SPOILERS AHEAD
Ishiguro's collection is a marvel as a learning writer. His ability to incorporate audio in prose is fluid and inspirational. Most authors tend to either get too into the weeds of writing about music (isolating a non-musician) or end up mentioning a beat or artist's name. Still, somehow Ishiguro was able to *embody* what it feels like to listen to music.
No character outshines the other, no plot overshadows its collection-mates, if I were to sum this collection up in one word it would be: balanced. Perhaps what I enjoyed the most was the humor sprinkled throughout. Some lines were enough to evoke an audible laugh while reading, something objectively difficult to accomplish. A rivalry with a gondola captain, being the pitied third wheel of a dissolving marriage, tormenting a rude tourist, retrieving a coveted trophy from a bird carcass, and watching a non-musician musical prodigy giving musical advice are all plot points into which Ishiguro injects his humor. He is also, though small, humanizing moments, able to subvert reader expectations and remind them that the characters are worthy of our sympathy.
The only distracting factor for me was the inclusion of Lindy Gardner as the celebrity in the titular story, "Nocturne." With Ishiguro's ability to build characters that are memorable and unique, I wish that he used the opportunity to feature a different faux celebrity. I did enjoy her character, but I also think it could've been someone else instead of Lindy since we didn't get a lot of her personality from the first story, "Crooner." That being said, this distraction was not enough to inhibit my ability to enjoy this collection for the masterpiece it is.
