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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Creepy creepy creepy, and it creeps up on you.
I found this slim volume when I was looking for boarding school mysteries. I saw the description of the three friends as Hailsham School and bought it without a second though. I had no idea what I was getting into. Ishiguro was awarded the Nobel for Literature in 2017, and I’ve experienced other works of his, but nothing as deeply disturbing as this. The movie of the same name is an excellent adaptation, though it’s more up front about what’s happening than the book is. The slow reveal of Hailsham’s true purpose shocked me, troubled me, and hasn’t let me go. I suppose the title couldn’t be more perfect.
Be prepared, because this book wild haunt you.
I read Never Let Me Go shortly after seeing the film adaptation, which is absolutely gorgeous and moving. As a result my expectations were high, but the novel didn’t disappoint.
Set in an alternative reality in England, Kathy and her classmates were raised at a private boarding school with their futures already predetermined. It is difficult to talk about Kazuo Ishiguro’s masterpiece without giving too much away, but one thing I was particularly struck by was the full sense of social structure in this book. You really get a sense for how these children grow up having been psychologically impacted by the world around them.
Harrowing and beautiful, Never Let Me Go is the kind of book that does not come along often. When it does, however, you would do best to go ahead and read it.
His second best book after Remains of the Day.
Thought provoking.
I think it is more of a classy type novel,,,wouldn’t recommend(no offence..but) for those who newly fell in love with novels…i mean it is my first one in classic literature stuff,,so kinda boring
A beautiful description of present. About life. About doing things when our heart says ‘you should do it’.
The situation in the story is not what it appears at first. It is a very good statement on what it means to be human.
This is one of my favorite books. Even though I read it on a train about four years ago, I still think about this book regularly and it really made an impact on me.
I thought this book was a real page turner because the story and concept of the book was so strange to me that I didn’t really understand it. I had to continue reading it in order to at the end actually understand what the book was about and how this world worked.
I remember having such a great time reading this book and I found it to be a cozy read with lovely characters and a interesting world.
I would, and have, recommend this book to everyone I know
page turner, deeply felt
Devastatingly beautiful. One of the best novels of all time.
Though it takes a while to realize what this story is actually about, once you do, it is gripping, and sad, and shocking, and thought-provoking. This is one you won’t soon forget.
A fascinating futuristic story with realistic characters despite their peculiar circumstances. Beautifully written and observed. A joy.
This book never lets go of my imagination, sadly. It’s as insightful and provocative as Ishiguro always is, but this one hurt me.
I know the point of the book is not to explain how society came to use the clones and carers, but I find this was the only thing missing from this wonderful story.
I studied this book for GCSE English Lit so I know it in and out. However, unlike my other set texts, I continue to like it and it has become one of my favourite books. This dystopic, boarding-school novel has relatable moments and characters that you get to know through narrator Kathy’s eyes and the twisted version of 80’s England they live in will continue to haunt your mind from beyond the pages as it questions the very foundations our society is built upon and the all too real problem of how far science will be pushed. Ishiguro’s meticulous observations of the human condition highlights the growing concern that morals and ethics will no longer stop mankind with their desire to save themselves.
The voice is so quiet and reflective—and then the theme, the plot, the reality of this world so explosive. This book is a soundless, slow-motion carpet bombing.
The details of childhood will make you remember your childhood: how you loved your friends, how your best friend betrayed you, how you were cruel to that boy, what you thought life was about, the mystery of adults, your naivety, your anxiety, your sense of optimism. Everything was ahead of you.
I was reminded strongly of George Saunders’ short story “The Semplica Girl Diaries,” the floating girls on a string, and the way that image illumined our capacity to dehumanize each other. Illumine as in— incandescence. Illumine as in firestorm.
Never Let Me Go is described as dystopian science fiction. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long time
Excellent!
This book is a must read especially in the era we are living in. It is a highly disturbing novel which talks about the pressing issues of our society in a subtle way. Through the eyes of the main chatacter Kathy who is not overly presented as perfect we are brought into a dystopia in the 1990s. The narrative is light and conversational while hiding a dramatic and heartbreaking fate….prepare to be highly touched and have sympathy even for the unsympathetic character.
You must read this book.