Kazuo Ishiguro

A reunion with two childhood friends draws Kathy and her companions on a nostalgic odyssey into their lives at Hailsham, an isolated private school in the English countryside, and a confrontation with the truth about their childhoods.

Never Let Me Go

Denisse Garcia Ramírez 

Most importantly, we demonstrated to the world that if students were reared in humane, cultivated environments, it was possible for them to grow to be as sensitive and intelligent as any ordinary human being.

You said it was because your art would reveal what you were like. What you were like inside. That’s what you said wasn’t it? Well, you weren’t far wrong about that. We took away your art because we thought it would reveal your souls. Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had souls at all.

Emiley Jones

'A clear frontrunner to be the year's most extraordinary novel . . . Not since The Remains of the Day has Ishiguro written about wasted lives with such finely gauged forlornness.' Peter Kemp, Sunday Times In one of the most acclaimed and strange novels of recent years, Kazuo Ishiguro imagines the lives of a group of students growing up in a darkly skewered version of contemporary England. Narrated by Kathy, now 31, Never Let Me Go hauntingly dramatises her attempts to come to terms with her childhood at the seemingly idyllic Hailsham School, and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world. A story of love, friendship and memory, Never Let Me Go is charged throughout with a sense of the fragility of life.

Joana da Silva

I picked up this one in an effort of reading a physical book once since I've grown pretty attached to my Kobo. This was my first experience with Kazuo Ishiguro and I thoroughly enjoyed the author's writing. This book has a very dark setting from the beginning, you don't know what's wrong but you can sense it. It's so intense that, when you reach the main event, you're not surprised. Ruth was the most annoying character ever, I spent most of the book wanting to beat some sense into her.

*Kazuo Ishiguro's new novel Klara and the Sun is now available to preorder* One of the most acclaimed novels of the 21st Century, from the Nobel Prize-winning author Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize Kazuo Ishiguro imagines the lives of a group of students growing up in a darkly skewed version of contemporary England. Narrated by Kathy, now thirty-one, Never Let Me Go dramatises her attempts to come to terms with her childhood at the seemingly idyllic Hailsham School and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world. A story of love, friendship and memory, Never Let Me Go is charged throughout with a sense of the fragility of life. 'Exquisite.' Guardian 'A feat of imaginative sympathy.' New York Times What readers are saying: 'A book I will return to again and again, and one that keeps me thinking even after finishing it. 5/5 stars' 'I loved it, every single word of it.' 'It took me wholly by surprise.' 'Utterly beautiful.' 'Essentially perfect.'

Isadora Cal

I loved this book. I love the way the story is told. Kathy tells a story just like I do - so many parentheses and context to everything that it takes forever to tell what you actually intended to. I am still digesting it. I read it without knowing much about it, because I looked it up back when the movie came out, then forgot about it. So as the story unfolds I was getting a lot of surprises.

Alexa M

2.5/3 idk
i’m just really confused on why this is so hyped .. lol ... i found it a bit boring but was interested to see what all the underlying confusion lead to and once we found out i was like “okay and...” and kept waiting for something more to justify the hype but nope. not for me!!

Prashanth Srivatsa

A devastating book. There's a poignancy about the way the characters avoid talking about their fates, their hesitancy in growing up and a curiosity for the outside world. The gloom descends over their lives through subtle doubts and insurgencies, as the days of painting and discovering sex turn into one of resignation and awaiting death. Ishiguro evokes childhood memories beautifully using personal collections and innocent groupism, and never fails to make the reader fear for when they will know their purpose.

