The Buried Giant

By: Kazuo Ishiguro

Narrated by: David Horovitch

The extraordinary novel from the Nobel Prize-winning author of Never Let Me Go and 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.

©2015 Kazuo Ishiguro (P)2015 Faber Audio

Critic reviews

"A deeply affecting portrait of marital love." (Guardian)

"A beautiful, heart-breaking book." (Observer)

One of the best ones

It is good to read this book knowing little or nothing about it. Just know that it is good and it will take you on a journey.
And let it take you.
It is character-centric, so maybe don't set your expectations on game-of-thrones-like journey.
But for me this is a good thing.

You will learn about characters through conversations and their actions and not by explicit character thought dump. This is great - I felt like I was learning about them as they were learning about themselves. Sometimes, while seeing more, maybe I understood more. About them and perhaps also about myself and the world.

I highly recommended this one.

A book to treasure, a story to return to.

A masterful performance of a skillfully crafted story, rich in purpose and imagery. There is a compelling beauty in this universal theme of remembering and forgetting, of a personal quest and the soul's essential journey.

Exceptional

This book was dreamy and magical, with a light, deliberate pace. I don't think I understood all of the story's elements and themes, but I enjoyed it very much. It's really a love story.

A beautifully read allegory

Who was your favorite character and why?

The old couple Axl and Beatrice, because of their loving and respectful relationship.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene by the lake when they speak to the old lady.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the narrator's voice and the soothing and not too performative way of telling this story.

Disappointed

Ishiguro's creativity is fully alive here - but his imagined Dark Ages seem a bland place in this slow-paced, dreary tale.

Perfect performance wonderful story

Absolutely wonderful performance and enchanting, unusual and thought provoking story. I was very impressed by the reader. Will be thinking about the ins and outs of the novel and its themes for awhile!

great story, but very tiresome

great story, buy very tiresome. I struggled to finish, almost gave up a few times.

Masterful but not my favourite

I'm a big fan of Remains of the Day, as well as Klara and the Sun, and really I think Ishiguro has the most gorgeous talent for writing. I still loved his writing in this book. He has a way of capturing a mood, and expressing big ideas through small stories with incredible empathy, and without this ever feeling pithy or forced. The premise of the book is also very interesting and different, with a meaningful story that begs to be told. But despite all this, the book was a struggle to get through if I'm completely honest. I found myself drifting off a bit at times, disconnecting from the story and characters. I might return to it in a few years and see if I feel differently.