Kazuo Ishiguro

A tale of lost memories, vengeance and war by the award-winning author of The Remains of the Day follows the experiences of a couple who journeys across a troubled land of mist and rain the hope of finding a son they have not seen in years.

The Buried Giant

Irina Nicula

Kazuo Ishiguro, one of my favourite writers, does not disappoint with this bittersweet fantasy-mythological novel. I had been postponing reading it for I am not one who enjoys love or fantasy novels and from reading the cover before buying it, this book seemed to be both. However, if I was to read such a book it would be one by a writer whose style and manner I trust completely. After all, he created Never let me go and The remains of the day, two books which, though utterly different from one another, will always stay with me. 

I believe I enjoyed it so much because the writing was so calming but yet exciting. The author does not create an unnerving suspense but a mystery that unfolds at a natural pace.
As for the characters, I believe they were beautifully built, and I found myself growing a fondness for sir Gawain and Wistan whose sense of honour was a constant reminder of the time of the novel. 
The mythological elements of Arthur, Merlin and Querig were also quite dear to me throughout the novel and I found myself becoming more and more interested in learning more about them once the book was finished. But of course, once it was finished all I could think about was the ending :).

All in all, to finish the second and longest review I've ever written, this book left me thinking about memory and how it makes us into who we are today.

y✦

✦ rly tugged at me after i closed the book
✦ heart-rending
✦ rich in symbolism
✦ explores the complex feelings of trauma in a fantasy arthurian setting
✦ 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵?
✦ historical revisionism 🙅🏻‍♀️

Maurice FitzGerald

Annabelle Gauthier

As elderly Briton couple Axl and Beatrice journey to visit the son they've not seen in years, they begin to remember the troubled past they share with their traveling companions--a Saxon warrior, his orphaned charge, and an illustrious knight.

altlovesbooks

”What kind of god is it, sir, wishes wrongs to go forgotten and unpunished?”


This is my third Ishiguro novel, with The Remains of the Day being my first and favorite, and Never Let Me Go being my second and incredibly lackluster in my opinion. I went into this not really knowing which of the two polarizing opposites I’d land on, but aside from some really poignant and heartwrenching scenes, this landed squarely in the middle for me. I feel like there’s really two separate ideas going on here, and I felt one of the stories was way more compelling/emotional than the other, which really impacted my overall enjoyment.

Spoilers follow.

(view spoiler)[The story starts out focusing on Axl and Beatrice, two elderly Britons living within a community they’ve been a part of for as long as they can remember. Unfortunately, their memories don’t go back all that far for mysterious, unclear (in the beginning) reasons. Things that recently happened often go forgotten, and things long in the past may only occasionally be faintly remembered. Despite the persistent memory problems, the two decide that they really need to visit their son in a village several days away, and set out to see him. Along the way they meet up with Edwin, a boy persecuted by his village for superstitious reasons and Wistan, a Saxon warrior who rescues Edwin and takes him under his wing to train him as a warrior. The small group happens along Sir Gawain (King Arthur’s nephew, for those keeping track), on a quest to slay the dragon Querig. Wistan also is there to slay Querig, at the behest of his Saxon king. Querig, as it turns out, is the cause of the widespread memory loss, and Gawain and Wistan find themselves at odds with each other over the slaying of the dragon.  (hide spoiler)]

The overall feeling of the book was melancholy and kind of dream-like. This wasn’t an easy read by any means, and there’s lots of symbolism, metaphors, and other literary elements to really chew through to get at what the book was trying to convey. I’m not even really sure I understand the significance of some portions, which is fine, I kind of like books that make me think. I will say that I was way more invested in the (view spoiler)[Axl/Beatrice story, as they struggled with their memory loss, their love for each other, and what is revealed to them about each other as it goes along (hide spoiler)] than I was the (view spoiler)[Wistan/Gawain story where one wants to slay the dragon and the other wants to protect it. Theirs was a distracting story, and I got bored/impatient with a lot of it (hide spoiler)]. The ending, though, was one heck of a payoff for the journey there. Incredibly emotional.

So I guess, 3.5 stars? Maybe? I’ll round it up to 4, just to put it in the middle of my ratings of Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day, but it’s a hard book to get into and not everyone wants that kind of work with their reading. Give it a shot if you’ve read other Ishiguro works, but I’d make it one of your last stops in his catalog.

