The Pole and Other Stories by J.M. Coetzee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The eponymous novella is a beautiful love story about two people, whose joint age far exceeds 100 years. J.M. Coetzee, who was 82 when the collection was published, is in top form in "The Pole," but the novella will most likely resonate with readers born close to the middle of the previous century. In my view, the remaining five stories in the collection do not match the excellence of "The Pole."

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Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sweet collection of five literary bagatelles, lightweight miniatures, connected by the music theme and by the fleeting nature of feelings that they evoke. Moreover, the stories combine humor with just the right amount of bittersweetness, and the second and the fourth story are laugh-out-loud hilarious.

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Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another beautiful, sad book from Kazuo Ishiguro. Ostensibly a dystopian novel about future society, where androids are available as companions for teenage children, it is - to me - mostly about human loneliness and frailty. The android's "bargaining with God" is an unusually powerful scene and the poignant final chapter left me thinking about the novel for several days and made me want to re-read the novel soon.

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An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Haunting story of how past affects the present and how one can be construed a hero or a villain, depending on the times. Captivating portrayal of Japan before and after World War II. Unreliable narration is amplified by beautiful, precise, and delicate prose, characteristic for Mr. Ishiguro.

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When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

No five stars from me for this novel by Ishiguro; in fact, on a different day, my rating could have been three stars. I do not like the action-packed detective story, which - to me - has an almost a dreamlike, hallucinatory quality, and which fills most of the final one-third of the novel, not including the denouement. Yet the prose it stellar!

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The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In my view, one of the best books ever written. Phenomenally accomplished prose, penetrating analysis of motives of human actions, and social commentary. Breathtaking!

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Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very sweet, very sad, and beautiful novel. Yet, in my view, not as perfect as The Remains of the Day. I wish the author did not explain so much in the penultimate chapter.

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