Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
Publisher: Vintage
Pages: 304
Summary:
From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day comes a devastating new novel of innocence, knowledge, and loss. As children Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were.
Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life. And for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special–and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together. Suspenseful, moving, beautifully atmospheric, Never Let Me Go is another classic by the author of The Remains of the Day. (Goodreads)
My Thoughts:
I really don't have any idea what to say about this book. At first I didn't like it because the author reveals things slowly, bit by bit, and I felt like I didn't really understand what was going on. But I think that's the way the author intended it to be.
MAY INCLUDE SPOILERS: Basically these kids live in a private school, sheltered from the world and are told that they are different, they are special. They are really clones that are raised just to be organ donors and then die. That is their purpose in life. They can't reproduce. They become carers, donors, and then their life is over.
This book was pretty sad actually. These kids don't really even question their lives or fight to try and change it. It really makes you think. If this is how it was in our world would we just see it as normal or that it's just the way things are? If we could have an endless supply of healthy organs to save our lives would we become alright with it?
I didn't actually have an opinion formed on whether or not I liked this book until I was done reading it. It seems like most people either love it or hate it. When I was done reading I kept thinking about this book so the story stayed with me and the more I thought about it the more I realized I liked the story.
So I think that his book is either a hit or miss, you'll either love it or hate it. My advice would be to try and find it at your library, borrow it from a friend, or find it at a cheap price somewhere just in case you are one of the people who don't like it.
I honestly had never heard of this book or the movie before reading this. Have you read this book or seen the movie?
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I just bought this book and I can't wait to read it. A friend told me she loved it and I trust her opinion. I must admit I only read the first and the last paragraph of your review, because you mentioned there might be spoilers. :) I'll come back to read it all after I finish the book.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you didn't read that paragraph then! I try not to include spoilers in my reviews but when I do I try to always warn you guys! Let me know what you think of the book! :)
DeleteI saw the movie, and at first I didn't understand what was going on with the main characters. I loved the movie. Found it poignant.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to see if I can find the movie. :)
DeleteWe read this in one of my college classes. Half the class loved it, half the class hated it. I still haven't decided :) Maybe I'll have to read it again.
ReplyDeleteSarah Allen
(creative writing blog)
That seems like the way it goes, you either love it or hate it. Thanks for stopping by! :)
DeleteI had the same response with Remains of the Day. I had a hard time deciding if I liked it or not. I decided not because the characters just seem to helplessly accept their lot in life and that didn't sit well with me. It looks like this book is similar. Thanks for the helpful review.
ReplyDeleteYeah it's hard to like them when they don't even fight for themselves. I completely understand! I haven't read Remains of the Day. Thanks for stopping by Leti!
DeleteI had a hard time getting into this book, too. It felt like the author was playing games with the reader. Every chapter ended in some weird, out of the blue comment to throw you off. Kind of like a cliffhanger at the end of each, but without real answers until much further down the line. It didn't feel like it was building up suspense, it was just frustrating. However, once I got past that, I really enjoyed the book.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree. It was a really hard book to review. I wasn't quite sure how to describe my feelings on it. Thanks for stopping by! :)
DeleteI think I've heard of the movie. I didn't know there'd been a book. Sounds like a difficult one to get into. Good review, Leigh Ann!
ReplyDeleteYeah I had never heard of the book or the movie. Thank you! :)
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