emotions. I think the ideas behind them were really clever, but I just wish the book had been engaged with in a better way.
The setting was so magical and was definitely what drew me in to begin with. It was told in a folklore-ish way and was set in an ancient, fantasy world which felt so cosy and mysterious. Axl and Beatrice were also lovely characters, and whilst I was not completely drawn to them all of the time, their bond and love for one another was inspiring and loveable. However, I felt the story was super slow. I listened to the audio alongside this, and I even felt it was difficult through that. I also felt the third-person narrative did not suit the other stylistic choices that Ishiguro had chosen to tell the story with.
However, I still really enjoyed the themes running through the book, such as the idea of collective identity and memory and the complexity of emotions. I think the ideas behind them were really clever, but I just wish the book had been engaged with in a better way.
Graphic: Dementia, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Murder and War
Minor: Child death and Infidelity
celloyouvegotabass's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Just incredible: ingenious setting and premise; fascinating characters; plot development is unexpected but still feels perfectly natural. Typical Ishiguro, there are some staggering plot twists that accelerate the pace towards a beautiful yet brutally sad and haunting ending. Simply an unforgettable story about living in a fog of forgotten memory, identity, and life purpose - and the heartbreaking consequences of lifting that fog.
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Kidnapping, and Infidelity
griffinthief's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death, War, Violence, and Terminal illness
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Gore
jwells's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
Literary fantasy that packs a punch, if a reader is willing to meet it on its own terms. It doesn't follow fantasy genre rules for who a protagonist should be, what an action scene should be like, or even what the most important part of the story should be.
I cried more at the end than I did over Never Let Me Go. YMMV.
I cried more at the end than I did over Never Let Me Go. YMMV.
Graphic: Death, Dementia, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: War
Minor: Child death and Infidelity
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