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A Pale View of Hills

Kazuo Ishiguro

Discussion: Books Set in Asia

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Books Set in Asia

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By Diane , Armchair Tour Guide · 25 posts · 897 views

last updated Oct 16, 2020 08:08PM

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What Members Thought

Jul 14, 2018 Karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1001

I have had this novel for a long time, not realizing that it is Ishiguro's first novel (if I had read the back cover of the paperback, I would have known it).
Etsuko is expecting her first child in Post-WWII Nagaski, Japan. She and her husband live in a newly built apartment building. She meets Sachiko who has a young daughter, and they become friends.
We also see Etsuko in England, later in the 70s or 80s. She is the mother of two adult daughters, one has just committed suicide. While Etsuko is ...more

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Dec 14, 2017 Andy Plonka rated it really liked it

Shelves: src

As I listened to this book, I was confused by which character was narrating the story. When I finally understood that there were three different time frames and pairs of mothers and daughters with some overlap my understanding increased. Now that I understand the time frames and relationships, I think a rereading will give me a much greater understanding of this short but informative novel

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Nov 23, 2008 Jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: england, japan, 1001

Immaculately Japanese in the way it approaches everything obliquely, never quite daring to say exactly what it means but doing everything possibly to show the way to meaning.

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