As a child, Kathy - now thirty-one years old - lived at Hailsham, a private school in the scenic English countryside where the children were sheltered from the outside world, brought up to believe that they were special and that their well-being was crucial not only for themselves but for the society they would eventually enter. Kathy had long ago put this idyllic past behind her, but when two of her Hailsham friends come back into her life, she stops resisting the pull of memory. And so, as her friendship with Ruth is rekindled, and as the feelings that long ago fueled her adolescent crush on Tommy begin to deepen into love, Kathy recalls their years at Hailsham. She describes happy scenes of boys and girls growing up together, unperturbed - even comforted - by their isolation. But she describes other scenes as well - of discord and misunderstanding that hint at a dark secret behind Hailsham’s nurturing facade. With the dawning clarity of hindsight, the three friends are compelled to face the truth about their childhood - and about their lives now.

** spoiler alert **
           This review is just for me.

Ok, so I've been trying to reflect on this book a lot and why it really just didn't hit me like it hit everyone else and I think there's a few different reasons for this.

1. I went in expecting heavy sci-fi

I don't remember where I heard it but someone said this book was sci-fi and they didn't say much else. Everyone, even Ishiguro himself, says that the sci-fi isn't the point of the story. This definitely threw me off because the whole time reading it, I was mainly focusing on the sci-fi.

1. The concepts weren't anything new to me

I know this shouldn't have affected the way I felt about the book but the ideas brought up, the things that everyone says made them "incredibly uncomfortable", just weren't new ideas to me. I also just want to say that don't mean to sound like a hipster, I'm just trying to explain why this book wasn't monumental to me like it was to everyone else.

I think in my more recent life (mostly high school) I had become more of a pessimist and thought heavily about what exactly matters to people. The topic of people being inherently selfish (vs. selfless) was something I had thought a lot about for a long time. Albeit mostly subconsciously, I'd already toyed extensively with the question of how much someone would give up just to benefit themself. This is exactly why while almost everyone I had heard talk about this book described it as "nightmarish", I had never felt this way while (and even after) reading the book. 

The fact that the Hailsham clones were merely sacrifices for the non-clone "normals" wasn't anything revolutionary to me. I could very easily see this happening in the future. And while I understand the the art and institution that was Hailsham was supposed to illustrate how the clones were being treated as less than people simply because of what they are (a sort of metaphor for racism), I felt that the dismissal of the clones by the normals was quite natural. 

Now, when I say 'natural' I don't mean that their actions were right in any way. I think, consciously, most people would try to treat people such as the clones the same as everyone else. However, I feel that it is a part of the human condition to be inherently selfish. I really do believe that if given the option, the average unhealthy human that had no chance at living would choose to sacrifice a stranger to become healthy again. The poor treatment of the clones is all just dehumanization in order for the normals to justify and feel that they're doing nothing wrong and only doing what is natural and necessary (which I'm not going to go into because I'm kind of over writing at this point but you know my whole spiel about dehumanization from everything from Douglass and the Cave Allegory).

Very quickly I want to touch on the topic of how the students never tried to rebel against their eventual fate (becoming donors). I didn't feel that this was very revolutionary either. It was explained that the clones came to know of their fate very gradually, from when they were children and were incessantly praised for being special and important kids. I feel that since they were raised this way, to believe that what they were being raised for made them incredibly special and important, it isn't a stretch to think that the clones thought what they were doing was simply just—natural. (And I understand that this is what's supposed to be one of the tragedies of the book but, for me, it was explained in a way that I could understand why it turned out that way.)

I found this book to be entertaining for an entirely different, irrelevant reason. The main characters of the book were always quick to pick up on each other's cues and signals so watching them interact almost felt like a game. I say "the main characters" but it was mostly Kathy, the narrator, who was especially attuned to other's silent signals (leading to her becoming a great carer in the present day). To me, Kathy was an incredibly interesting character because of this coupled with the fact that she remains calm/stoic/I'm not sure how to describe it in almost any situation. What I mean by this is how even when one of her friends throws her under the bus or tarnishes her reputation in front of a group of people, Kathy remains calm and, most of the time, does not do/say anything to refute this in order to not start discourse. Obviously meaning that's she's non-confrontational but these two aspects of Kathy made her incredibly easy to relate to for me, personally. Maybe it's the time in which I read this, having more recently gotten out of a phase in my life when I very regularly dealt with situations like this and reacted in the exact same way, but like I said, this is what drew me to her.

