Here is what I wrote in 2011 about this read: "Oh my, that was a challenge. 500 pages, three days, little sleep for pianist Mr. Ryder, and left with the impression on a dream. Three variations on the theme of a talented musican at different life stages. Variations on a theme of broken relationships and estrangement: between parents and children, between lovers. Most memorable scene: Ryder, Sophie, and Boris finally at home together to enjoy a meal, yet can barely communicate with each other; Mr. Ryder distains the food Sophie has prepared and yet at the end of the novel is enamored of the relation-less lovely breakfast banquet following the morning of the big performance(s). Hmmm, how long will the mind ponder this one?? ( )

A brilliant concatenation of anxiety dreams as novel.(53) ( )

Audiobook performed by Simon Vance
3***

From the book jacket: It is the story of a man named Ryder. He is a pianist of international renown who has arrived in a European city he cannot identify to give a concert he cannot remember agreeing to give. In the days before the concert, he is led in and out of the lives of seeming strangers, but his fleeting recollections of them and of his purpose among them are invariably overwhelmed by their inexplicable knowledge and expectations of him.

My reactions
Ishiguro is a brilliant writer, but this was a really challenging work. It is the stuff of dreams, or perhaps nightmares. People come and go, and Ryder (not to mention the reader) is left trying to puzzle out what is happening. He sets off with one purpose and gets waylaid time and again. As an example, one evening he goes to a movie, only to be introduced to a group of men who are playing cards and having loud arguments about local politics. Or he goes to a fancy dinner in his dressing gown and slippers. Or he’s in the middle of town and then driving for a long time into the countryside where he parks in a field, then enters a gallery which, he later discovers, is actually attached to his hotel (which is in the middle of town).

I was kept constantly off balance by these strange sequences. And really never did wrap my mind around whatever Ishiguro was trying to say. I appreciated the work more than I enjoyed it. And I’m not sure I would recommend it to most people I know.

I listened to a good portion of this on audio, narrated by the marvelous Simon Vance. But I think this is a book that is best tackled in text format, and I read about 30 percent of it rather than listen. ( )

About 100 pages in, i still enjoy his writing style but the story is just…… i don‘t know….. just no story…. A dream? Memories? ( )

This book is mesmerizing and frustrating. It winds its way through a series of episodes which are largely trivial in themselves but cause continuous disruption to the plans of the protagonist. He seems unsure where he is or exactly what is there to do. He vaguely recognizes the people he meets and becomes caught up in their lives despite himself. There are clearly points around the messiness of relationships, the tragedy of misunderstanding that can last a lifetime and the hollowness of fame. This was a bit of a chore to read but the writing is wonderful.