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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I still have pretty much no idea what to think of this. I still have no idea why Ryder was in Germany, or maybe England? I still don't know why he had a kind of step son, who any of the people were, or what the big disaster was. Yet somehow I made it to the end, and didn't hate it. I do feel like the entire novel may be a pretty accurate depiction of how it feels to be in the early stages of Alzheimer's.
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
I was sure I would give this book 5 stars 30 pages in, but I expected it to give me some kind of closure in the end about everything that was going on and it didn’t (typical for Ishiguro) so I’m sticking to 4.75
I can’t say that I didn’t love it tho. The story was so weird and dream like and immersive that I couldn’t put it down. Even though I’m lost as fuck as to what the point of it was, it was a delight to read. I felt like I was dreaming along with the protagonist.
Also the narration was like nothing I’ve read - so interesting!!! It went from him narrating his own thoughts to narrating other people’s thoughts even though he had no way of knowing them (and was also not at all influenced by them) very very seamless style I loved it
I can’t say that I didn’t love it tho. The story was so weird and dream like and immersive that I couldn’t put it down. Even though I’m lost as fuck as to what the point of it was, it was a delight to read. I felt like I was dreaming along with the protagonist.
Also the narration was like nothing I’ve read - so interesting!!! It went from him narrating his own thoughts to narrating other people’s thoughts even though he had no way of knowing them (and was also not at all influenced by them) very very seamless style I loved it
mysterious
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Boiii this was hard.
I… can’t really say what I’ve just read. I can’t describe what it was about, the character’s goals and motivations and what the author wanted to say with his book.
The whole time reading this monstrosity I was forced into following the main character in his footsteps, as he walked along a town located in… who knows where… and listen to his excuses such as “I’m busy”, “I don’t have time”, “excuse me, but I’m in a hurry” and so on. And me having an experience with similar excuses, i despise such people.
Now, let’s discuss the characters, as there are actually some characters that exist in the book, unlike a clear plot.
…
That’s pretty much all I can say about the characters. No, but to be real here, I didn’t care for any of the people in this book. Seriously. Not even one. All of them were just old flat boring pieces of cardboard with little to no goals and motivations. I could perhaps point out only Brodsky – a horny alcoholic who likes to discuss his sexual fantasies for two or three pages straight (seriously man, get some serious help!) and Boris, who wasn’t a bad character, just… plain. Same as all of them.
But the worst thing? Ryder. Why? Because since he’s the main character who recounts his story to us readers, we have to spend the whole time with this annoying piece of bland cardboard for the entire 535 pages. Seriously, I wouldn’t even find out that he’s “aN iMpOrTaNt PiAn1sT” because, throughout the whole book, he DOESN’T PLAY PIANO ONCE! Oh wait, there is one moment in the second half of the book (pg. 356) where he DOES play a piano OH wait no, there is no description of that. We are only told that he’s about to practice the piano (which is another huge problem of the book, the author constantly utilizes the “tell, don’t show” rule) but then, he’s interrupted by something more interesting and “important”, apparently – Mr. Brodsky burying his late dog.
Wow. And that is what keeps you busy? Really? Congrats. Applause.
Ryder always procrastinates by telling a person he’s talking to “I’m busy, I can’t speak with you now” for many pages and then encounters another person whom he talks with for another couple of pages before repeating the same process again and again. Seriously, I developed a huge resentment against this character for his lack of character.
And the dia(mono)logues are something out of the ordinary… whole unstoppable tirade going across multiple pages with less than zero information. In many of such passages, I just stopped paying attention at all and didn’t care to go back and reread this shit tone of vomit. Add the unrealistic way they are talking to that, and you get a full book of constant vomit.
That also reminds me, since Ryder retells this story from his perspective, how can he know what all the other characters were thinking about? For real, the book is written in the 1st POV, but Ryder can read the others’ minds since he tells us what was on their minds. suspicious
Also, in the second half of the book, more towards the end of it, arises a discussion of a “very important show” where Ryder will be playing on piano in front of his parents. If I remember correctly, there was no mention of his parents in the first half of the book, while in the second half they suddenly became so important. But SIKE, Ryder doesn’t even take part in this “important show.” And the consequences? NONE. Or wait, I’m sorry, Ryder again goes on to his typical “I have some other business now, I will be leaving for Helsinki, I hAv3 nO tTiMeee.” And his parents? Nothing. They were just mentioned there just to… be mentioned.
And the ending? There is none.
There are few reviews printed on the book literally praising it. I’ve read some people reviewing that this book was most probably very hard to write for the author. I don’t know, maybe it’s me who’s dumb and did not understand the extensive reach and psychology of the writer. But it’s already a second book I’ve read by Ishiguro, and so far I only had bad impressions of his style.
Still want to give two of his books a chance, but otherwise, Ishiguro is dead in my eyes and ears.
note: i borrowed this book from a library and the person who was reading this book before me left many question marks in it. im not surprised.
crying note: i seem to have bad luck with books lately…
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
why doesn't time feel this long for me
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I ADORE (to the nth power) this stupendous nightmare of a book! Possibly my favorite book ever. Ishiguro captured the grammar of dreaming so perfectly, that I couldn’t tell the difference between reading and dreaming. The way he strings together these over-the-top characters and bizarre events made me feel like I was sleepwalking through the pages. The absurd (and hilarious) actions performed by the characters, the long monologues of seemingly no importance, the lapses in memory, the surreal landscapes and props, the bending of time and space, the constant redirection and re-redirection of our attention to the never ending list of tasks of utmost importance only to be interrupted by even more tasks causing the characters and reader incredible frustration - PERFECTION!
Fantastic. This really was a journey from beginning to end and I'm not sure exactly where it ended up but I'm not sure it matters.