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The Works of Kazuo Ishiguro

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Post  Lis Fri Dec 02, 2011 10:51 am

I'm very sorry, I don't know whether this topic was there in the old forum, and if it has been discussed ad nauseam, or if there's no interest at all, so I'll just ... have to see.
Because I'd really care for other readers' takes and opinions on An Artist Of The Floating World! (As well as, obviously, Ishiguro's other books.)
I don't really remember how I came about Never Let Me Go, but I loved it so much that I made everybody that I have this kind of power over (...) read it. Apart from everything else, I just love Ishiguro's writing style! It is so elegant and, at first glance and in strong contrast to the subject, really unemotional and sober, which left me all the more stunned and devastated at the protagonists' yielding up to their fate! (I haven't seen the movie yet. The trailer came on when I went to the cinema with friends and we thought it looked really good. But then one of them watched it and was very disappointed, so I'm not sure if I'm going to at all. The actors all seemed very well cast).
Anyway, I got An Artist... at a station book stall and have for some reason only read it with interruptions on train rides. Now that I've finished it I'm really unsure as to what actually happened, and what the protagonist's role was at all! The reader obviously is supposed to take Ono's retelling of his story with a pinch of salt (he even says at several points in the book that he's not sure he's remembering something right, or whether people actually said the things he quotes them with) and some things I was confused about for a while when reading were cleared up later on, like the depth, or rather the concrete source of Kuroda's rancour towards Ono, and Setsuko's words that irritated her father so much. But in the end -what was Ono's actual role and influence? He seems to exaggerate or at least overemphasise other's praise or indebtedness to himself, but also *objectively* (as far as that's possible to assess) he has to have been very popular and well-respected, and made a successful career in fascist Japan-
What was the sisters' confusion as to his admission of guilt at the Miai about? How did that "really" go down? (Had he just imagined the tension and distrust (esp. by Taro's brother) and subsequent release in the general atmosphere during that meal?) Setsuko had asked him to take precautionary steps, hadn't she? Or why did Noriko's previous marriage negotiations fail? And the episode with Shintaro's recommendation letter? I'm probably being obtuse (long train ride behind me, after all!), but -help!

Lis

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Post  Auroura76 Sun Dec 04, 2011 3:16 am

I haven't read An Artist... but Remains of the Day is one of my favorite books. I haven't read it in ages though; you make me want to do a re-read!

I re-read Never Let Me Go earlier this year. Another great one. I love his writing style so much.

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Post  jcpdiesel21 Sun Dec 04, 2011 9:17 pm

I adore Kazuo Ishiguro's writing. It's so engaging and interesting! I loved Never Let Me Go and the story stayed with me a long time. When I first read the synopsis of The Remains of the Day I was expecting to be disappointed and bored by it, but I found it to be surprisingly engrossing.

Sadly, I have not yet read An Artist Of The Floating World. I need to read more of his work! Is he working on anything new? His last full-length novel was published way back in 2005.
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Post  whatthedeuce Sun Dec 04, 2011 10:18 pm

Never Let Me Go was so quiet and haunting and strangely tense. I didn't think I'd like it at all, but the writing was very elegant and had a subtle power.

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Post  puddingcup Mon Dec 05, 2011 12:19 pm

The Remains of the Day is one of my favorites. I love it so so much (the movie was good too). However, I have been meh on When We Were Orphans, The Unconsoled (couldn't even finish it), and Never Let Me Go. I should really go and read An Artist in a Floating World and A Pale View of the Hills.

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Post  Lis Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:52 am

Yay! Of course there are other fans here!

I should really go and read An Artist in a Floating World and A Pale View of the Hills.
Yes! Please do, and then give me your take, ahem.
Haven't read The Unconsoled yet, but I'm going to. I saw an interview with Ishiguro where he said he had to write it, because after An Artist... and The Remains of the Day he was getting "too cosy" in his writing, or something to that effect.
Sadly also haven't heard anything about a new novel.

Lis

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