Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Klara and the Sun

Klara’s wholehearted beliefs in goodness - of the people around her and the sun, her misunderstanding of the world, was in such stark contrast in the sad throwaway society which she was made for. I’ve not had a book build up such sad horror with nothing scary actually happening while I was reading it. It’s a book where people hurt profoundly, and nobody can do a thing about it - but they still try, and some they can still have their own happiness. I wanted to do nothing more than help Klara at the end.

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fraxisle's review

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mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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littlehibou7's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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jojo_'s review against another edition

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emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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bexi's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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theleppy's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I didn't expect to come out of this book crying. It was so lovely seeing the world through the eyes of an optimistic and hopeful robot (which is such an unfair thing to call her. The book's term AF or Artificial Friend is so much more apt). I came to love Klara and the other characters flaws and all. This book is filled with such hope and sadness but it's beautiful. The way Klara sees the world is strange but beautiful. It's not a book for everyone and I say I tagged it as challenging because it doesn't hand you answers, you have to piece things together on your own and even then it's hard to grasp. It's a puzzle that is missing pieces even at the end but at the center it's beautiful.

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elizlizabeth's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.0

It's an odd take on the AI ethical problem, as in it's one that doesn't really solve the debate as much as it fuels the discussion. The book dwells on religion and faith through Klara and the many ones she manages to convince to believe in the power of the sun. I like the way Ishiguro has of making you feel empathy for the character through narrative devices, as I felt anxious or happy or worried when Klara did.
I didn't like how many plot points or things that seemed to be important but were later never mentioned again. To name a few:

Klara loosing precious fluid in order to help Josie, the "portrait" of Josie's sister allegedly hidden somewhere in the house, the appearance of Rosie in that diner, or the father's connection with the "fascist-communist" groups

The ending seemed rushed and unsatisfactory to me, even more so than other novels by the author, so I wouldn't really recommend this one

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wee_ramekin's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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