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Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall
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Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall
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Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall
Audiobook6 hours

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

One of the most celebrated writers of our time gives us his first cycle of short fiction: five brilliantly etched, interconnected stories in which music is a vivid and essential character.

A once-popular singer, desperate to make a comeback, turning from the one certainty in his life . . . A man whose unerring taste in music is the only thing his closest friends value in him . . . A struggling singer-songwriter unwittingly involved in the failing marriage of a couple he's only just met . . . A gifted, underappreciated jazz musician who lets himself believe that plastic surgery will help his career . . . A young cellist whose tutor promises to "unwrap" his talent . . .

Passion or necessity-or the often uneasy combination of the two-determines the place of music in each of these lives. And, in one way or another, music delivers each of them to a moment of reckoning: sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, sometimes just eluding their grasp.

An exploration of love, need, and the ineluctable force of the past, Nocturnes reveals these individuals to us with extraordinary precision and subtlety, and with the arresting psychological and emotional detail that has marked all of Kazuo Ishiguro's acclaimed works of fiction.


From the Hardcover edition.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 22, 2009
ISBN9780739381779
Unavailable
Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall
Author

Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro nació en Nagasaki en 1954, pero se trasladó a Inglaterra en 1960. Es autor de ocho novelas –Pálida luz en las colinas (Premio Winifred Holtby), Un artista del mundo flotante (Premio Whitbread), Los restos del día (Premio Booker), Los inconsolables (Premio Cheltenham), Cuando fuimos huérfanos, Nunca me abandones (Premio Novela Europea Casino de Santiago), El gigante enterrado y Klara y el Sol– y un libro de relatos –Nocturnos–, obras extraordinarias que Anagrama ha publicado en castellano. En 2017 fue galardonado con el Premio Nobel de Literatura.

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Reviews for Nocturnes

Rating: 3.5127450980392156 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Five short stories that hover between the real and the hallucinatory. Musicians and lots of buried rage. Ishiguro's usual stream of unreliable narrators are more unhinged than usual in this uneven collection.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The premise: ganked from BN.com: A once-popular singer, desperate to make a comeback, turning from the one certainty in his life . . . A man whose unerring taste in music is the only thing his closest friends value in him . . . A struggling singer-songwriter unwittingly involved in the failing marriage of a couple he’s only just met . . . A gifted, underappreciated jazz musician who lets himself believe that plastic surgery will help his career . . . A young cellist whose tutor promises to “unwrap” his talent . . .Passion or necessity--or the often uneasy combination of the two--determines the place of music in each of these lives. And, in one way or another, music delivers each of them to a moment of reckoning: sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, sometimes just eluding their grasp.My RatingWish I'd Borrowed It: if you're interested in Ishiguro's work, don't start here, not even if you're a fan of music. These tales never have a strong resolution on any note (pun intended), and the unifying factors quickly made the stories predictable and stale. The writing did not enchant or delight me, whereas I was glued to the voice used in Never Let Me Go. Part of the problem is that pretty much all of the narrators in these stories are selfish, whiny men, and let's face it, whether they're brilliant artists or not, I just don't have the patience to read a slice of their life. I'm not going to let this collection sour me on Ishiguro's work as a whole, but I will pay closer attention to reviews of his work in the future. I should've listened to them for this one, but no... I thought I knew better, since I used to be a music major. ;) 'Fraid not. This is pretty forgettable, whereas Never Let Me Go still sticks with me.Review style: to be honest, there's really not that much to spoil, and I feel no urge to do a story-by-story review either. So if you're interested in the full review, you're welcome to check it out at my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)REVIEW: Kazuo Ishiguro's NOCTURNESHappy Reading!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Nocturnes is my first foray into Ishiguro's writing, which I've been meaning to try out for some time, and I wasn't disappointed. I really enjoy his story-telling style, which is introspective but unpretentious.I really enjoy how Nocturnes uses various relationships with music to define and identify these characters, and to the author's credit, it's not difficult to get pulled into each narrative.Having said all of that, I was very close to giving Nocturnesfour stars instead of three, because while the book is interesting, it didn't ever captivate me. My consideration for four stars was on account of appreciating Ishiguro's smooth writing, and attention to emotion. The music is apparent throughout, but it's only in reading each story that you realize very little of this entails a literal, but a metaphorical nightfall.But ultimately, the only reason it took me over a month for this quick read is because I had to make myself finish it before moving on to the next thing.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Delightful stories
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Just finished this on audio. I really enjoyed this collection, read by various narrators. Some reviewers here argue not much happens in these stories, but I disagree. Not every story is about action or events. Sometimes the insight into human behaviour, emotions and decisions can be fascinating in its own right. That is what these stories seem to be about to me. This is my first Ishiguro and as others point out he is a talented writer. I recommend it.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I was disappointed in the five stories. This man certainly has music knowledge, so must also be a musician. The second story was particularly lacking in plot development. I have been a fan of Ishiguro, so will hope future works display his usual talent.