Reviews

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

kaikai1618's review against another edition

4.0

- Enjoyment -- 3 stars
- Objective quality of charactera, plot, pacing, etc -- 4 stars

karyzi's review against another edition

5.0

It's a slow burner, but once it hits you, it's simultaneously heartbreaking, disturbing, and beautiful. Ishiguro tells the story of three boarding school students whose lives seem idyllic, but it becomes gradually more and more clear that they're anything but. The story is narrated by the main female character, whose naiveté and matter-of-factness are absolutely devastating. Read it before the movie comes out September 15th!

sarahellenx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.5

bryanjoyce30's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

cdev123's review against another edition

challenging mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

bloodwitch's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.5

mercurialhigh's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

nat008's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

A chill mystery novel, I decided not to read what it's about to increase suspence. At the beginning, you get the sense of a really reclusive college with sheltered children. Then you start unreveling the "secrets" along with the narrator as she recounts all her realizations all through childhood to her present adult self. You suspect the twists, which makes sense though; like the students, you pick up some clues along the way, so once it gets "revealed", it isn't anything surprising and you just carry on. The students accept their fate without much fuss, and go along with their intended purpose in a devastating way.
The narration was not quite linear, as Kath is recounting her memories, though the book is divided into three parts: her childhood in Hailsham, her time in the Cottages, and her working as a carer. 
The book deals with an interesting, although sad theory on how society would go about certain medical advancements, its realistic nature leaving me quite melancholic. The author questions what being human really means, in a quiet and delicate way, without many dramatic scenes or big confrontations. Though it is a bit slow in the beginning, it picks up in the middle and I couldn't put it down. 

theveryslowreader's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

The book at first was really slow and boring, but towards the end it starts to pick up and it absolutely devastating in a peaceful way. I enjoyed how quiet the book was and how the author was able to make such a sad and angry impact on the audience in such a delicate way. How he questions humanity and what it means to be human. Truly one of the best books I have read this year.

ohhluisa's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

5.0