Reviews

I was really surprised by the deftness with which Ishiguro crafted this character, a narrative so different from his other, more famous novels. This perspective of patriotism in post war Japan from a retired artist is really interesting and the use of unreliable narration crafting a conflicted mindset — our narrator feels both guilty and proud of his past, asking how he must adjust the way he addresses his career in the wake of modern Japan’s attitude toward him, how this might have tangible effects for him family, too. Through lovely, meditative prose, Ishiguro poses these questions about patriotism, about choices one has made, about guilt and where it must be placed and where it manifests itself in the consciousness.

'Army officers, politicians, businessmen, Matsuda said.

They've all been blamed for what happened to this country.

But as for the likes of us, Ono, our contribution was always marginal. No one cares now what the likes of you and me once did. They look at us and see only two old men with their sticks.' He smiled at me, then went on feeding the fish. 'We're the only ones who care now. The likes of you and me, Ono, when we look back over our lives and see they were flawed, we're the only ones who care now!

kittykotzmiauw's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

annabel___m's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

3.75

adilmaster62's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

firistars's review against another edition

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2.0

I didn't enjoy this one. While there were parts that were interesting, the majority of the book was very vague and came across like the ramblings of an old man. The narrator was very unreliable and sexist and condescending. The jumps from year to year were super confusing as it would transition between sentences (despite the sections of the books being particular points in the narrator's life). It was also super confusing. I don't understand what happened at many points nor to certain characters. The narrator spent the whole book talking about how important he was to Japan's history and his recollections reflect this narrative, yet every other character tells him he's irrelevant so I have no clue what the truth of the matter is. Also, everyone was super passive aggressive. Definitely not what I was expecting and all around disappointing. 2 Stars

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