Nocturnes

Five Stories of Music and Nightfall

By: Kazuo Ishiguro

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Kirby Heyborne, Lincoln Hoppe, Simon Vance

From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and author of the Booker Prize–winning novel The Remains of the Day comes an inspired sequence of stories as affecting as it is beautiful.

With the clarity and precision that have become his trademarks, Kazuo Ishiguro interlocks five short pieces of fiction to create a world that resonates with emotion, heartbreak, and humor. Here is a fragile, once famous singer, turning his back on the one thing he loves; a music junky with little else to offer his friends but opinion; a songwriter who inadvertently breaks up a marriage; a jazz musician who thinks the answer to his career lies in changing his physical appearance; and a young cellist whose tutor has devised a remarkable way to foster his talent. For each, music is a central part of their lives and, in one way or another, delivers them to an epiphany.

©2009 Kazuo Ishiguro; (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

Reviews from the UK:

“A brilliant new book . . . Art, its dangers, its pains and its gaiety [are] all topics seriously considered in this accomplished book.”
–Frank Kermode, London Review of Books

“Spellbinding . . . Each of these stories is heartbreaking in its own way, but some have moments of great comedy, and they all require a level of attention that, typically, Ishiguro’s writing rewards . . . The final story [is] exquisite.”
–Observer

“By now it is clear that this exquisite stylist is serious in his pursuit of a minimal–perhaps even universal–mode of expression for the emotional experiences that define our lives as human. Nocturnes is a set of poised and playful reflections on the falling away of sentiment . . . These stories recall Ishiguro’s best known novel, The Remains of the Day. In their surreal touches they resonate with The Unconsoled. And in their deceptively simple exploration of love and loss, they build on the achievement of Never Let Me Go.”
–The Times

“It is hardly surprising that a writer as resonant, and as emotionally pitch-perfect, as Kazuo Ishiguro should be so keen on music . . . [The title story’s] set-up is so beautifully engineered that it left me simultaneously gasping in admiration and shaking with laughter.”
–Sunday Telegraph

“These stories come up on you quietly, in Ishiguro’s strangely weightless style [and] haunt you for days . . . A nocturne is a piece of music inspired by, or evocative of, the night . . . These little pieces could only be the work of a great composer.”
–Evening Standard

“Chopin is the composer most associated with the form [of the nocturne], bringing to it grace and beauty, fragility and poise, qualities conspicuous in this diverting collection of five stories by Kazuo Ishiguro . . . Serious as Ishiguro’s intentions surely are, in these well-tempered, witty and droll stories he is more playful than he has ever been.”
–Glasgow Herald

“Ishiguro’s volume has the quality of a song cycle, with recurring themes developed in different guises . . . They resonate long after the book is set aside.”
–Daily Telegraph

“It’s hardly surprising that the arrival of a new Ishiguro book makes a reader eager to pounce on it . . . The quintet consists of first person narratives and each one is likeable, original and succeed in sustaining the reader to the final word . . . There are echoes of Somerset Maugham. But Ishiguro, the most literary of writers, is seldom derivative. [He is] a canny writer who is cool, poised and well capable of shifting directions and shaping surprises . . . Somehow he manages to say a great deal about the business of being alive.”
–The Irish Times

A masterpiece

These stories were extremely moving for me, and most admirable. Especially the first story is haunting and the narration is spectacular, more than masterful.

Wow!

This is a wonderfully written and beautifully read collection of semi-related short stories by the acclaimed novelist Kazuo Ishiguro. The first story was so powerful I had to wait awhile before I listened to the next. The stories are about musicians, fame, (mis)communication, understanding and love. Of course, Ishiguro's use of "unreliable" narrators is a common factor. If you have enjoyed Ishiguro's prior works, you'll enjoy this.

Great material, average delivery

Though based on a common theme, there was a great diversity in storyline of each.

Deeply drawn insights into the Musician’s World

Ishiguro’s five tales embody the real purpose of Literary Fiction. There are no car chases, surprise plot twists, or gory crimes, but rather observations of the minds and hearts of finely drawn characters struggling to navigate their choices to survive in a challenging World.

He takes you into their reactions and feelings as they relate their various life moments in such a way that you can connect the dots to your own life. I am not a musician but I have had enough experiences around Music that I can appreciate the way Music can totally dominate every aspect of the working musician’s life, his struggles and triumphs. The simple stories in Nocturnes: sad, silly and sentimental, transport the reader into this uniquely touching universe.

Just where the serious reader of Fiction wants to go.
Four Stars. A very enjoyable experience.

Excellent

I highly recommend this set of short stories - wonderful prose, delightful tales, well performed .

Imaginative, well rendered stories, nicely performed

Each story is narrated by different people. These are imaginative, well rendered stories in Ishiguro’s understated style. Worth reading and these Audible performances lend much to one’s appreciation of character and dialogue.

Quaint stories wonderfully narrated

Loved everything about it. The stories are poignant and somehow cinematographic in their imagery. Narration by various voices brought it to life. Loved the humor and all the funny situations as well as the memorable characters.

Narrators miss the mark

These longish short stories are not necessarily Ishiguro's best works, but they all have a wistful charm and that inimitable style and show another side of this great author. However, most of the narrators try much too hard, and that spoils the subtle mood. Narrators need to suit the performance to the material. In this case (as with the superb narration of Klara and Never Let Me Go) the material calls for restraint. I suspect these readers either didn't really "get" the style, or let their egos take charge.

First of 5 stories so bad I quit there

Cynical does not equal sophisticated writung. The reading however, was a very fine performance. Not enthused about the writer.

Very Inferior Ishiguro Work

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I am mystified by the good reviews. I can't imagine anyone enjoying or being touched by these stories. To me, they had none of the depth, subtlety, and originality of his novels. I didn't care about any of the characters except the Italian musician.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

What didn’t you like about the narrators’s performance?

The narrator who read the Italian musician was very good, but the one who narrated the supposedly comedic (not) story had no comic timing, and the one who narrated the plastic surgery story read so slowly, it made you want to scream.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I have read all of Kazuo Ishiguro's novels and am a big fan, so I was very disappointed and also angry that I had wasted my time and money on this book.

Any additional comments?

Why is there an audiobook of this and not one of his masterpiece, Remains of the Day?