
When We Were Orphans
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Narrated by:
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John Lee
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By:
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Kazuo Ishiguro
About this listen
Within the layers of the narrative told in Christopher's precise, slightly detached voice are revealed what he can't, or wont, see: that the simplest desires, a child's for his parents, a man's for understanding, may give rise to the most complicated truths.
A feat of narrative skill and soaring imagination, When We Were Orphans is Kazuo Ishiguro at his brilliant best.
©2000 Kazuo Ishiguro (P)2000 Books on Tape, Inc. and HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Overall
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Critic reviews
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Reader
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Performance
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The story of Etsuko, a Japanese woman now living alone in England, dwelling on the recent suicide of her daughter. In a story where past and present confuse, she relives scenes of Japan's devastation in the wake of World War II.
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Overall
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Performance
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- By Deborah on 06-30-18
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
The Buried Giant
- A Novel
- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: David Horovitch
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
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Story
"You've long set your heart against it, Axl, I know. But it's time now to think on it anew. There's a journey we must go on, and no more delay..." The Buried Giant begins as a couple set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen in years. Sometimes savage, often intensely moving, Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel in nearly a decade is about lost memories, love, revenge, and war.
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- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Kirby Heyborne, Lincoln Hoppe, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
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- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1948, Japan. The celebrated painter Masuji Ono fills his days attending to his garden, his house repairs, his two grown daughters and his grandson; his evenings drinking with old associates in quiet lantern-lit bars. His should be a tranquil retirement. But as his memories continually return to the past - to a life and a career deeply touched by the rise of Japanese militarism - a dark shadow begins to grow over his serenity.
-
-
Reader
- By Luphiwo on 02-03-24
By: Kazuo Ishiguro
-
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- By: Kazuo Ishiguro
- Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is Kazuo Ishiguro's profoundly compelling portrait of a butler named Stevens. Stevens, at the end of three decades of service at Darlington Hall, spending a day on a country drive, embarks as well on a journey through the past in an effort to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving the "great gentleman," Lord Darlington. But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington's "greatness," and much graver doubts about the nature of his own life.
-
-
Beautiful and ever relevant
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Performance
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
For the past twenty-five years, Margaret Atwood has written works of striking originality and imagination. In The Blind Assassin, she stretches the limits of her accomplishments as never before, creating a novel that is entertaining and profoundly serious. The novel opens with these simple, resonant words: "Ten days after the war ended, my sister drove a car off the bridge." They are spoken by Iris, whose terse account of her sister Laura's death in 1945 is followed by an inquest report proclaiming the death accidental.
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Good book, TERRIBLE audio!
- By Whitney on 04-27-09
By: Margaret Atwood
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Middlesex
- By: Jeffrey Eugenides
- Narrated by: Kristoffer Tabori
- Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In the spring of 1974, Calliope Stephanides, a student at a girls' school in Grosse Pointe, finds herself drawn to a chain-smoking, strawberry-blonde classmate with a gift for acting. The passion that furtively develops between them - along with Callie's failure to develop physically - leads Callie to suspect that she is not like other girls. In fact, she is not really a girl at all.
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Anything but middle.
- By Michael on 05-04-03
What listeners say about When We Were Orphans
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- Nick
- 10-23-17
Great Reading of a Not So Great Story
Lee's performance is terrific. His excellence carried me through much of the last half of this novel. I shall almoat certainly select my next audiobook from one he narrates.
Ishiguro's story is... disappointing to read. About three quarters of the way through I decided this was the work of a man who was not really feeling his story, but simply writing out something hastily plotted. This is the first of Ishiguro's novels that has failed to completely floor me, or reduce me to an awed, wet-eyed devotee.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Tom
- 09-15-18
Too Long
They could have cut an hour from this. Way to much detail. Plus parts of this made little sense. His search at times reminded me of Moby Dick. Obsessive. I won't say more so not to spoil it for others. But this was a disappointment.
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- gsd99dde
- 09-21-20
Good narrator, good writing, dark story
Finished splendid and the vile right before this, and the narrator was so stilted and bad at female voices, I vowed to avoid anything else from him. But then, I heard this anyway, same guy, and it was like a different reader altogether. Lee is good, here.
Unfortunately, Ishiguro’s story itself is unsatisfying. It is extremely well phrased; his setting and timeline are elegant and civilized, and his characters are engrossing. And I love, once again, his use of the unreliable narrator, to add a bit of uncertainty into what would otherwise be a too-predictable mystery. Yet, it’s dark! I know not every story has to have a delightful ending, but I wanted this one to go differently. And, while still somewhat predictable, I felt let down that it went—not only bad—but SO bad... sorry if that’s a spoiler, but you might as well know it isn’t the romantic story you come to expect from the beginning.
This is now my second middling review of a book by ishiguro (the other was artist of the floating world). Ordinarily, that would be more than enough to justify my giving up on a writer. Yet, his style is so impeccable, his skill so obvious, I’m sure I will try another. He’s like that talented actor who keeps picking mediocre films.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Rena Alisa
- 09-01-18
Another masterpiece!
The subtle and nuanced emotions of youth becoming adults is the recurrent theme of all Ishiguro’s writing. To follow his characters through their complicated and self-reflective journey is to better understand one’s own life and own journey. A deep and mesmerizing tale, lovingly narrated.
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- Maryann Burr
- 08-31-21
Absorbing
A marvel, how well Ishiguro can construct & write! Not only a unique , very engaging narrative, but how delightfully concise is his use of language. His writings a spark to ones own imagination.
John Lee's narration is impeccable. He so mightily adds to the story, without imposing himself. Each voice performed, where emphasis is regarded, and his cadence are remarkable.
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- mslamin
- 09-20-10
A Lovely Reading....
John Lee is a superb narrator. His flawless expertise with a myriad of accents provides an unparalleled listening experience. Moreover, I am a fan of Ishiguro's writing, sometimes a dreamy, flowing experience which lends itself well to being read aloud. So, I'm happy with my choice here.
However. WHY did audible.com announce at the beginning of my download---in a very chirpy kids' chorus--AUDIBLE KIDS!! Did someone look at the title of this novel and incorrectly ASSUME this was a children's book? What happened, Audible??
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3 people found this helpful
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- Mary M 1
- 12-31-17
great narration!
most of the book was amazing. the ending left several unanswered questions. great period piece
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- Peter O'Halloran
- 04-11-23
A forlorn story
Well written and narrated, this is a bittersweet tale. It reminds me of Remains of the Day.
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- mark perugini
- 06-15-19
absolutely devastatingly beautiful
a story about tragedy of circumstance. You won't know where the story is going to take you In the best possible way. ive heard it said that the author considered this book, " not my greatest work". I don't know if this is true, but I think this book is just phenomenal. there is just so much emotion.
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- Ray Stewart
- 08-19-19
Finding the Parents
"Old-fashioned write style that was perfect for the situation and the time. Good character development.
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