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Ishiguro writes his novels with rare power and grace. In the short story form, this power is diluted but still definitely there. The stories in this collection are linked by music, by failing relationships and by failing careers. The tales all play in a minor key; even the comedic sections are farce rather than sprightly wit. A has-been singer engages a younger guitarist to serenade his wife, but not for the reasons the guitarist thinks. A man finds that his old college friends think of him- *need* to think of him- as a loser, with his taste in music his only redeeming quality. A singer/songwriter finds himself in the middle of the marital discord of a couple he’s only just met. A cellist is tutored by a self declared virtuoso cellist with a secret. A gifted jazz musician who has never gotten a break lets himself be convinced that a new face will solve his career problems. Simple ideas, but made into stories with depth and insight.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Ishiguro's stories lack significance and resolution, and his descriptions and characterizations are straightforward and artless. Not bad compared to most of what passes for fiction these days, but I expected more based on my reading of _A Pale View of Hills_. I'm holding out hope for _The Remains of the Day_.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    His stories just have a nice flow and are so wonderful to read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of my favorite short story collections for sure. I love his writing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have been a fan of Ishiguro for many years and I had been curious how he would handle short fiction. Not surprising, he also does this well, but I think the novel form is his best approach. These 5 loosely linked stories are mostly about individuals trying to find their place in the world and music plays a big part of these. Most of these main characters are musicians. Ishiguro seems to have deep understanding of music and how it is made.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    At times funny, at times tragic, but always beautiful, these five stories about people who make music will sweep you up into the drama of everyday life. I enjoyed each one and together they have a certain beautiful harmony.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    If you like Ishiguro's pristine prose style, and his subtle plots--in which every nuanced dialog keeps the reader anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop--then you'll love these stories. These are the first stories I've ready by Ishiguro (I don't know if he has published any others) and the storytelling style, here, is a lot like his novel, Never Let Me Go.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Ishiguro's latest is a series of five stories, written consecutively, about music and nightfall. While I wouldn't say this is his best it certainly fulfills any expectations I had of a master storyteller and he even adds something new to this collection - humor of a kind not seen from him before.Each tale revolves around a musician or music lover with one character from the first story reappearing in the title one. As always with Ishiguro there is an underlying feeling of bittersweetness, in this case mostly to do with the aging process and/or the erosion of talent, ambition, or purity over time. What sets some of these stories apart from the rest of his work is the comedy he introduces in at least two stories. Normally Ishiguro's humor is far subtler and sardonic. He has at least two scenes in this book which required the kind of set up P. G. Wodehouse is known for and the action sequences would make Dave Barry proud." 'It's all right. It's all right. It's a man.' There was a pause, then he said: 'I thought for a moment it was something else. But it's a man. With a bandaged head, wearing a night-gown. That's all it is, I see it now. It's just that he's got a chicken or something on the end of his arm.' "In order to appreciate that you have to read the entire story but suffice to say I was laughing my head off at this point. And yet with a skilled hand Ishiguro also makes this story as poignant as the best he has written.The last story is also quite funny but more in keeping with Ishiguro's usual style of humor and follows up on a theme he used in The Unconsoled. I read these stories in one night (nocturnes - duh). This is a lovely book with the unexpected fillip of the new humor.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    While not bad, this book of short stories wasn't memorable or interesting enough to highly recommend. I bought this collection because I had so enjoyed Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go but these stories, although well written, didn't offer much.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Okay, I am NOT a short story fan. I always feel unsatisfied with short stories. Just when it is getting interesting, the story is over.

