Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Never Let Me Go

Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

70 reviews

charliereadsalot's review against another edition

3.0

3 STARS

CW: mention of homophobia, death (of loved ones), bullying, mention of infertility

I read this for a class at uni and must admit, I probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. Generally, I liked the book, especially because of all the questions it raised. Admittedly, it made me want to continue reading if only to find out what Madame's Gallery was all about and what Hailsham was actually all about. But I never found myself truly loving what I was reading, probably also because it read a lot like literary fiction to me and that just isn't my genre. I feel like over the course of the entire book nothing happened but still, enough was going on (and you know, the incentive of having to write an exam about this) to keep me going.

While reading I was trying to piece together what was going on and it came together in a painstakingly slow way. And all the while, there is still so much to think about regarding Kathy, Ruth and Tommy's (as well as their fellow students) experiences at Hailsham, that entire enterprise of the school and their fates after they left.

They were never truly free, their entire purpose was being an organ donor in their later life and even though Miss Emily explained to Kathy and Tommy that she and Marie-Claude initiated Hailsham to make the students experience more humane, was it really? Why give them a false sense of hope and joy in life when it doesn't amount to anything in the end? And even the system of Carers and Donors keeps them amongst themselves, isolates them from each other in their roles. But they grow up in this system and never even question its legitimacy, they just accept it and conform to it.

I think it's hard to talk about the full scope of this story without giving anything away and as usual I'm highly anticipating the discussion about it in class.

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modrinkscoffee's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

1.5

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lilifane's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

This book centers around a really interesting topic with lots of possible discussions... in the most boring and unimpactful way possible.

I usually like literary fiction with speculative elements, but I was really bored here. I liked the school setting at the beginning, and I was intrigued by the premise (never surprised, though. I think this was all obvious and predictable) and some details and questions. But I really didn't like the characters, their toxic friendships and relationships, their boring everyday problems when there was such a huge thing looming over everything. The writing style was fitting but didn't contribute much to my enjoyment of the book, same as the bleak and depressing atmosphere.

I'm really glad I read it, though, and I'm still interested in the author's other works.

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jestro's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

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

3.75

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lissybeth91's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

This book is written in the style of spoken reminiscences, with allusions to things that haven't been described yet, and "but maybe I should explain..."

This device makes you really feel that you are one of Kathy's friends, or maybe just a chance acquaintance, or perhaps one of her donors who has been asking for stories of Hailsham.

All in all, this is a devastating book, will make you ponder all the things that bind us together as humans.

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dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

1.0

The students at Hailsham, a private school in the lovely English countryside that Kathy, now 31 years old, attended as a kid, were shielded from the outside world and taught that their wellbeing was essential for both themselves and the community they would eventually inhabit. Kathy had long since left this beautiful past behind her, but when two of her Hailsham pals come back into her life, she quits resisting the tug of recollection.

Kathy remembers their time at Hailsham as her relationship with Ruth is revived and the sentiments that once drove her juvenile Tommy obsession start to develop into love. She paints joyful pictures of boys and girls growing up side by side, unconcerned—even comforted—by their seclusion. However, she also portrays episodes of conflict and misunderstanding that allude to a sinister truth concealed under Hailsham's maternal façade. The three friends are forced to face the truth about their childhoods and their current lives as the clarity of hindsight begins to emerge.

Sometimes, even in their own stories, people don't merit being the main characters. Ruth is such a jerk and also such a boring person. Like, why are you a bland AND a jerk? Imagine being only known as a jerk. I wished Kathy wouldn't have reignited their friendship. And let's not even talk about the writing. It was equally as dull and nasty.

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oceanwriter's review against another edition

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dark 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

3.0

This book has an interesting concept and poses a lot of intriguing questions about life and creativity. I only wish I'd latched onto it more.

The story follows Kathy as she reflects on her life and relationships at the Hailsham boarding school. In this ultimate universe, people like Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are lumped in these 'schools' as they were created with one purpose in mind — to be organ donors.

I'd call this light sci-fi, which I do like, I just found the pacing to be too slow (a similar issue I had with The Remains of the Day). There was also a glaring lack of world-building. Without a lot of context, I struggled to connect to the characters and the universe.

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