This is all really unfortunate because I really wanted to like this book in the same way that everyone else does. I love a philosophical read but that just isn't what I got out of this. That being said, one of the major themes (love) just isn't something I can relate to at this point in my life. Or maybe I'm just too dumb to grasp the real meaning of this book. That's why I've watched and read a few analyses of it but even though I understand and agree with the things they say, the book still doesn't feel monumental to me in the same way it does to other people. So maybe it's just going completely over my head. I really don't know anymore. Regardless, I still gave it a good rating because I did find it to be an entertaining read. Though not for the same reasons as everyone else. Maybe if I reread this book later in life, I would be able to better understand and enjoy it in the same way.

This is a remarkable story of love, loss and hidden truths. A novel charged throughtout with a sense of the fragility of our lives. Kathy, Ruth and Tommy were pupils at Hailsham - situated deep in the English countryside. The children were tenderly sheltered from the outside world, brought up to believe they were special and that their personal welfare was crucial. But for what reason were they really there?

Jamieson

you ever finish a book, slowly close it like you're in a trance. Hold it for a second, then stare up at the ceiling contemplating what the point of life even is anymore and why we're even bothering living because that is what I did after finishing this book. 
 
I was gonna review this and I started but it was a trash review that didn't convey MY FEELINGS so I'll try again tomorrow xoxo

This may be one of the saddest books I have read. What a horrible life to lead knowing you are not like the rest, knowing you will never experience or feel things like the rest. If this is the future of mankind and longevity and curing diseases, would it be all worth it? Would we be able to live with ourselves?

Jovana Gjekanovikj 

In one of the most memorable novels of recent years, Kazuo Ishiguro imagines the lives of a group of students growing up in a darkly skewered version of contemporary England. Narrated by Kathy, now 31, Never Let Me Go hauntingly dramatises her attempts to come to terms with her childhood at the seemingly idyllic Hailsham School, and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world. A story of love, friendship and memory, Never Let Me Go is charged throughout with a sense of the fragility of life.If you enjoyed Never Let Me Go, you might also like Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day, now available in Faber Modern Classics.

Beatriz Aguiar

i loved this book.
for one it is dark academia and we follow the main character as she reminisces on her life. however, you don't know something very important about her life.
this is a deep, thought-provoking novel that's sooo compelling to read. it might be a bit disturbing in the end when you finally realise how this soft sci-fi novel is a metaphor for our own life.
dark academia at its best.

Kristen Claiborn

I had attempted to read this book once in 2018 and didn't finish. In 2021, I decided to pick it up again for a Popsugar Reading Challenge prompt (read a book you previously did not finish). I had also just recently discovered that Ishiguro received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017, so I felt like I should make another effort to read something of his. Plus it's been made into a movie and I like comparing print and non-print versions of the same work (former teacher thing). 
 The thing about this book is I was left with questions. So many questions. I appreciate that many people enjoy reading books where much of the story is left to interpretation, but I am not those people. Why couldn't he have made things more clear??? I used to think I was a relatively not-stupid person, but Ishiguro's book here made me feel pretty stupid. It took me most of this book to figure out those kids were organ farms. Then I sat and wondered why it took me so long. Then I wondered how much more I missed. 
 Then I went and read a Danielle Steele.

Designed to meet the requirements for students at GCSE and A level, this accessible educational edition offers the complete text of Never Let Me Go with a comprehensive study guide. Intended for individual study as well as class use, Geoff Barton's guide: - clearly introduces the context of the novel and its author; - examines in detail its themes, characters and structure; - looks at the novel in the author's own words, and at different critical receptions; - provides glossaries and test questions to prompt deeper thinking. In one of the most memorable novels of recent years, Kazuo Ishiguro imagines the lives of a group of students growing up in a darkly skewed version of contemporary England. Narrated by Kathy, now thirty-one, Never Let Me Go hauntingly dramatises her attempts to come to terms with her childhood at a seemingly idyllic school, Hailsham, and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world. A story of love, friendship and memory, Never Let Me Go is charged throughout with a sense of the fragility of life.

