A Pale View of Hills

By: Kazuo Ishiguro

Narrated by: Roe Kendall

From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and author of the Booker Prize–winning novel The Remains of the Day

Here is the story of Etsuko, a Japanese woman now living alone in England, dwelling on the recent suicide of her daughter. In a novel where past and present confuse, she relives scenes of Japan's devastation in the wake of World War II.

A Rich Tapestry....

Ishiguro delicately weaves a story with present tense narrative and flashbacks, bringing the grief of a suicide alongside the ravages of WWII. A great addition to Japanese literature.

Hmmmm

Very engaging novel. Etsuko is an unreliable narrator but she’s interesting. I read this for a book challenge; published the year you were born (1982). The plot was strange and didn’t flow well, the ending was strange for sure.

The Mother's description of the past and present. Coming to my own conclusion about the story.

The narrator was very good. I was drawn in immediately and the story kept my attention the entire time. I could feel her concern and love for her friend and her friend's daughter, and I had to know more about what happened to her daughter.

Moments of shocking possibilities in tedious read

I wanted to love this early novel of our latest winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. I can see that the writing is extraordinary. The various interpretations seem brilliant. Unfortunately, however, I struggled with boredom during long sequences, particularly those having to do with Agata-San. It's possible that the unpleasant voice used by the narrator for this one character was a factor. Otherwise, I thought her performance was excellent.

Great narrator but boring plot

I loved the performance / voice of the woman who narrates this, however I found the plot altogether boring compared to Ishiguro’s other works