Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall in Pick-a-Shelf

Jan 09, 2012 Mmars rated it liked it

I've been ruminating over this book for a week or so and remain conflicted in my opinion of it. For me, musical nocturnes conjure up many moods and emotions - everything from calm and brooding to lush and mysterious. Normally a nocturnes contains difficult arpeggios and full chords and requires a pianist of considerable skill for the piece to be played well.

I have not decided whether Ishoguro's stories achieve this for me. Mainly I expected word complexity (arpeggio). But the language was quite ...more

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Feb 28, 2011 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, short-stories

Each of the five stories in this book is a slice of life, with a (different) musician as the central character, the 1st-person narrator. But I'm not sure what the "and nightfall" of the subtitle refers to. Sure, there are some relationship breakdowns, and a number of people whose lives are not going the way they'd hoped. But I did not find any of them to be particularly dark. I love how Ishiguro's writing seems so simple and straightforward, but at the same time takes you deep inside the charact ...more

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Aug 23, 2021 Anisha rated it really liked it

Really enjoyed it. He is so famous for his novels but this set of short stories were wonderful. All with the themes of travel and music and managing to create a great atmosphere. https://fashionandfrappes.com/everyth... ...more

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Aug 18, 2010 Charles rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Sure, sure. The writing is careful, the conversations mostly natural, the settings plausable. Unfortunately, the stories are, without real exception, not very interesting; the endings hurried and unsatisfying. In summary, I don't see myself recommending this book to anyone. Including you, Dear Reader. ...more

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