Scan barcode
lotties_corner's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.75
As the novel and the nature of the world and situation developed, my interest never ceased. Even as I began to understand what was going on, I still wanted to experience those discoveries with Kathy. At times, the subtext and intention of what was going on in this alternative england deeply unsettled me as it is a version of our world that I do not find entirely implausible. By viewing said world through Kathy, Ishiguro proves to us the point that Madame and Miss Emily were trying to make. That these clones do indeed have souls. We experience that truly human emotion through Kathy and her interactions with others, and the entire reading experience truly made me question how I categorise and limit the parameters of what it takes to be human.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content
rwxtd's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
I had to read this for class back in undergrad- maybe five years ago? I made it about halfway through, but got busy and never finished it. I just had to read it for a different class, in graduate school now, and I think I understand now why I didn't bother finishing it the first time.
Honestly I found this whole book to be kind of a drag to get through. It's too bad, because I think the premise is interesting. In general, I really like stories that focus on characters and their relationships and how they change over time or react to different situations, so this book should've been right up my alley. Unfortunately, I mostly just found it really, really annoying.
I think it's mostly the writing style. It's very casual, as if someone is recounting stories from their childhood- because that's mostly what the book is, it is Kathy recounting stories from her childhood or about her past. But she doesn't tell these stories in an interesting way, so it just feels like someone I don''t know rambling on about other people I don't know. I have no reason to get invested in Kathy or any of these other characters. I don't know or care about any of these people. It felt like being in a room with a bunch of people who all went to high school together reminiscing about "the good old days" and forgetting you're in the room. There were also some more specific writing quirks that absolutely drove me up a wall. Primary example: any time Kathy is about to start a new anecdote, she starts with "it reminded me of that time when blank happened", or something along those lines. It felt like the narrator was fishing for the reader to ask what happens next. I absolutely can't stand when people do that. Just tell me the story if it's relevant, don't hint "oh there's a story here...haha...wouldn't it be funny if someone asked me to tell it" no! I hate this! I hate it in real life and I hate it here! Stop being passive aggressive and say what you mean already!
I think that's part of why this book super didn't work for me. The characters were very often extremely passive aggressive, there was a lot of performing and dancing around what you mean and putting on a show for someone else's benefit, it was entirely exhausting and frequently very mean-spirited. I guess that was probably part of the point? And I almost feel bad critiquing it because they are children for most of it, and children in stressful circumstances are not known for making stellar decisions, and that's fine. But it's really hard to feel for or care about these characters when well over half the book is them just being nasty to each other, and if the main focus of the book is the characters and their interactions and reactions to their horrible situation, it just makes for a rather unpleasant reading experience.
The characterization was consistent, I'll give it that. There were really strong, identifiable and distinct characters. I just didn't like or care about any of them. I didn't feel like I had a reason to keep reading other than "I have to for class".
It's an interesting premise, with very clear and unique characters. I'm not going to say it was bad, because I don't think it was, I think it just really super didn't work for me personally because I found the characters and writing style deeply irritating and the book didn't do enough to make me care about them despite that.
Honestly I found this whole book to be kind of a drag to get through. It's too bad, because I think the premise is interesting. In general, I really like stories that focus on characters and their relationships and how they change over time or react to different situations, so this book should've been right up my alley. Unfortunately, I mostly just found it really, really annoying.
I think it's mostly the writing style. It's very casual, as if someone is recounting stories from their childhood- because that's mostly what the book is, it is Kathy recounting stories from her childhood or about her past. But she doesn't tell these stories in an interesting way, so it just feels like someone I don''t know rambling on about other people I don't know. I have no reason to get invested in Kathy or any of these other characters. I don't know or care about any of these people. It felt like being in a room with a bunch of people who all went to high school together reminiscing about "the good old days" and forgetting you're in the room. There were also some more specific writing quirks that absolutely drove me up a wall. Primary example: any time Kathy is about to start a new anecdote, she starts with "it reminded me of that time when blank happened", or something along those lines. It felt like the narrator was fishing for the reader to ask what happens next. I absolutely can't stand when people do that. Just tell me the story if it's relevant, don't hint "oh there's a story here...haha...wouldn't it be funny if someone asked me to tell it" no! I hate this! I hate it in real life and I hate it here! Stop being passive aggressive and say what you mean already!
I think that's part of why this book super didn't work for me. The characters were very often extremely passive aggressive, there was a lot of performing and dancing around what you mean and putting on a show for someone else's benefit, it was entirely exhausting and frequently very mean-spirited. I guess that was probably part of the point? And I almost feel bad critiquing it because they are children for most of it, and children in stressful circumstances are not known for making stellar decisions, and that's fine. But it's really hard to feel for or care about these characters when well over half the book is them just being nasty to each other, and if the main focus of the book is the characters and their interactions and reactions to their horrible situation, it just makes for a rather unpleasant reading experience.
The characterization was consistent, I'll give it that. There were really strong, identifiable and distinct characters. I just didn't like or care about any of them. I didn't feel like I had a reason to keep reading other than "I have to for class".
It's an interesting premise, with very clear and unique characters. I'm not going to say it was bad, because I don't think it was, I think it just really super didn't work for me personally because I found the characters and writing style deeply irritating and the book didn't do enough to make me care about them despite that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical 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: 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
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: Confinement, Medical content, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Infertility, Death, and Gaslighting
Minor: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Sexual content, Cancer, Grief, Vomit, and Drug abuse
directorpurry's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Medical content
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Medical content
ffrogie_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
this isn’t usually a genre i pick up very often but after seeing a youtube video in which this book was mentioned i decided to take a look, and i by far do not regret it although immediately after finishing this book i didnt really have an effect on me but as i think about it as a whole more the entire picture seems to come into play and how these characters lived and experienced life is put into perspective in this wonderful way that ive never experienced before. but although ive only rated it a 4 i do recommend everyone read this book at least once, because its just beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Death
Moderate: Infertility
hadys's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"Não, Tommy. Não há nada de nada. A sua vida deve agora seguir o curso que foi estabelecido para ela."