'There's a journey we must go on, and no more delay...' The extraordinary new novel from the author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize winning The Remains of the Day The Romans have long since departed, and Britain is steadily declining into ruin. But at least the wars that once ravaged the country have ceased. The Buried Giant begins as a couple, Axl and Beatrice, set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen for years. They expect to face many hazards - some strange and other-worldly - but they cannot yet foresee how their journey will reveal to them dark and forgotten corners of their love for one another. Sometimes savage, often intensely moving, Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel in a decade is about lost memories, love, revenge and war.'Kazuo Ishiguro is an original and remarkable genius.' The New York Times'A master craftsman.' Margaret Atwood, Slate'The best and most original writer of his generation.' Susan Hill, Mail on Sunday

Wynter

Oh boy, this is the book that caused such uproar among Ishiguro fans! Before you pick up this novel, please believe me when I say this is going to be nothing like any of his previous work. So if you are resistant to change, you might want to skip this one. Don’t expect it to be The Remains of the Day, and definitely don’t think this is going to be the next Never Let Me Go. In fact this book won’t even be set in our own time or even plane of reality. On the surface of it all, The Buried Giant is essentially a fantasy novel.

Before you are going to throw in the towel though, let me assure you that The Buried Giant still has the impeccable prose and the craftsmanship one comes to expect from Ishiguro. If all fantasy novels were written like this, I wouldn’t struggle so much with the genre. Under its surface, there are philosophical musings and literary allusions, exploration of death and morality, and of course the heartbreaking finale that suddenly explains everything and leaves you breathless. I admire authors that take a step outside of their comfort zones, and Ishiguro surely made a leap here, even by his own standards. I enjoyed his work before, but now I’m really paying attention to this guy.

The story begins literally with a blank slate. We are introduced to the world where a strange calamity, referred to only as “the mist”, makes everyone forget most of their lives. The inhabitants of the village, where elderly Beatrice and Axl reside, go through the motions every day, each one not unlike the other, and never wonder why they cannot recall things that should never be forgotten. One day Beatrice vaguely remembers that the two of them have a son that lives in a different village, and convinces Axl to travel there so they could be together again. On their way they meet fascinating characters, including one from the Arthurian legends, and the peculiar boatman who just might be a more formidable figure than what’s revealed at first. As Beatrice and Axl remember more, and further details about “the mist” are revealed, so does the story unfold before the reader.

So you think you are not a fantasy reader? Do ogres and pixies turn you off from any book that dares to mention them? Never fear. These are just devices used to tell the same story of love and loss that any literary fiction utilizes, just packaged differently. Ishiguro comments on what it means to love your country and make cruel choices out of good intentions, and the neverending cycle of war and hate that plagues the world just by exploring an aging knight’s quest. He poses theological questions on merits of true love and eternity, by letting us join Beatrice and Axl on their journey across the country. He makes us wonder whether things are better left forgotten, and how memories affect who we are today and how we perceive the world before us. Combine it with masterful narration, and I don’t even know what else a reader might need to be happy with the book.While Tolkien might bring similar issues of turmoil and moral dilemmas in his work, Ishiguro’s fantasy is only a means to an end, and not the end in itself.

If you find comfort in fables, give this book a shot.
If you love deeply touching endings, give this book a shot.
If you enjoy authors who take chances, give this book a shot.

andi valdes

I couldn't even finish this book, I got to part III and I had to stop. While there must be some deep meaning and metaphor to everything, I was too tired to think about it or even try to make it out. It's awfully repetitive and I'm sad to say that Ishiguro's writing style was not to my liking.

Nick Gracilla

A surreal, meditative storyline drawn between Britons and Saxons in a recently post-Arthurian world, where our protagonists, Axl and his beloved wife Beatrice, set out on treacherous journeys to reunite with a lost son, to break free from a fog of forgetfulness, and to forgive themselves of their pasts. The dialogue, "alas," was not my cup of tea.

Kavana Anklekar 

"Yet are you so certain good mistress, you wish to be free of this mist? Is it not better some things remain hidden from our minds?"

It’s a shame that I had never heard of Kazuo Ishiguro until he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2017. But as they say, better late than never, right? The Buried Giant was the first Ishiguro book I stumbled across, during my new year book shopping spree at Crossword and so I picked it up without giving it much thought. It sat on my bookshelf for a while until I finally carried it along to accompany me on a short flight. But I managed to only read around three chapters before returning it back to it’s spot on the shelf. I usually find recording my reading process quite helpful as it gives me insight into the book’s structure and also puts into perspective the journey I shared with the book and the author. 

