When We Were Orphans

by Kazuo Ishiguro | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0375726101 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wyldetwo of Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on 8/28/2005
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7 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wyldetwo from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Sunday, August 28, 2005
Passed to me by my mother for Bookcrossing - thanks Mum!

Reserved for Forager for the next Birmingham meet-up

Synopsis
In 1930s England, Christopher Banks has become one of the country's most celebrated detectives. His cases are the talk of London society. Yet one mystery has always haunted him, the mysterious disappearance of his parents in Old Shanghai, when he was a small boy.


Journal Entry 2 by wyldetwo from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Friday, September 23, 2005
Sent to Forager as a RABCK as it was on his wishlist and he can't make this month's BCBirmingham meet-up, but maybe it could then go out on a ring - I wouldn't mind reading it sometime!

Journal Entry 3 by Forager from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire United Kingdom on Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Thanks to Wyldetwo for posting this to me. Ponapon (who, I am proud to claim, joined BC at my invitation) journalled a copy of this and it sounded so good I put it on my wish list (he'd already released it). I can't wait to read it (so I won't...

...and what an excellent decision that was!) This is an extraordinarily well-told tale that takes a number of unexpected plot turns and kept me riveted until the very end. The narrative is presented in something of a 'diary style', by which I mean the storyteller is not occupying a fixed point in time but tells his story as it develops, which is new and makes the story feel very immediate. By making references to events the author draws the reader into his story, without making the mistake of leaving such allusions unexplained. There are parts that seem almost dreamlike, hazy and odd, but once I had finished I found myself pondering the motifs and idiosyncrasies woven into the plot and the more I did this the more I appreciated the skill of this writer.

Journal Entry 4 by wyldetwo from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Saturday, October 1, 2005
This book is now going out on a ring.

Participants:

Forager
Vespa
laura0141
sunflowergirl
pam99
Satnam (US)
.
.
and back to me!

Journal Entry 5 by Vespa from Weymouth, Dorset United Kingdom on Sunday, October 30, 2005
Deepest apologies for not journalling the book when I recieved it. I really thought I had ....must have been a bad brain day :-(
Anyway, I'm starting this tonight and will pass it on later this week when I have read it.

Journal Entry 6 by Vespa from Weymouth, Dorset United Kingdom on Wednesday, November 2, 2005
I found the pace lagging in this book a little, but there was something compelling me to read it all anyway. I'm glad I persevered with it.
Now passing it onto Laura

Journal Entry 7 by laura0141 from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Thursday, November 3, 2005
Received with thanks.


Mt TBR 4

Journal Entry 8 by laura0141 from Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom on Saturday, November 26, 2005
I'm passing this book on unread for health reasons.


PMed sunflowergirl for addy

Journal Entry 9 by sunflowergirl from Carlisle, Cumbria United Kingdom on Friday, December 2, 2005
I received this book today - thanks Laura for sending it on to me. I'm looking forward to reading it, I just have one book to read ahead of it but I shouldn't be too long getting to it. I'm ill with a very bad cold & fever at the moment so plan on going back to bed soon, I'll probably spend the rest of the day reading.

I'll journal again when I've read it.

Journal Entry 10 by sunflowergirl from Carlisle, Cumbria United Kingdom on Sunday, December 4, 2005
I read this book in just two sittings, there was something really compelling in the story. It had a slow, meandering pace but it got me completely hooked somehow. I really wanted to know what had happened to Banks' parents, and also how things turned out with Sarah. I liked the way she kept cropping up in the story but we never quite knew what was behind that. The end was slightly unexpected but very good. All in all, a really enjoyable read.

Thanks for letting me be a part of this book ring. :o)

* * * * * * *

I've already got Pam99's address and I'm hoping to post the book on to her tomorrow. I'll journal again once it's in the post.

Journal Entry 11 by sunflowergirl from Carlisle, Cumbria United Kingdom on Monday, December 5, 2005
I posted the book to Pam99 today by Second Class Post so it should get there in the next couple of days.

Journal Entry 12 by wingpam99wing from Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland United Kingdom on Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Received today, I've wanted to read this one for ages - I really enjoyed Remains of the Day, and I have 'The Unconsoled' on my bookshelf (real, not BC!) but haven't read it yet. I've got two books on the go just now, both nearly finished, so I'll polish those off and start on this one in a couple of days.

Journal Entry 13 by wingpam99wing from Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland United Kingdom on Saturday, December 10, 2005
A great read, thank you wyldetwo (and wyldetwo's mother!) - say hello to Sutton Coldfield, it's where my own mother is from, by strange coincidence. I've pm'd Satnam for an address, so it may make it Stateside before Christmas.

Journal Entry 14 by Satnam from Milford, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Yes, this did reach me before Christmas! It arrived on the 22nd but things were a bit hectic so I didn't get to journaling. I will try to get to this soon. As luck would have it another bookring arrived on the 21st and another is on it's way to me. I'll do my best!

Journal Entry 15 by Satnam from Milford, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Mailing back to wyldetwo today! Thank you for organizing this ring!! I will add my comments about the book soon. Brace Yourselves!! LOL

Journal Entry 16 by Satnam from Milford, New Hampshire USA on Friday, June 23, 2006
At the prompting of a fellow ring member, I will finally add my comments. I've been procrastinating, because I really didn't like the book and know I will have a hard time saying what I thought without being very derogatory.

Mainly I was disappointed. Christopher Banks is said to be a celebrated detective, and the story is about the mysterious disappearance of his parents - great story line, but, I felt, a very poor execution. If the main character is a "great detective", prove it to me!! I want to be presented with at least one case and all the pertinent facts and evidence, and then be impressed by the detective's intelligence and powers of deduction, etc. Very little evidence was ever given for either of the two "cases" in the book. At the very least, that seemed like poor character development, or a badly researched book. In any case, you should definitely know the profession you give to your main character and show it.

Some aspects of the "war zone" seemed a little far-fetched to me. It seemed like he went from one building to the next, through convenient holes, without encountering any streets...coincidentally meets his old friend...at times the enemy line seemed long and far away and other times seemed very small and close. I guess by the time I got to that section of the book, I had basically lost my patience and just wanted it to be over. The only reason I kept reading was to find out what happened to his parents.

Another disappointment... After slogging through that entire book, the fate of his parents is finally revealed. Instead of redeeming the book, for me, it was the final nail in its coffin. Sorry for the drama, but his mother is in a mental institution and doesn't remember her son??? Come on, can't one good thing come of all this?

I'm sorry wyldetwo, just not my type of book. Others enjoyed it though, so I hope you do, too. And I hope it made it safely back to you. You said it may have returned and you forgot to journal it. I hope that is the case. Thanks for organizing the ring.

Journal Entry 17 by wyldetwo from Birmingham, West Midlands United Kingdom on Saturday, October 28, 2006
Just doing a quick "audit" of my bookshelf ,and realised that I'd never journalled that this had arrived home safely. Thanks for your concern Satnam!

It must have arrived months and months ago, but naughtily I didn't journal it at the time, and then my daughter borrowed it without me realising. It is now back on my TBR pile.


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