    Nocturnes has it's moments. Well-written, weaving an interesting theme of music and important moments in life, of choices made an consequences. For the short length, Mr. Ishiguro provides a good insight into his characters.

    But at the end of each story, I kept wanting to know what happened next? Where did Ray end up after saving the marriage of his (not very nice) friends? Did Lindy remarry? Did Gardner make a comeback? Was Tibor a failure or did he just look that way to his old colleagues?

    If you like the venue, I think you will really enjoy these stories.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Edited 24.07.14:

    Way too slow-paced and subtle to keep me focused on the stories.

    Proper review to follow. Maybe. Or not.

    Suffice it to say that some authors can pull off short stories but are not great at novels, and some are great novelists but struggle to deal with the confines of the short story format. Very few can do both.

    I love Ishiguro as a novelist.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked the listening very much, because before each of the five stories started there was music suitable for the story itself and the stories were very interesting. They are all related to each other because the relationship between the protagonists has to do something with music or were unfulfilled. Sometimes they were sad but also full of love for each character. There were also funny moments and situations where I could snort with laughter.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This collection of short stories by Ishiguro is united by the theme of music. Two of the stories share characters; the others are stand-alones. As in most collections of this nature, some stories are more enjoyable than others. "Crooner" was probably the most enjoyable. "Nocturne" was the story with the same characters as "Crooner", but it was less enjoyable than the first. I also enjoyed "Malvern Hills" The stories read quickly and were overall a pleasant way to pass time.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This was 5 separate short stories, two of which have a common character. They were each narrated by a different person and involve music and some form of shift or change in someone's life. Not necessarily the narrator's life, it could be that they were involved in a point of change in someone else's life. The first was quite sad, about an aging crooner and his wife who had decided to split (we'll he'd decided they;d split) for the sake of his career, this was narrated by a young musician who's mother had listened to the crooner's records in his younger days. The second was a trifle silly, with a pair of university friends who had married and were now having trouble in their relationship inviting a third (the narrator) to stay. involving a diary and a recipe for wet dog, this was not terribly convincing. The third involves a young man trying to make his way as a songwriter and guitarist. He's staying (rent free) with his sister and not pulling his weight, when he meets a Swiss couple. The initial meeting doesn't go well and he ends up recommending a really awful hotel to them. They meet again later and discover a shared interest in music. The couple have quite different outlooks on life and are clearly having some difficulties in their relationship and that with their son. Lots to reflect on in this one. The forth was a bit on the odd side again. A jazz saxophinist has plastic surgery at the expense of his wife's new bloke, and finds himself in an hotel room next to Lindy Gardner, who's on her third face operation. There's little to do when you're swathed in bandages like a mummy (does that really happen?) and Lindy has taken to wondering the halls of the hotel at night. It gets a little more bizarre when the awards for Jazz musician of the year are due to be held in the hotel and the trophy goes missing... Almost farcical at times, I remain unsure what to make of this one. The last one involves a cellist who meets a woman who professes to know what he needs to make him really great and so she tutors him - but ithout once playing the cello herself. turns out she's convinced she's a virtuoso cellist, but hasn't played since she was 11 - determined not to harm the gift she was born with. I was left with a sense of the fraudulent and the hope that she hadn't ruined the young man - but the chatter of the other musicians didn't bode well on that score. I think the best I can do on this selection is that it was OK. None of them were standout good, all of them had some unrealistic elements, some were entirely unrealistic. Not sure the short story format suits him, the other novels of his I've read were far more finely crafted.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Mr Ishiguro's writing is the best I have ever come across, he is simply the best, he won Booker's prize for 'the remains of the day' and he deserves the Nobel and the Pulitzer too, I hope he wins it. The book, as the title suggests, is made up of five short stories. All the heros are musicians, they are nostalgic about the past. Also the others characters talk about their lost love and ended marriages. There some humour mixed with sadness. As usual, there is pcshycological depth in the stories. For those who loved "Remains of the Day", you will not be disappointed. In my opinion, starting from Ishiguro's second part of his literary life, he is more mature, talking about universal topics and not limited to Japan like in the first books. He is really wonderful and sublime.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a collection of five completely independent stories with two common themes: music and a reorientation in the personal outlook. Though each is rather short, all of them manage to give an insight in complex relationships and subtle changes of mood and future developments. Each has a distinctly different setting. A very nice read and a well done audio with a different speaker for each story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    this will take you like 2 hours to read. it's a slim short story collection (more like a song cycle than anything else). the three middle stories are excellent: "come rain or come shine" is hilarious, almost farcical, but also a little melancholy. What I like most is that Ishiguro doesn't really seem to have contempt for his characters the way that some other authors do. The characters are self-absorbed, ignorant, and careless, but they don't deserve our hatred. The bookjacket actually describe it best: we root for the characters because even as their "youthful hopes recede", they still struggle to "keep alive a sense of life's romance."