I found it difficult to immerse myself into the world of the Buried Giant early on. Set in England during the dark ages, this fantasy novel traces the journey of an elderly couple - Axl and his wife Beatrice ( whom he endearingly calls “princess”) as they set off on a journey to find their son. However, the past is clouded by a “mist” which robs them of their memories and the journey they embark on gently morphs into a test of their love and devotion towards each other. Along the way, they meet Wistan, the undefeated Saxon soldier, Edwin,a Saxon boy who bears a wound that banishes him from his own town and Sir Gawain, a brave knight and King Arthur’s very own nephew. All of them seem to be headed towards a common goal - to slay Querig, the dragon casting the veil of forgetfulness. 

Personally, I am not a fan of the fantasy-adventure genre and had I known that this book flirts with its boundaries, I may have never picked it up. However, Ishiguro’s Buried Giant is remarkably different. His style is that of an echo of a hauntingly beautiful poem. Throughout the novel, he explores the realm of memory and how it affects our relationships, not just with our own loved ones but also with those, whom prudence dictates to be our enemies. 

The novel is “gently paced.”. It needed time and quite a few pages to fully draw me in, but when it did, I found myself descending into a hypnotic trance as I became familiar with the strange world of the Britons and Saxons.This book doesn’t beckon you to discover anything, rather it asks for surrender, so that it can languidly lead you across the shore. My one complaint with the storyline is that at certain points in the story, the events do not seem to reflect what had been revealed to the reader earlier and it seems that they take place only because the author deemed it so.

“It remains in the mind long after being read.”, says Neil Gaiman, and it’s true, some of the scenes, especially the one in the early chapters revolving around Axl, Beatrice and the boatman stayed with me even after I picked up the book again after a few months. Thankfully, the scene is evoked once again at the end of the book and serves as a poignant end to the story.

This book has made me hungry for more of Ishiguro’s works. I have heard that he never writes the same book twice and so with each book I shall be met with a surprise. 

I’d recommend this book to those who’d love a heart warming journey back in time. However, if you are one of those who are more accustomed to fast paced thrillers, I wouldn’t be surprised if you abandoned the book after reading the first few pages.

Ashlyn

This story would probably be quite impactful as a film, but it didn't really resonate with me in book form. That said, the visual imagery was rich throughout much of the book. Overall this is not a novel I would rank among Ishiguro's best, but maybe I don't know enough Arthurian lore to fully appreciate it 🤷‍♀️

Jane McCullough

An extraordinary new novel from the author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize winning The Remains of the Day'You've long set your heart against it, Axl, I know. But it's time now to think on it anew. There's a journey we must go on, and no more delay...'The Buried Giant begins as a couple set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen in years.Sometimes savage, often intensely moving, Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel in a decade is about lost memories, love, revenge and war.

Chiara Malaspina di Orezzoli

Sul finale ho sbottato un “are you fucking kidding me” che riassume perfettamente lo sgomento del tempo perso dietro a queste pagine. Fingerò che The Buried Giant non sia mai stato scritto e quando ripenserò alla produzione di Ishiguro dimenticherò felicemente questo scivolone. Altro che nebbia magica e draghi.

*Kazuo Ishiguro's new novel Klara and the Sun is now available to preorder* An extraordinary novel from the author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize winning The Remains of the Day 'You've long set your heart against it, Axl, I know. But it's time now to think on it anew. There's a journey we must go on, and no more delay...' The Buried Giant begins as a couple set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen in years. Sometimes savage, often intensely moving, Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel in a decade is about lost memories, love, revenge and war.

Melody Izard

I love these dreamy allegorical books when they are well written. The mist of forgetfulness pushes around the words and can almost make you give up on the bumbling old man and woman who want to see their son and have had their candle taken away from them. I know there are people who hate this shit, but I love it.

Fantasy-verhaal over een ouder echtpaar dat in de nadagen van Koning Arthur op pelgrimstocht gaat om hun verloren en vergeten zoon te zoeken.

annette 

Ok so I really enjoyed the writing style and the world-building of this book, especially at the beginning. The world felt old yet different and futuristic in a way, and the mystery established kept me interested and engaged. The theme that probably interested me the most was about the comparison between forgotten pain causing happiness, and on the other hand, remembered truth being hard to accept. The use of historical events and then weaving them with fantasy elements I also quite liked.

