Scan barcode
andrewhatesham's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
Well written and cohesive plot, and a loveable main character (Klara), but I personally prefer a denser plot. The writing style is very subtle. There's a lot subtextually (no spoilers here), but not many events actually happen. It's much more of a reflective, slow paced story.
I put off reading this for a long time because I thought it was gonna be heavier on the sci-fi (I hadn't read much sci-fi at all until recently), but it ended up being the opposite of that. If you're a sci-fi newbie, you don't need to feel daunted by this, because things are put into simple terms and there aren't that many sci-fi elements anyway, most of it feels like a real life setting. Conversely, if you're a literary newbie, this may not be for you.
It's also a bit less emotional than I expected. But I'm sure some people would view it as much more emotional than I did, it's subjective. It just didn't hit a nerve that way for me.
In terms of this as the audiobook version, I think listening to it was a good choice since it's slow paced. I could just increase the speed when it felt a little too slow (I typically read faster paced books, just my preference). I liked the narrator for the most part. The only thing that was slightly grating, were the parts with the British accented characters because the accents did not sound realistic.
I put off reading this for a long time because I thought it was gonna be heavier on the sci-fi (I hadn't read much sci-fi at all until recently), but it ended up being the opposite of that. If you're a sci-fi newbie, you don't need to feel daunted by this, because things are put into simple terms and there aren't that many sci-fi elements anyway, most of it feels like a real life setting. Conversely, if you're a literary newbie, this may not be for you.
It's also a bit less emotional than I expected. But I'm sure some people would view it as much more emotional than I did, it's subjective. It just didn't hit a nerve that way for me.
In terms of this as the audiobook version, I think listening to it was a good choice since it's slow paced. I could just increase the speed when it felt a little too slow (I typically read faster paced books, just my preference). I liked the narrator for the most part. The only thing that was slightly grating, were the parts with the British accented characters because the accents did not sound realistic.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Bullying, Child death, Grief, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
auudrey's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Ableism, and Classism
modrinkscoffee's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Medical content, Grief, and Child death
Moderate: Bullying
itsjadenbaby's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was an interesting novel. A different perspective than anything Iβve read in a long time. I enjoyed it but I do think it could have been trimmed down just a bit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Bullying and Abandonment
athenium's review
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Death
Moderate: Ableism, Classism, Abandonment, and Bullying
Minor: Confinement, Mental illness, and Racism
kaneebli's review
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Classism, and Bullying
Minor: Ableism and Child death
theliteraryloot's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? No
4.0
ππππ πππ π π πππππ πππππ πππππππ’ ππππ ππ π°πΈ πππππππ? πΊππππ πππ πππ πππ ππ’ πΊππ£ππ πΈπππππππ πππππππ’ ππ-ππ‘ππππππ πππ ππππππππ πππππππ ππ ππππ, ππππππππππ, πππ ππππ - πππππππ πππ ππ’ππ ππ πΊππππ, ππ π°πππππππππ π΅πππππ
ππππ π ππ π’π₯ππππ
Format: Audiobook via Libby
Narrator: Sara Siu
Readers experience a glimpse of life in a more polluted, anxiety-filled, dystopian U.S., where parents buy solar-powered, artificial friends (advanced androids) as emotionally perceptive companions / nannies for their genetically-modified children (referred to as βliftedβ).
Ishiguroβs outline of this futuristic world leaves the reader wondering if these technological advancements mean humans have also in fact evolved.
Present day social issues persist, such as intensifying human loneliness, increasing pollution, anxiety, and a widening gap between the haves (lifted) and the have-nots (not lifted) - the latter humans losing jobs, admission spots in universities, and resorting to violent protests.
Klara, our protagonist, is a highly perceptive AF- but not as intelligent about facts we would expect from present day Siri. Some readers were put off by this, but in my mind, felt intentional given the AFβs primarily βuse caseβ is to serve as a selfless, devoted nanny/companion.
This was my first foray into speculative fiction and I enjoyed the way Ishiguro managed to humanize artificial intelligence robots and genetic engineering. Ishiguro depicts life in such a world in broad strokes, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks. I relished the collaborative nature of this reading experience - because the book allowed me to interpret and imagine this world through my own experiences.
Readers who were expecting more explanations or a less interpretive science fiction novel are likely not going to enjoy this book.
βIt must be great not to miss things; not to long to get back to somethingβ¦Not to be looking back all the time. Everything must be so much moreβ¦β
ππππ π ππ π’π₯ππππ
Format: Audiobook via Libby
Narrator: Sara Siu
Readers experience a glimpse of life in a more polluted, anxiety-filled, dystopian U.S., where parents buy solar-powered, artificial friends (advanced androids) as emotionally perceptive companions / nannies for their genetically-modified children (referred to as βliftedβ).
Ishiguroβs outline of this futuristic world leaves the reader wondering if these technological advancements mean humans have also in fact evolved.
Present day social issues persist, such as intensifying human loneliness, increasing pollution, anxiety, and a widening gap between the haves (lifted) and the have-nots (not lifted) - the latter humans losing jobs, admission spots in universities, and resorting to violent protests.
Klara, our protagonist, is a highly perceptive AF- but not as intelligent about facts we would expect from present day Siri. Some readers were put off by this, but in my mind, felt intentional given the AFβs primarily βuse caseβ is to serve as a selfless, devoted nanny/companion.
This was my first foray into speculative fiction and I enjoyed the way Ishiguro managed to humanize artificial intelligence robots and genetic engineering. Ishiguro depicts life in such a world in broad strokes, leaving the reader to fill in the blanks. I relished the collaborative nature of this reading experience - because the book allowed me to interpret and imagine this world through my own experiences.
Readers who were expecting more explanations or a less interpretive science fiction novel are likely not going to enjoy this book.
βIt must be great not to miss things; not to long to get back to somethingβ¦Not to be looking back all the time. Everything must be so much moreβ¦β
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Bullying
waybeyondblue's review
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Child death, Bullying, Chronic illness, and Death
trickphoenix's review
emotional
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Bullying, Classism, and Grief
Minor: Racism, Child death, and Mental illness
nikexistiertnik's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i just loved klara's pov and getting to know the world through her eyes. the description of her vision being separated into boxes tended to confuse me at times, but other than that, i enjoyed the writing a lot and i am particularly in love with the way this dystopian world doesn't get overexplained to the reader - we only know as much as klara does, and learn it at her pace.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Child death and Grief
Minor: Classism and Bullying