Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Klara and the Sun

I had sile difficulties with this book. I found it hard to understand everything that was going on in the world building, probably because we only have the point of view of the android/AA.

Lots of things are subject to interpretation and I found the style a bit complicated.

Also it’s a bit of a dystopian world, which I am not a fan of, and the global tone was pretty sad in my opinion.

The themes are interesting and there is some reflection to have, but I was not convinced by the point of the whole story.
I found the plot pretty weak too.
Not a bad book, but I would’t read it again nor recommend it.

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amsswim's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

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

3.75

This one was very sweet. You read from the perspective of an "Artifical Friend", a robot that accompanies children. I really loved how Klara interacted and saw the world. As well as how her perspective lacked context entirely sometimes, but had too much in other points. I would love to know more about the larger world the story takes place in, but it didn't matter to Klara so it was not in the story. It felt like a sweet, nice episode of Black Mirror (those are rare though). I'd recommend for science fiction people and those who like light science fiction.

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ninahuynh's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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? N/A

5.0

Artificial Friend, or AF, are the thing of this world. The concept of having an artificial entity aid humans has been a point of discussion in various books and films. In this case, Klara, an AF, was purchased to be Josie's companion and ultimately <Spoiler> aid her mother in the grief process that is to come when Josie eventually passes from her illness. While the summary says that the book explores the question of "what does it mean to love?", I think the crux of the story lies more upon how far would one go for love. While an AF, Klara of course has a more mechanical demeanor to things than her human counterpart; however, that does not mean that she is any less human in the way she keeps her loyalty to Josie. From the moment they promised each other in the store to the moment

Josie leaves for college,

Klara expression of 'love' to her human friend is comparable to that of the humans in Josie's life.

I would also say that this book opens up discussion for artificial intelligent/artificial friends' self.

If Josie had not pulled through and did die from the illness

, how would her mother's demeanor towards Klara change? Would Klara still be able to be Klara after 'becoming' Josie for the mother? Would it be a simple reboot or is there something more complex that would need to take place?

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thebetterstory's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

A very odd book, owing mostly to its very odd but lovable narrator. We still don't have all that many stories about an AI from their perspective, and those that we do tend to show the AI as very human (see: the delightful Murderbot). Klara's perspective is downright bizarre in a way that's continually surprising and interesting to read. I've never seen an author so successfully convey what it would look like if you essentially created a fully-fledged, mature human, had her live her entire life in a quiet retail store and then sent her out to experience the world with only that limited perspective to rely on.

The central plot, or what there is of it, remains tense and absorbing as you're drawn into hoping that things will work out for these characters, against all odds and in spite of their blatant flaws.

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unicorn3's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I decided to read this book because I had an excerpt of it in my Vor-Abi. This little excerpt sparked interest, and I can't deny that I really liked the book. As confusing it sometimes was, reading how Klara explores and learns the world was refreshing. Even though we're left with many open questions this book is really well written and nothing like I expected it to be. It's also not something I would title a masterpiece but I can say for myself I enjoyed it.

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sherpa2015's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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prettiestwhistles's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.25

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