With GCSE and A Level study guide

ravio

a slow, melancholy stroll through one's life.

 i started reading this book to get me out of a reading slump and i don't recommend reading it for that reason. i would say it was boring but i love reading about the an introspective look into one's quite delightful but simple life. the writing is what really kept me going. not much goes on and nothing is surprising. <spoiler>the only thing that caught me off guard was the use of the word "possible" honestly bc i went in blind and did not expect this is be a sci fi book at all. although this is the least sci fi book i think ive ever read that technically falls under that genre. </spoiler> yet there's something so comforting and hopeless about that which led me to end up not exactly loving this book, but appreciating it. def not a book i see myself actively recommending to anybody. it read like the reader was a just fly on a wall and they just watched somebody live their mundane life in another timeline, and i enjoyed it exactly like that. it was a lovely read. i wish there was more, but i feel like that was the point.

Madi

Roberta Falco

3.5? Sentimenti contrastanti per questo libro. Si fa leggere ed il modo di raccontare mi è piaciuto molto, ma fino alla fine ho aspettato di trovare qualcosa che poi non ho avuto. L’idea ed il tema di riflessione sono interessanti, forse mi avrebbero dato di più da riflettere se non fossero stati esplorati solo negli ultimi tre capitoli o se i personaggi in ultimo non fossero rimasti così passivi. Tante domande.

Amy Thibodeau

I loved and hated this book. I thought it was beautifully written, but there was something almost robotic about the characters and the way they interacted with one another. I suspect that was intentional, but I found it had to get past. 

The last passage in the book more than made up for my quibbles.

Udit Desai

Cecilia

Ishiguru never fails. While I agree that the novel had a slow start, without setting the scene, the story couldn't have truly conveyed its meaning without it in the end. A truly magnificent and heartbreaking story, bringing together elements of love, friendship, grief and innocence at it's purest.

Tanvi Laxmicant

Izza

This was definitely not what I was expecting... The writing was beautiful, but I've been left with so many unanswered questions... It's been more frustrating than anything else.

audrey 🪐

Evil Lizzard

The concept is fantastic and the writing is so crisp. I loved reading it and the story stays with you for a long time.

I really enjoyed it! Very melancholy, very strange, like a dream or an old memory being recounted where you can tell you aren't getting all the information by virtue of it being a first person, inherently biased, account of a life. Would highly recommend

Jiji

heather

3.5 ⭐️ 

"But when I came into your domitory, I saw you, by yourself, a little girl, dancing. As you say, eyes closed, far away, a look of yearning. You were dancing so very sympathetically. And the music, the song. There was something in the words. It was full of sadness."

"The song," I said, "it was called 'Never Let Me Go.'" Then I sang a couple of lines quietly under my breath for her. "Never let me go. Oh, baby, baby. Never let me go..."

Izabela Placzek

** spoiler alert **
           I did not really enjoy this book, it felt more like something that should be a short story. The plot wasn’t always interesting and the way it was written wasn’t for me. I personally don’t like older books like these but thats just my opinion.

Rowan Myers

You know that feeling when you're really very sad and you want to hug your mother and feel safe like you did when you were little, but you know you're not little anymore and you can never ever have that feeling again?

This book is like that.

Ruby Armstrong 

Honestly didn't think I would like this book, as the start didn't seem like the type of thing I was used to reading and I had to read this for class. But now that I've finished it, I've realised that it's genuinely one of the better books I've read. The language is beautiful and really works with the emotional tone of the book. Would definitely recommend.

Never Let Me Go

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