The Buried Giant

A Novel

By: Kazuo Ishiguro

Narrated by: David Horovitch

Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

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 nearly a decade is about lost memories, love, revenge, and war.

©2015 Kazuo Ishiguro (P)2014 Random House Audio

Fiercely sublime

Would you listen to The Buried Giant again? Why?

Definitely. Partly to revisit the characters and get some of the nuance of the story that I'm sure I missed the first go around - mostly for Horovitch.

What did you like best about this story?

It's constant pace. It's doesn't have to hit you in the face. Axl and Beatrice are on a journey, the subtext of the journey is delivered subtly and on the way. It's not flight butressed by essays, but a nice walk; a full and satisfying walk.

What about David Horovitch’s performance did you like?

He's a master. If you want to learn about yourself if you're the kind of person who'd like audiobooks, start with this; If you don't, you won't. It doesn't get better than this. The character changes are effortless and real. I've started to search for books to try not by author, but by clicking on this narrator.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Every ounce of dialog from Axl. Start to finish.

Heartfelt and enchanting.

The narrator was on point. The tale met my expectations as an Ishiguro classic. A world of good old fashioned ogres, dragons, pixies and the like. A world filled with chivalry and hostility. Wonderfully setting off the characters. I feel like was the haunting ending. Very much recommended. A world I will be happy to return to many times.

Not particularly successful

This book is often referred to as a fantasy novel, but in my opinion it bears very little resemblance to fantasy. I'd describe it as a philosophical novel with a few fantastic and mythical elements. The concept is good, the questions asked are valuable, but the execution, while often beautifully written, is so labored and dialogue-heavy that it only occasionally gets off the ground.

So much of the book is in dialogue, and there is so much repetition, that although events are happening to the characters, it feels as though nothing is happening. The fantastic elements have little weight and are almost beside the point. The book's truth could have been discovered as well if it had concerned an elderly couple living today, experiencing the memory loss that frequently comes with advanced age.

The author asks good questions: is the love between two people still valid if they can't remember their past? Is peace between peoples desirable or meaningful if it is based on their inability to remember their arguments and their wars? They are excellent questions, but this is a long, labored, roundabout way of exploring them.

The narration is excellent.

I missed the meaning of the ending.

Amazing story and performance. What happened at the end? Am I just lame? Help me out here, someone. Appreciate it.

sad but beautiful story.

the ending is rather dark which leaves me appreciative and yet saddened. I loved it, even as it has depressed me. well acted by the narrator.

Chaucerian allegory to summon in the Saxon Age

This is an intriguing novel, lyrical and repetitive in the telling. I can understand the comparisons to Tolkein's intentions. Old England and its lore is a deep study and there's fascinating aspects and allegories throughout the book. But as a whole it also suffers from its repetitive style and placing vagueness intentionally at the core of its plot.

A sad, evocative and faulty work, at the same time an endearing and sentimental journey. A road trip that's in some ways reminiscent of the Canterbury Tales.

An average fairy tale

An old style fairy tale, with dark twists.
All a bit average, in writing and narration.
Didn't like the end.

Good narration, OK story.

Narrator Review: I'm an American, so, any time a guy with a British accent reads something, I think it's top notch. Mr. Horovitch's accent did not disappoint. His cadence and varied voices (without using a falsetto to read the women's parts) made the story easy to follow. The performance and reading itself was unassailable. However, Mr. Horovitch was born in 1945, which means he is probably *just* a bit younger than our very forgetful main characters. Since I struggled with the characters and the plot already (see below), for me, the voice added a layer on top of it like when your grandpa is telling a story with EXTRA. irrelevant background. Again - not his fault, he can only read the words on the paper. But, it just contributed to my overall dissatisfaction.

Spoiler free story review: The problem with writing a story about folks who have lost their memory is that it is very difficult to craft a narrative wherein those people have anything to say. Our main characters are an elderly couple struggling in a nation where everyone is affected by some bizarre memory loss. The plot meanders (since all the characters are suffering from some degree of memory loss), words and phrases are repeated, and much of the book is spent with the characters explaining things to other characters. A lot of the time, these things are things the reader already understands - unless he or she also suffers from magical memory loss.

It makes for a dreary story that feels stilted, unsettled, and, well, unfinished. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end to this story and, for that, I will give it two stars. But, I found myself checking for how much was left of this book quite a bit.

Last point: Does anyone have a count of how many times Axl says "Princess"? I get that we have pet names for our loved ones, but, this felt over the top.

Enigmatic fable of ancient England

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

David Horovitch's performance is wonderful, really brings the story to life. I am not a fan of fantasy, but was enthralled by immersion in this world of dragons, pixies, knights and strange mists that cause memory loss. I have been bingeing on Ishiguro lately -- loved The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, didn't much like When We Were Orphans. This I would put in the "like" category. It is vividly described and the characters are well-drawn and sympathetic (though, as other readers have noted, Axl's incessant use of "Princess" every time he addresses his wife Beatrice gets very tiresome).

If you’ve listened to books by Kazuo Ishiguro before, how does this one compare?

It is beautifully narrated, as were The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, though by different performers.

What about David Horovitch’s performance did you like?

I liked his different accents for the Britons and the Saxons (Wistan sounds Swedish, as befits the Nordic Saxons). And his different vocal qualities for the various characters, male and female, were well done.

If you could rename The Buried Giant, what would you call it?

The Mist of Forgetting

Any additional comments?

I am pondering the ending. It dropped off a cliff and left me dangling. There is a great and building sense of melancholy as the novel moves into its last phase. At the end I was not sure whether to trust the boatman's promises, his reassurances. Clearly Axl seems to profoundly doubt. I think this is one I will reread in print, to study the clues to its overall meaning that I'm sure Ishiguro has carefully planted.

Not what I expected

This reads like an allegory rather than a fantasy. There's a lot of exposition and telling of what the characters are doing. And the man in the book calls his wife "princess" so often that it becomes
annoying and overdone and a little bit off putting. Not my favorite of his books.