I found myself always guessing at things, starting not to trust any of the characters, though they all appeared simple and sweet - there wasn't an awful lot of depth to them, and so I sort of stopped caring about them as people, which I guess could be blamed on the forgetting-mist. The interactions between characters felt a bit too plain at points, and the way the story wrapped up as a whole wasn't satisfying enough to me! I think I had too many questions that weren't answered, and, while I enjoyed all the plot points that were set up, some trailed off into an ambiguous half answer which was frustrating lol. Around the middle of the book, the dialogue and plot points started to get repetitive - their son is waiting for them, some memory of the war is coming back to them, people feel as if they're in a dream, let's have a civil conversation before fighting to the death, they don't want to be separated, voices are calling out to everyone, etc. etc.

3 stars because I did like the style and the mood that the book creates, just wish that it carried through the whole thing :D

From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and author of the Booker Prize–winning novel The Remains of the Day comes a luminous meditation on the act of forgetting and the power of memory. In post-Arthurian Britain, the wars that once raged between the Saxons and the Britons have finally ceased. Axl and Beatrice, an elderly British couple, set off to visit their son, whom they haven't seen in years. And, because a strange mist has caused mass amnesia throughout the land, they can scarcely remember anything about him. As they are joined on their journey by a Saxon warrior, his orphan charge, and an illustrious knight, Axl and Beatrice slowly begin to remember the dark and troubled past they all share. By turns savage, suspenseful, and intensely moving, The Buried Giant is a luminous meditation on the act of forgetting and the power of memory.

A novel

Ok so I really enjoyed the writing style and the world-building of this book, especially at the beginning. The world felt old yet different and futuristic in a way, and the mystery established kept me interested and engaged. The theme that probably interested me the most was about the comparison between forgotten pain causing happiness, and on the other hand, remembered truth being hard to accept. The use of historical events and then weaving them with fantasy elements I also quite liked.

I found myself always guessing at things, starting not to trust any of the characters, though they all appeared simple and sweet - there wasn't an awful lot of depth to them, and so I sort of stopped caring about them as people, which I guess could be blamed on the forgetting-mist. The interactions between characters felt a bit too plain at points, and the way the story wrapped up as a whole wasn't satisfying enough to me! I think I had too many questions that weren't answered, and, while I enjoyed all the plot points that were set up, some trailed off into an ambiguous half answer which was frustrating. Around the middle of the book, the dialogue and plot points started to get repetitive - their son is waiting for them, some memory of the war is coming back to them, people feel as if they're in a dream, let's have a civil conversation before fighting to the death, they don't want to be separated, voices are calling out to everyone, etc. etc.

3 stars because I did like the style and the mood that the book creates, just wish that it carried through the whole thing :D

The extraordinary new novel from the author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize winning The Remains of the Day The Romans have long since departed, and Britain is steadily declining into ruin. But at least the wars that once ravaged the country have ceased. The Buried Giant begins as a couple, Axl and Beatrice, set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen for years. They expect to face many hazards - some strange and other-worldly - but they cannot yet foresee how their journey will reveal to them dark and forgotten corners of their love for one another. Sometimes savage, often intensely moving, Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel in a decade is about lost memories, love, revenge and war.

Amanda Wells

I bought this book in an airport last year, and fell in love with its language very quickly. Nearly as quickly, I misplaced it... And thus, I took until now to finish reading it. When I picked it up again, I fell in love all over, and I conclude the same.

I need to think about this book before I write anything sensical about it. And I need to think about it from many angles. 

Three thoughts for now:
1. Wouldn't this make an excellent stage play?
2. Mists and thought, memory and connection...
3. YES I RECOMMEND IT.

Megan McMorran

This author knows no bounds. A parable, a fairy tale, a profoundly human story. 

Jemima Scott

I had really high expectations for this one but I was just disappointed 😢 

Rachel

I really enjoyed this book. There was a few parts that the story seems to lag but for the most part, it was beautifully written.

Anna Pinto

"An extraordinary new novel from the author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize winning The Remains of the Day. "You've long set your heart against it, Axl, I know. But it's time now to think on it anew. There's a journey we must go on, and no more delay. . ." The Buried Giant begins as a couple set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen in years. Sometimes savage, often intensely moving, Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel in a decade is about lost memories, love, revenge and war"--

Les Reynolds

Very unusual book. Seemed kind of like one of those artsy movies, where you get to the end and can appreciate the quality of it, but aren't sure you actually enjoyed it.

The Buried Giant

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