Reviews

When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

theromanticace's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

jeanette1120's review

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adventurous challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

dansquire's review

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

hieronymusbotched's review against another edition

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3.0

Some awfully good writing that ultimately outstrips its unfulfilled premise.

The epilogue, as such, is the worst offender, finally transforming what was a compellingly warped nostalgia into a saccharine floss.

Bizarrely enough, one of the few novels where I think another 80 odd pages would have actually benefitted it immensely. The character's mental state changes too much in too short a time in the back half of the novel for the effect to feel credible, and not just like someone tried to 'clean' a VHS tape with melted enamel before shoving it in the player.

...okay, so, if not 80 pages, then an editor willing to say "I don't think a tetchy monologue from the villain really belongs in this kind of book," or at least "our protagonist has been more visibly upset with cab drivers in the novel than he is with the bad guy and his shallow reveal."

Saying all this, I realise WWWO is really 2 stars, not 3, but the writing is so clean I didn't notice how unfulfilled I was until the end... which is also Ishiguro's thesis. Success?

I don't know.

But no.

Whatever your take away from the above, just please don't make this your first Ishiguro.

pannika's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A few sections dragged for me a little, but the good parts were absolutely mesmerising and gripping. Oh my - the scenes with the boyhood friend in the shattered backstreets of Shanghai were so real, that I could feel myself there. I found the conclusion understated but all the more touching because of this. I loved the use of the pet name for the main protagonist - that just rang so true and touched me so viscerally (as we use pet names in my family).

This is my first Ishiguro so I'm still finding my feet with him.  Decided not to start with his most well-known books, as I felt I already knew too much about the plots through osmosis / through film / TV. But perhaps this decision was a mistake. Nonetheless, I'm glad I experienced this book - the good parts have come to mind repeatedly. Thank you Mr Ishiguro.

motifenjoyer's review

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mysterious reflective

4.0

 "And a cold fury rose within me towards Mei Li, who for all the fear and respect she had commanded from me over the years, I now realised was an impostor: someone not in the least capable of controlling this bewildering world that was unfolding all around me; a pathetic little woman who had built herself up in my eyes entirely on false pretences, who counted for nothing when the great forces clashed and battled. I stood in the doorway and stared at her with the utmost contempt." 

cemoses's review

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4.0

This book had some unexpected twists.

threethousandducats's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

aphourra's review

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adventurous mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

sage21's review

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2.0

Ishiguro, what is this.

It’s a good book for anyone else but a fail for you.