Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

46 reviews

cicadalove's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

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

4.25

a “science fiction” premise that goes largely unexplored in favor of detailing the myriad of ways you come to understand people through experiencing them through different moments- one of the more real novels when it comes to depecting humans and interpersonal relationships. the world is only as fleshed out as it needs to be to understand the characters, and to know them is a privilege even as they have very little to say. this act of knowing and remembering is posited as the way to dignify those deemed expendable or othered by society. reminded me how much i love living and the privilege of loving people for years & getting to Know and See them

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Terminal illness

eva_vva's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Toxic friendship, Forced institutionalization, Terminal illness, Confinement, Death, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and Medical content

Moderate: Gaslighting, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Bullying

Minor: Cursing, Pregnancy, Blood, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, and Infidelity

meanderingmodron's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Medical content

aliyas_encanto's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

What does it really mean to be human? To love? This story tore my heart out and made me really think about how special a life can be. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Grief

abmochapman's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Much like Klara and the Sun, this novel is a slowly unraveling dystopia where horrifying truths lay just underneath a sweet narrative about love and friendship. Yet, where Never Let Me Go is differs is that it is unrelenting. It squashes any possible hope, leaving the reader heartbroken and with as little choice in the matter as its characters. 
 
Kazuo Ishiguro’s talent is making the most disturbing reality feel almost normal — but what is even more terrifying than that is the thought that if it was our reality, it would probably feel normal to us, too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Death, Medical trauma, Body horror, and Bullying

grapefruitjuice's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Gaslighting, Bullying, and Infertility

Minor: Confinement and Terminal illness

hmatt's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

I've been meaning to read this for over a decade now, so I'm mostly very pleased with myself for getting to it. I think it earns its place as a contemporary classic - it's well-written, the pacing is great, and I liked how it was broken up by "era".

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, and Classism

Moderate: Terminal illness, Infertility, Grief, and Medical content

ginbat's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

Beautifully sad, unique. I grew to appreciate this writing style and think it would very well. This book made be feel sad and angry, and I feel like it's a better for a few things. I guess that's what makes it a "good" book. It doesn't make me feel good things, but it does make me feel things.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Confinement

Minor: Torture, Child abuse, and Medical content

scytheria's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Medical trauma

Minor: Homophobia and Infertility

mlewis's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Death, Bullying, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Xenophobia, and Cancer