Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Never Let Me Go
Book Review: Had Potential...
Summary: 3 Stars
When I had to choose a book to read from a list for my English class, this seemed like the most interesting one. When I read the back cover, it sounded really mysterious. I couldn't guess at all what it would be about. You don't actually find out what the book is about until about halfway into it. When I first started reading it, I was so confused, and it tempted me to put the book down. The author just kind of dives right into the story, without introducing characters or a storyline or anything; but that's what the whole book is- figuring everything out. I thought this book had a lot of potential. It was a really good concept, and different from other books about cloning. Once you learn that the characters are clones, though, the story kind of goes downhill. On top of that, without spoiling it, there is a relationship you're expecting to happen the entire time you're reading, and it's never carried out completely. The book wasn't boring, but I thought that overall it was disappointing.Book Review: Interesting and thought provoking, but could have been so much better
Summary: 3 Stars
So, I just finished reading this book about 5 minutes ago. Although I did enjoy it and it held my attention, I think that it could have been much better. Without giving any information away, I was really hoping to have many more of my questions answered at the climax point of the book, but it still keeps the reader very much in the dark. That is fine for some people and it does give the reader the ability to reflect and come to your own conclusions, however I was hoping to be more entertained by the author's answers that never came in the story. All in all, it was quite enjoyable and I will probably loan my copy on to a friend. It is by no means one of the best books that I have ever read, but it was a nice quick read (only 288 pages).Book Review: Can you say "plot hole"?
Summary: 1 Stars
This book was a major disappointment. I was left wondering why these clones, when they found out they were clones and what awaited them, didn't just disappear. They could have got in a car and drove, started a new life, got fake IDs, new identities. Why didn't they? Why did they just except their fate??? Book Review: Bizarre, beautiful, sad, haunting...
Summary: 4 Stars
Every now and then you'll come across a book that's written in a manner so hauntingly real you forget you're reading fiction. NEVER LET ME GO is one such example. In this cautionary tale, Ishiguro captures the voice of young Kathy H. as she navigates her childhood and comes to terms with her unusual fate. While the writing is not flowery or peppered with linguistic devices, its simplicity makes it all the more engaging and awe-inspiringly believable.
This book is best enjoyed when you know as little of the premise as possible, so I'll keep it cryptic. Kathy, Tommy and Ruth grow up in what seems to be an exclusive boarding school with an art-culture focus. However, as the narrative progresses, you notice eerie clues and sinister undertones - the students are "special" in some way and await an unspoken future. As the plot unfolds, the puzzle pieces come together and a harrowing picture emerges of a dystopian yet not altogether implausible future (interestingly, the story takes place in the past - 1990s England).
Once you've read it, pass it on to all your friends as you'll be itching to discuss it!
Book Review: A Great Read!
Summary: 5 Stars
I mainly read historical nonfiction, and relatively few novels. I heard a review of this book on NPR Radio, and it sounded fascinating. Ishiguro is an interesteding writer- he approaches the story somewhat obliquely, and for a time you wonder where the tale is going. But he and the story grow on you! After the first 20 pgs or so, it's very hard to put down. His style to me is quite similar to good jazz music- the stops and omitted notes are often as important to the piece to what is actually played; what he does NOT say, and what is hence left to the reader to speculate upon, make him a great writer and this novel, unforgettable. I liked it enough to read another novel of his, "The Remains of the Day", which was also quite good and highly recommended.