Quando terminei a leitura me senti impotente. O que eu queria era gritar: façam alguma coisa, se rebelem! Queria abrir os olhos dos personagens para que eles pudessem ver o sistema falido em que viviam. Mas pensando bem... se tivesse sido escrito diferente, a história não teria mexido tanto comigo.
O que Kazuo Ishiguro faz neste livro é sombrio. Ele transmite uma sensação generaliza de impotência, frustração, desesperança e, principalmente, resignação de pessoas que cresceram condicionadas a um "propósito".
No início, somos apresentados a Kathy, que é ex aluna de Hailsham, um internato bucólico situado no interior da Inglaterra. O livro foi escrito do ponto de vista de Kathy e é uma releitura de suas memórias e experiências de vida em Hailsham e com seus amigos mais próximos, Tommy e Ruth.
Os três amigos são clone que foram criados e mantidos com o único propósito: colaborar com a ciência ao doar seus órgãos até "concluir". Suas vidas, seus sonhos e sentimentos não são levados em conta.
A leitura não apresenta nenhuma revelação chocante; desde do começo há aquela sensação de "sei no que isso vai dar". Mas é difícil aceitar, então, mesmo não tendo esperança, junto com Kathy, tentei reunir informações para dar sentido ao que está acontecendo.
Para mim foi difícil processar. Eles eram complexos e HUMANOS, não apenas cópias! Mas os personagens deste livro não sabem muito sobre a distopia em que vivem, então não conseguem enxergar. Eles só aceitam o que são, o que farão e fim que levarão.
Fiquei pensando, e se isso fosse realidade? E se eu fosse a "normal", será que sentiria a mesma compaixão pelos doadores quando me coloquei na pele deles? E se fosse uma escolha entre a vida de alguém que eu amo e alguém que eu fui condicionada a ver só como um repositório de órgãos? E se situações parecidas com o que Ishiguro escreveu, estiverem acontecendo ao nosso redor? Será que não estamos completamente insensíveis às pessoas?
Por isso que gosto de distopias, por mais que seja assustadoras, elas me ajudam a refletir sobre a minha própria existência e realidade.
O final do livro é um dos mais lindos que eu já li nos últimos tempos. Quase chorei.
"Não me abandone jamais", talvez, num resumo muito simplório, seja sobre: "ninguém deveria ter o direito de decidir quem é uma pessoa e quem não é".
Quando terminei a leitura me senti impotente. O que eu queria era gritar: façam alguma coisa, se rebelem! Queria abrir os olhos dos personagens para que eles pudessem ver o sistema falido em que viviam. Mas pensando bem... se tivesse sido escrito diferente, a história não teria mexido tanto comigo.
O que Kazuo Ishiguro faz neste livro é sombrio. Ele transmite uma sensação generaliza de impotência, frustração, desesperança e, principalmente, resignação de pessoas que cresceram condicionadas a um "propósito".
No início, somos apresentados a Kathy, que é ex aluna de Hailsham, um internato bucólico situado no interior da Inglaterra. O livro foi escrito do ponto de vista de Kathy e é uma releitura de suas memórias e experiências de vida em Hailsham e com seus amigos mais próximos, Tommy e Ruth.
Os três amigos são clone que foram criados e mantidos com o único propósito: colaborar com a ciência ao doar seus órgãos até "concluir". Suas vidas, seus sonhos e sentimentos não são levados em conta.
A leitura não apresenta nenhuma revelação chocante; desde do começo há aquela sensação de "sei no que isso vai dar". Mas é difícil aceitar, então, mesmo não tendo esperança, junto com Kathy, tentei reunir informações para dar sentido ao que está acontecendo.
Para mim foi difícil processar. Eles eram complexos e HUMANOS, não apenas cópias! Mas os personagens deste livro não sabem muito sobre a distopia em que vivem, então não conseguem enxergar. Eles só aceitam o que são, o que farão e fim que levarão.
Fiquei pensando, e se isso fosse realidade? E se eu fosse a "normal", será que sentiria a mesma compaixão pelos doadores quando me coloquei na pele deles? E se fosse uma escolha entre a vida de alguém que eu amo e alguém que eu fui condicionada a ver só como um repositório de órgãos? E se situações parecidas com o que Ishiguro escreveu, estiverem acontecendo ao nosso redor? Será que não estamos completamente insensíveis às pessoas?
Por isso que gosto de distopias, por mais que seja assustadoras, elas me ajudam a refletir sobre a minha própria existência e realidade.
O final do livro é um dos mais lindos que eu já li nos últimos tempos. Quase chorei.
"Não me abandone jamais", talvez, num resumo muito simplório, seja sobre: "ninguém deveria ter o direito de decidir quem é uma pessoa e quem não é".
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Grief, Death, and Medical content
lunarlxtte's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I actually really enjoyed the story! It was genuinely incredibly interesting following Kathy and her friends and their journey to discovering the truth about their school and their lives, and it truly was a page turner.
It was a bit confusing at times, mainly because of certain phrases or terms used when no explanation has been given prior, but it was okay, as generally it was explained later, or I was able to figure it out eventually.
Definitely recommend for a suspenseful, unique read.
It was a bit confusing at times, mainly because of certain phrases or terms used when no explanation has been given prior, but it was okay, as generally it was explained later, or I was able to figure it out eventually.
Definitely recommend for a suspenseful, unique read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Death
Minor: Sexual content
caitlin_123a's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Bullying, Ableism, and Infertility