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bryanzhang's review against another edition
3.0
3.5, but the type that rounds down instead of up.
Ishiguro lends his somewhat surreal writing style to a fantastical Arthurian England beset by ogres, pixies, and dragons. His prose, and his dedication to period-relevant imagery, make for a colorful and rich reading experience.
Much like in an Arthurian knight's journey, our main characters, an aged couple, face various episodes as they travel in search of their son. It helps to approach the book not too seriously -- the episodes are rife with symbolic potential, which might just be another way of saying that they can be kind of confusing. I had a better reading experience once I just accepted that there were too many things to make sense of, and to just enjoy the ride.
If Ishiguro's execution on the setting was imperfect, it's forgivable considering he settled on it long after he came up with the idea for the central conceit, in which people and society at large are beset with a general amnesia. This pervasive forgetfulness plays nicely with a strategy to slowly reveal central missing plot points over the course of a book, and is complimented by Ishiguro's own subtleties and ambiguities in his writing.
With all this, Ishiguro gradually shifts focus from the hero's journey of finding their son, to the aged couple confronting the amnesia and slowly remembering their own past. However, similar to how I felt about Never Let Me Go, I was a little disappointed with Ishiguro's over-explanatory execution towards the end. He starts out flirting with surrealistic encounters that are pleasantly open-ended, but by the end, his handling of the setting becomes much looser as explicit depictions of mythical beasts and wizardry become commonplace.
Maybe I wouldn't mind this so much, if it didn't also end up playing into the actual explanation for the forgetfulness that the people experience. I'd have preferred if Ishiguro never explained it, rather than. As well, I didn't feel it was necessary for us to know .
Overall, I think Ishiguro has a lot of fun playing with the concept of amnesia in this Arthurian England setting, giving it an interesting sort of "Vladimir and Estragon" quality as characters are all prone to randomly forgetting things and trying to make sense of themselves. The Buried Giant is an engaging read, with some very interesting threads and qualities strung together by the loving labor of an extremely capable writer, but ultimately, I don't think it lives up to its full potential.
Ishiguro lends his somewhat surreal writing style to a fantastical Arthurian England beset by ogres, pixies, and dragons. His prose, and his dedication to period-relevant imagery, make for a colorful and rich reading experience.
Much like in an Arthurian knight's journey, our main characters, an aged couple, face various episodes as they travel in search of their son. It helps to approach the book not too seriously -- the episodes are rife with symbolic potential, which might just be another way of saying that they can be kind of confusing. I had a better reading experience once I just accepted that there were too many things to make sense of, and to just enjoy the ride.
If Ishiguro's execution on the setting was imperfect, it's forgivable considering he settled on it long after he came up with the idea for the central conceit, in which people and society at large are beset with a general amnesia. This pervasive forgetfulness plays nicely with a strategy to slowly reveal central missing plot points over the course of a book, and is complimented by Ishiguro's own subtleties and ambiguities in his writing.
With all this, Ishiguro gradually shifts focus from the hero's journey of finding their son, to the aged couple confronting the amnesia and slowly remembering their own past. However, similar to how I felt about Never Let Me Go, I was a little disappointed with Ishiguro's over-explanatory execution towards the end. He starts out flirting with surrealistic encounters that are pleasantly open-ended, but by the end, his handling of the setting becomes much looser as explicit depictions of mythical beasts and wizardry become commonplace.
Maybe I wouldn't mind this so much, if it didn't also end up playing into the actual explanation for the forgetfulness that the people experience. I'd have preferred if Ishiguro never explained it, rather than
Spoiler
hinting about a dragon for half the novel, and then it turns out there's a literal dragon that someone kills, ending the amnesiaSpoiler
exactly why the old couple ever feuded - though it provided some explanation for their son's absence, I still thought it felt a bit contrivedOverall, I think Ishiguro has a lot of fun playing with the concept of amnesia in this Arthurian England setting, giving it an interesting sort of "Vladimir and Estragon" quality as characters are all prone to randomly forgetting things and trying to make sense of themselves. The Buried Giant is an engaging read, with some very interesting threads and qualities strung together by the loving labor of an extremely capable writer, but ultimately, I don't think it lives up to its full potential.
owlenore's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moving, thoughtful, and subtle
mimu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
brian_alexander's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
raedanni's review against another edition
Couldn't finish this one. I only got to page 20 because Axl called Beatrice princess three times on EVERY DAMN PAGE. So annoying.
ttodd86's review against another edition
4.0
I wanted to like this book more than I did, and because of that (and possibly because I found Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go" to be such a moving read) I am still probably inflating its star rating. While this book gave me much to think about, I never really felt a need to care about the characters. A case could be made that this lack of a connection is Ishiguro's intent -- the characters suffer from a loss of memory that has robbed them of their connections to each other and themselves. However, while that type of writing can work at an academic-type level, and arguably could even be lauded as an accomplishment, it does not make for a necessarily enjoyable reading experience. Perhaps more importantly for someone who comes to Ishiguro seeking the type of emotional connection he has provided in the past, it ends up being more than a bit of a disappointment.
knockingonheavansbookstore's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
ktmcca's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
emmaliborski's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
"For I suppose there's there's some would hear my words and think our love flawed and broken. But God will know the slow tread of an old couple's love for reach other, and understand how black shadows make part of its whole."