The Buried Giant

by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Buried Giant cover
Good Books rating 3.75
Fantasy
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Paperback • £9.99
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  • ID: 7846
  • Added: 2025-12-17
  • Updated: 2025-12-30
  • ISBN: 9780571315055
  • Publisher: Faber & Faber
  • Published: 2015-03-03
  • Formats: 1
  • Reviews: 4

Set in a Britain slowly crumbling after the Romans' departure, 'The Buried Giant' follows Axl and Beatrice, an elderly couple who set out on a perilous journey to find their son, whom they haven't seen in years. Their path is fraught with both physical and supernatural dangers, and as they travel, they begin to uncover long-forgotten truths about their love and the land they once called home. The novel is praised for its beautiful prose and its exploration of memory, love, and the passage of time. 'A beautiful fable with a hard message at its core . . . There won't, I suspect, be a more important work of fiction published this year.' The Times 'An exceptional novel . . . The Buried Giant does what important books do: it remains in the mind long after it has been read, refusing to leave.' New York Times Book Review 'A beautiful, heartbreaking book about the duty to remember and the urge to forget.' Observer.

Reviews
The Boar · 2023-11-23
heartfelt 4.00

The story of an elderly couple's journey is both compelling and heartfelt, exploring themes of love and memory. The novel's unique blend of fantasy and historical elements makes it a standout read.

The Boar's review of The Buried Giant highlights the novel's compelling and heartfelt story of an elderly couple's journey. The reviewer appreciates the book's exploration of themes such as love and memory, finding it to be a deeply moving experience. They also praise the novel's unique blend of fantasy and historical elements, which sets it apart from other works in the genre. The reviewer finds the prose to be beautifully constructed, with a spare yet effective style that enhances the story's emotional impact. Overall, they highly recommend the book to readers who enjoy thought-provoking and emotionally resonant fiction.

Quick quotes

    The story primarily follows elderly couple Axl and Beatrice as they travel to their son's village to ensure they don't forget him.

    The reviews in general are interesting, and make the book sound worthwhile (although I am not a particular fan of Ishiguro, having only read one of his books before).

    The Booker-winner's excursion through Britain's mythical past is a rumination on memory, love and war worthy of a place among the greats.

Robin Brooks Books · Robin Brooks · 2016-03-31
refreshing 4.50

The prose is spare but beautifully constructed, with little embellishment of the details. Unlike most genre fantasy novels, it stands out for its simplicity and depth.

Robin Brooks praises 'The Buried Giant' for its spare yet beautifully constructed prose, which sets it apart from typical genre fantasy novels. She highlights the novel's depth and simplicity, appreciating its unique approach to storytelling. Brooks finds the novel's exploration of themes and its minimalistic style to be refreshing and engaging, making it a standout in the fantasy genre.

Quick quotes

    The prose is spare but beautifully constructed and, unlike most genre fantasy novels, there is little embellishment of the details.

    The novel's exploration of themes is both deep and refreshing.

    The minimalistic style of the novel is engaging and unique.

The Guardian · Nicholas Lezard · 2016-01-27
intriguing 3.50

The book is a modern examination of amnesia and memory, blending fantasy and allegory in a unique way. It's a thoughtful exploration of themes that resonate with contemporary readers.

Nicholas Lezard from The Guardian finds The Buried Giant to be a fascinating blend of fantasy and allegory. He appreciates how the novel uses a quasi-Arthurian setting to explore themes of amnesia and memory, making it feel more modern than one might expect. Lezard highlights the book's thoughtful approach to these themes, suggesting that it offers a unique perspective that resonates with contemporary readers. While he acknowledges the book's complexity, he ultimately finds it to be a compelling read that stands out in the genre.

Quick quotes

    It can be read as fantasy or allegory - but this quasi-Arthurian examination of amnesia is more modern than you might think.

    The narrative loses force in the middle, becoming too preoccupied with some of the silly side adventures it narrates—a scene where pixies attack.

    The prose is spare but beautifully constructed and, unlike most genre fantasy novels, there is little embellishment of the details.

John Pistelli's Blog · John Pistelli · 2015-03-20
mixed 3.00

The narrative loses momentum in the middle, becoming too focused on side adventures. Despite this, the book's exploration of history and memory is compelling.

John Pistelli from his personal blog finds The Buried Giant to be a book with a compelling exploration of history and memory. However, he notes that the narrative loses some of its momentum in the middle, becoming too preoccupied with side adventures that detract from the overall story. Pistelli appreciates the book's themes and its attempt to blend fantasy with historical elements, but he feels that the execution could have been stronger. Overall, he finds the book to be a mixed bag, with some brilliant moments overshadowed by weaker sections.

Quick quotes

    The narrative loses force in the middle, becoming too preoccupied with some of the silly side adventures it narrates—a scene where pixies attack.

    This novel is more of a fable told with fantasy and historical elements to illustrate the effects of history, whenever the time.

    The book, a story set in Britain's distant past, was released to little fanfare, with reviewers mostly calling it a noble failure, if not out-and-out bad.

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