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quinn24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Medical content, Terminal illness, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Infertility
Minor: Sexual content
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Never Let Me Go follows Kath as past relationships are rekindled, leading her to remember the significant events of Halisham, her old school. Through these memories Kath begins to learn more about the dark truths hidden throughout adolescence, but also truths about herself.
For me, the writing style and formatting are what made the book so unique. Told in 2nd person and non-linearly, readers are only given surface level information until the resolution. Ultimately, this helps cultivate a mysterious mood and makes the payoff more worthwhile.
Still, some elements of the confusion made it difficult for me to follow, which is why I rated it 4.75. The ending was phenomenal and quite a tearjerker, but in a few cases I wasn’t as invested as I would have liked to be.
No shame on the author however, as writing a book is incredible on its own, especially one creative as Never Let Me Go
If you like gradual sad books with character driven elements, this is for you:)
Graphic: Terminal illness, Infertility, Confinement, Medical trauma, Death, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism and Sexual content
ghostly_monstera's review against another edition
3.25
I have a lot of thoughts about this book that it almost makes it impossible to put them into any kind of order.
I suppose this whole thing will be spoilers because it is hard to talk about this book without it.
The fact that every student at Hailsham is a clone feels like a weird thing to leave out until a random page in part two. I really thought there would be a big lead up to the breaking of that news, but it came rather casually in the middle. I found it rather annoying because it made all the confusion up to that point kind of unnecessary.
And honestly, the writing was slow and a little dull. I can't deny that Ishiguro brings an ethical conversation to the table in a way that is true to how things are discussed (or avoided) in our own world. I still was rather annoyed that there was no true resolution or answers, but again, that is probably the point he was trying to make. Big ethical issues, despite the overwhelming circumstances, don't ever have true resolutions especially when things are already in motion (like the donation program in this case).
An aside: I had to read this for a class. We spent four weeks discussing this book, picking it to the bone concerning ethics but not really caring about the story aspect of it.
It is not a bad book. It brings to attention some questions we should be asking ourselves while also allowing us a look into complacency in culture when our own individual needs are met. It is an interesting study for those reasons, but as a novel, I don't know that I would have picked it up if my grade wasn't dependent on it.
Moderate: Death, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
greatu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical content, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
alenert's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Infertility, and Medical content
Moderate: Bullying and Death
glitchkitsch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Gaslighting, Infertility, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Classism
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Sexual content
The type of forced institutionalization is not what one would consider typical but it's difficult to explain what that content warning means without spoiling the whole thing so just tread cautiously.temporarilyhuman's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Slavery, and Trafficking
weirdolympics's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Death, and Forced institutionalization
skudiklier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, and Infertility
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Cursing, Genocide, Grief, Homophobia, Torture, Suicide, Sexual content, Slavery, Murder, and Medical trauma
Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, Terminal illness, Stalking, Sexual violence, Mental illness, and Drug use
nbrockbank's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship