When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

When We Were Orphans

Kazuo Ishiguro

368 pages • first pub 2000 (editions)

fiction historical literary emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Description

England, 1930s. Christopher Banks has become the country's most celebrated detective, his cases the talk of London society. Yet one unsolved crime has always haunted him; the mysterious disappearance of his parents, in Old Shanghai, when he was a ...

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Community Reviews Summary of 2,865 reviews

Moods

mysterious 73%
reflective 65%
emotional 48%
sad 36%
adventurous 31%
dark 27%
challenging 20%
tense 19%
informative 6%
hopeful 5%
inspiring 3%
relaxing 1%

Pace

slow 59%
medium 38%
fast 2%

Plot- or character-driven?

A mix: 47% | Character: 38% | Plot: 14%

Strong character development?

Yes: 43% | It's complicated: 28% | No: 27%

Loveable characters?

It's complicated: 41% | No: 35% | Yes: 21% | N/A: 1%

Diverse cast of characters?

Yes: 57% | No: 26% | It's complicated: 13% | N/A: 2%

Flaws of characters a main focus?

Yes: 52% | It's complicated: 22% | No: 21% | N/A: 3%

Average rating

3.45

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Content Warnings

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