abookishgirl's review against another edition
3.0
I’d been meaning to read this for years. Decades, maybe? I was very engrossed at the beginning. I love stories where we just find ourselves in a world that functions differently from ours, but the author/narrator assumes that we already know as much as they do, so we have to figure things out from little clues and throwaway comments. So the first third of the book was really interesting in that respect. Around the middle, though, when the pacing never changed, and things just continued being unexplained, I got a bit weary of it. Then towards the end my interest returned a bit… but there is never any climax or change of pace or anything like that. It’s a quiet book, just one person’s reflections on her life, and there’s no big reveal or plot twist or anything like that. I wish we had found out a bit more about certain things, especially how the donations worked. But Ishiguro was obviously going for more of a “slice of life” story (based on very unusual lives which were normal for the people living them).
21hvf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
daisyyy443's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
mardy_bummer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
shawnwich's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this book right up until the very last chapter, which was a cop-out.
pcqnat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
klsy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
reading_carrot's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5