Reviews with content warning for Chronic illness - Klara and the Sun

I loved the narrator, i loved the way her awareness - limited in some ways, enhanced in others (compared to a human) - was represented and I liked learning about this world with her (I've seen it described as dystopian, which it is, but not really more so than present day on this timeline).

The action picks up in the middle of the book in a way that felt a bit jarring to me, but the book ends

back in a quiet, reflective mood (also, I was bawling).

(Tiny niggle - I struggled to believe this was set in America?)

A book about love, but not generically. Specifically about kind attention, which I found to be a balm.

a neat twist on the Little Prince/Velveteen Rabbit fable - in it is the human who has to be made real by devoted love.

"Mr Capaldi believed there was nothing special inside Josie that couldn't be continued. He told the Mother he'd searched and searched and found nothing like that. But I believe now he was searching in the wrong place. There was something very special, but it wasn't inside Josie. It was inside those who loved her."

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usuallyaudio's review

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hopeful 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

2.25

I couldn't tell if most of the questions I had during the book were left unaswered until near the end on purpose, or to intentionally leave readers wondering. (ex. being 'lifted') I found that some of the dialogue was very abrubt or rigid, which makes sense in Klara's case, as she is an AI (or AF). But when the parents would speak to each other or otherwise, it didn't feel natural.

I was also a bit confused about Klara's vision being in boxes- I didn't realize it was her POV for a while. My guess was that whatever she saw that grabbed most attention would take up more boxes?

Ms Helen and Paul's conversation about him and his group being facists and him denying it seemed to come out of nowhere, then wasn't really brought up again.

I felt like most things we learned about the father didn't advance the plot, or hold any interest, but maybe that's just me. This read is my first ever for a book club, and I'm looking forward to discussing it with other people!

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wormgirl's review

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

4.0

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arlaubscher's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.75

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sandwiiche's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful 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

this was very interesting! i loved reading the pov of an artificial friend (essentially, a robot/AI?) the ending was a little iffy, but overall i really enjoyed this.

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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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