From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and author of the Booker Prize–winning novel The Remains of the Day comes a devastating 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 … 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 modern classic.
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@Katie mentioned a while ago that Kazuo Ishiguro is one of her favorite authors. Now I see why. Never Let Me Go, like The Remains of the Day, the other Ishiguro book I’ve read, is elegant and moving. I enjoyed the characters, the subtly unwinding story, and the questions of science and soul. Above all, it was a pleasure to read something that felt …
This is a truly profound dystopian novel. Unlike most of the bazillion other dystopian stories out, it lacks noise and drama — and therein lies its greatness. Some readers might find this a frustrating read and start screaming “Why are they just going along with all this? Why aren’t they trying to DO something about it?” Good questions. Why are …
If you haven’t read this book—do NOT read spoilers or even the synopsis. It’s so well written and even just looking at a synopsis lessens the experience. Ishiguro is a master of his craft, and if you like subtle dystopian, this book is for you.
I read this because it was on the recommended books for my students this year. I love the deadpan delivery by the first-person narrator, Kathy. The reader follows Kathy back and forth between her present as a ‘carer’ to her past being raised in a group home for children. The slow reveal never felt tedious, instead, I was caught up in the world as …
Kathy is brought up in an exclusive boarding school where the students are sheltered from the outside world but considered to be special. She has numerous friends but her closest is Ruth. When they leave school, their lives drift apart as they go their separate ways until one day they meet in unusual circumstances and rekindle their friendship. …
The reader doesn’t know exactly what’s going on in this unique and intriguing novel until she’s well into the book. The end has stayed with me for weeks, months, years. It’s haunting and profound. On my best-ever list.
Simple yet outstanding language kept me reading. Interesting story. A film was made that was also good, and captured the essence of the story.
Beautifully written ( I would have thought that would have been in list above??)
Not nearly as good as Klara which I finished three weeks ago and am thinking about
Poignant, frightening, sad. A cautionary tale and, in the end, a philosophical exploration of what constitutes humanity and the human soul.
This book has a sci fi feel to it and I ultimately didn’t care for it, but I read the whole book because it was so well written. If I were to tell you what the book is about it would be a spoiler, but if you like exploration of ethical issues around human organ and tissue donation you might enjoy this book.
Ishiguro’s prose is calm and measured, yet lovely. This novel is set in most unusual circumstances, yet the reader sometimes gets lost in the characters and forgets this…but not for long. You may not be able to read this book twice, but you will be fully pulled into its narrative and its atmosphere immediately upon your first reading.
The author creates a world where clones are created and raised to be donors, who “complete” with their fourth donation. Told from the point of view of one of them, it is a chilling view of healthcare gone wrong and a wonderful testament to the humanity of everyone.
I can’t think of anything I liked about this book. The way the characters accepted their lives was uninspired. The characters themselves were sad and the plot was simplistic.
This is a story of secrets. It’s well written and easy enough to read.
It is also horrifying, the ending unsettling.
I won’t read another book by this author.
A little uneven but parts that read like a gothic mystery/
I enjoyed this book for the way in which the writing captured the intimacy of adolescent friendships and allowed the reader to witness Kathy’s inner life. I was a little distracted by my own thoughts, seeking more information about the larger context in which the story unfolded. It was like the elephant in the room, with details meted out little …
Excellent book. Brilliant. I can picture each character, that’s how well it’s written. Very original… I want to read all his other books.
This is one of the most compelling books I have read.
Ishiguro is full of surprises without being surprising. This book mixes the predictable with the unpredictable and leaves you feeling that a life well-spent still allows for wasted moments.