    the weakest story in the collection is the last one ("cellists)-- it's a pity that the book has to end on such a --I apologize in advance-- sour note.

    this isn't an ambitious book; you're not going to see anything new here. nonetheless, it's a lovely, gentle little collection. BASICALLY, IT IS A PERFECT SUMMER READ.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Ishiguro writes his novels with rare power and grace. In the short story form, this power is diluted but still definitely there. The stories in this collection are linked by music, by failing relationships and by failing careers. The tales all play in a minor key; even the comedic sections are farce rather than sprightly wit. A has-been singer engages a younger guitarist to serenade his wife, but not for the reasons the guitarist thinks. A man finds that his old college friends think of him- *need* to think of him- as a loser, with his taste in music his only redeeming quality. A singer/songwriter finds himself in the middle of the marital discord of a couple he’s only just met. A cellist is tutored by a self declared virtuoso cellist with a secret. A gifted jazz musician who has never gotten a break lets himself be convinced that a new face will solve his career problems. Simple ideas, but made into stories with depth and insight.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Crooner is told from the perspective of a middle-aged guitar player (from Poland?), working in Italy, who recognises an old American crooner of yesteryear in his audience. After striking up a conversation, the crooner invites him to play guitar while he serenades his beautiful wife from a gondola. This story manages to be about foreign identity as well as about marriage, in which the crooner compares his marriage to living in a communist country.Come Rain Or Come Shine? starts off as a sombre story about a middle-aged man and his relationship with lifelong friends who feel he hasn’t lived a proper life. Anyone who’s had lectures from friends about a life well-lived will relate, as will anyone who’s ever found themselves a reluctant observer of someone else’s bad marriage. Yet just when you think that you’re going to be stuck in some hellhole for days on end with the hapless narrator, the story turns into a deft black comedy.After reading Malvern Hills I see a new theme emerging — each of these first three stories features women of menopausal age who seem to be sweet one minute, sour the next, and this causes confusion for the male first person protagonist. I hope the following two stories in the book will feature a female character who is a little more rounded. Even a female narrator would be nice. Mind you, in isolation this is a wonderful short story about optimist and pessimist outlooks on life. The hills themselves may be a metaphor for the billowing optimism and sinking pessimism experienced by each of the characters: The narrator because he is good at his work but fails to be financially independent. As long as he can keep making his music, he considers himself successful. His sister, running a cafe, faces a double-edged sword when they have their busiest day ever. The Swiss couple have completely different reactions to the cafe and to life; Hag Fraser is at once fearsome and pitiable, and even her hotel can be experienced in several ways. As in the previous two stories, I really admire the characterisation in this one, and how the characters manage to say something subtle about marriage and life.Nocturne features the same sort of male first person protagonist — maybe the same one in a parallel universe? — and sure enough we have the by now familiar duplicitous female in Lindy Gardner: “I’d seen how Lindy could switch” he writes, near the end of the story. Like Come Rain Or Come Shine? this story features a comical scene involving the protagonist on stage, head covered in bandages with his fist up a turkey. All of this serves to highlight how ridiculous celebrity and image is, I suppose.Cellists is the only story in this collection written in the close third person (though still following the thoughts of a male musician) and this does give it a slightly different feel. Yet again we have the same gender dynamic between the musician and the mysterious woman who turns up saying that she is a virtuoso: ‘…when he looked up at her , his face showed confusion rather than anything else.’ The reader is invited along in wondering who this woman really is, despite her presentation to the world. I wonder if this story is a critique of people who consider themselves great talents without actually doing anything by way of practice. I wonder if Ishiguro encounters people in real life who say, ‘Oh you’re a novelist… I’d love to write a novel one day.’ I’m told all writers (and probably all creatives) are told this on a regular basis, with the assumption that if only the non-creative associate ‘had the time’ then they, too, would be a virtuoso.Overall, these are beautifully written stories. But I’m a little sensitive to the ‘mysterious woman’ trope, who flicks from one emotion to the other at the drop of her hat, using her charms to manipulate men, and if there had been even one story in this short collection which deviated from the trope, I’d respect it more.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When I Google the definition of Nocturne, I find it is “a short composition of a romantic or dreamy character suggestive of night”. This collection of short stories is aptly titled. The stories have a “romantic or dreamy character”, and they capture their subjects at midlife making perhaps their final attempt at realizing the dreams and ambitions of their youth.Some of the stories are melancholy, while a couple lean more toward farce. Simon Vance seems to channel Basil Fawlty in his reading of “Come Rain or Come Shine”, and that's probably why it ended up being my favorite story in the collection. Kirby Heyborne's reading of “Malvern Hills” brought former teen idol Davy Jones to mind. I think the audio version enhanced my experience with the collection and I would recommend this format to others considering this book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Fairly light by Ishiguro standards, but still has that appealing narrative flavor. These stories definitely don't rank with Remains or Never Let You Go, but were entertaining enough.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I guess this wasn't for me. I'm wavering between "just ok" and "forgettable" as my summary. Both descriptions are pretty much apt. The first person narrator in every story seems to be basically the same person (it's not supposed to be.) The best bits were the few moments of French farce type comedy.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read this short story collection after completing his two very popular novels, Never Let Me Go, and Remains of the Day. Like other readers, I had high hopes. His novels looked at broad social themes--like the unswerving loyalty of British help in the early twentieth century, our own dehumanization of people for the sake of medical care for the majority (a utilitarianism gone awry, perhaps? an allusion to stem cell research, or just a concern about the future?)--and personalize them. You live through these sweeping movements through the lives of individual characters, and so you're touched. It's like a fictionalized version of Anne Frank's diary.I will acknowledge that these stories fell a little bit flat in comparison to what his novels accomplished--but that's not to say they aren't good. Ishiguro has set high standards for himself. Of particular interest is the story, "Cellists," which explores the relationship between a budding talent and a never-was--a woman whose talent was too great to instantiate in reality, who, in her forties, was still waiting for the right instructor to tease out her talent without damaging it. This is a story I still come back to months later when my mind wanders.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I've loved the two Ishiguro novels that I've read (Never Let Me Go, The Remains of the Day), so I had high hopes for this collection of short stories. Unfortunately, this is not the author at his best. A few of the stories are narrated by Americans, and the voices seem stilted. The best story, "Come Rain or Come Shine", is about a man living abroad visiting old college friends in London who's marriage is on the rocks. This story is funny and sensitive and the contrast between the way the narrator views himself and the way his friends view him keeps things interesting.