Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Nunca me abandones by Kazuo Ishiguro

80 reviews

kennahgracie's review against another edition

reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

OVERALL
I had high expectations for Never Let Me Go, but unfortunately, it did not deliver. While I enjoy novels with reflective, almost melancholy storylines, this one seemed to drag me to its conclusion. I didn't feel connected to the characters, their plight, or the novel's premise. It felt as though Ishiguro had great potential with this story but squandered it, resulting in a meandering prose. 

 

There was an overall lack of curiosity within the characters and their motivations. They seemed to be strung along by their predetermined purposes. This was confusing because their passion and complex human qualities (despite their almost alien disposition) were emphasized and encouraged in the secretive preparatory setting of Hailsham, only to fall flat after their departure from the school.
 
One would think that students who create and hold passion for things like art, literature, philosophy, and the world around them would fight to explore their right to live as they please. But no, the characters felt like puppets or dogs on a leash being yanked by what their guardians called “fate.” Was there no ambition to escape or defect? To investigate or question? Every time it felt like Kathy was exiting the foggy projection of her, Ruth, and Tommy’s life, she would immediately catapult herself back in. 
 
There were also many plot holes. I understand Ishiguro's intention in writing this novel, but many elements of the novel felt unnecessary. It seemed as if Ishiguro wanted to communicate the blurry and sometimes messy conditions of human life: how friendships and relationships build and crumble, how ambitions and connections wither without clear cause, commentary on social classes, and the mechanisms we abide by in hope to form a place in society. But with the layering of sci-fi elements like cloning, carers, and donors without fleshing out their systems (how they came to be, how they work, the legal and political constraints), the book's contents feel like a half-formed dream.

 

On a closing note, I can't say I hated reading this book, but it didn't leave me with any new conclusions or ideas. It just wasn’t for me and could have benefited from more development. It definitely won't be a novel I recommend. However, I am still curious about Ishiguro's other works and the film adaptation of this novel, all of which I hope to enjoy more than this. 

 

MAJOR TAKEAWAYS 

• Sterile characterization (passive, unmotivated, uninspired characters) 
  Lack of climax, creating a predictable plot line 
  Lack of expansion on sci-fi elements, making the characters' existence as clones more of a backdrop for a slow-paced coming-of-age/romance setting 
  Surface-level observation of the negative effects of society’s social classes and the isolation caused by such 
  An overall repetitiveness due to Kathy using her memories as a means to explore the plot

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship

Minor: Homophobia

maelikesbooks's review against another edition

5.0

Might stare at a wall and cry for the rest of the day

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Infertility, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Toxic friendship

moongelli's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

left with an indescribable empty feeling; saddened but less of a "moved-to-tears" sad & more of a "inevitability of the end" melancholia. first to leave, last to complete — bearing the weight of one who remembers all.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Sexual content, and Medical content

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, and War

emmagreenwood's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

kirstym25's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Bullying

biobeetle's review against another edition

dark hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Infertility, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship

paradicsomleves's review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Bullying, Infertility, and Sexual content

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

---

Content Warnings

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

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

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

mishaalalala's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.0

Ishiguro's tale is reflective and does an excellent job at examining what gives our lives substance, as human beings. Through the narration of Kathy H, we get an insight into love, loss and the value of memories. 
The novel did fall a bit flat for me in terms of world building - the reader is pretty much in the dark the entire time, despite many hints being dropped throughout the novel. We're never fully aware of what's going on. 
I also wasn't the biggest fan of Kathy herself, her character was flawed and while I understand that it was crucial to the plot. I did find myself incredibly irritated with her.
Overall, it is a novel that does make you think for a while, despite it being challenging to get through.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship

torturedreadersdept'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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Medical content, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Grief