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trailmixraisins's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I had to sit on the review for this one for a while, since I couldn’t really make up my mind on how I felt, but after reading Never Let Me Go, I appreciate Klara a lot more. It’s both dark but lighthearted because Klara herself has a limited capacity of understanding what’s truly going on as well as a nonchalant attitude about being a robot. I personally also loved the little gimmick of programming them to worship the sun because they’re solar-powered. It’s a bittersweet read that can get a little slow at parts but somehow ends on a positive note.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Minor: Bullying and Child death
p2rteltytar's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Terminal illness
Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Bullying
nineinchnails's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
i genuinely really loved this but it’s been almost a month since i read it so i can’t remember why i liked it so much
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Terminal illness
Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Bullying
flicklix's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
slow-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? No
4.75
“I guess you may not be here when I get back. You’ve been just great, Klara. You really have.”
This single quote made me explode into tears and I haven’t cried this much reading a book in a while.
This single quote made me explode into tears and I haven’t cried this much reading a book in a while.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness and Terminal illness
Minor: Grief
winkle's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
started this book back in march, and finally got around to it in july. when i made it to part four i felt the book was so dragged on that it made me drop the book for almost 5 months, but now reflecting i feel like it was the right place that i stopped reading, because i was met with overwhelming and melancholic segments that made me finally finish this book, all in one sitting. there were many parts that my heart just started aching and couldn't stop. i love how we were given little hints throughout the book for us to figure out as readers how the book's world operates and the limited knowledge we have since we are entering this world through klara's memories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Grief
acemummerz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, Abandonment, and Classism
laurencomer927's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
I started off listening to the audio book but quickly switched to a physical book and enjoyed reading the book much more than listening to it.
The book started off slow. I personally feel ss struggling to understand where th story eas headed so I would say if you're struggling... Just hang in there. It all start to pull you in and come together about a 3rd or the way through.
I enjoyed the slightly dystopian nature of the book. A slight glimpse into what our world could be like it we continue to let artificial intelligence take over. Some good and some bad. And some challenges that come when we take parts of our "humanity" and try to change it.
I enjoyed the book.
The book started off slow. I personally feel ss struggling to understand where th story eas headed so I would say if you're struggling... Just hang in there. It all start to pull you in and come together about a 3rd or the way through.
I enjoyed the slightly dystopian nature of the book. A slight glimpse into what our world could be like it we continue to let artificial intelligence take over. Some good and some bad. And some challenges that come when we take parts of our "humanity" and try to change it.
I enjoyed the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Grief
kadbee's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Grief, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism and Bullying
georgia59's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Despite the many outside scenes in this book and the movement between the city and the country, it felt a very claustrophobic novel, perhaps owing, in part, to its sparse and vague depiction of life in this dystopian world. In keeping with that tone the dialogue and interactions between characters seemed somewhat unnatural and stilted (almost akin to our now outdated idea of how robots interact?) and there seemed to be little colour in the narrative (despite the Sun's omnipresence in the book).
I wasn't wholly convinced by the depiction of AFs, Klara's AF nature seeming to serve the narrative - astute one moment, uncomprehending the next. I grant that she was still learning but it still didn't ring true. On many occasions she seemed to have an awful lot of difficulty computing what she was seeing before her which, to this inexperienced science fiction reader at least, is pretty basic stuff I would think.
Having said all that it was a compulsive read and I was delighted with Ishiguro's original and unpredictable plot turns. I had no idea where the story was going and that's such a rare experience these days.
I wasn't wholly convinced by the depiction of AFs, Klara's AF nature seeming to serve the narrative - astute one moment, uncomprehending the next. I grant that she was still learning but it still didn't ring true. On many occasions she seemed to have an awful lot of difficulty computing what she was seeing before her which, to this inexperienced science fiction reader at least, is pretty basic stuff I would think.
Having said all that it was a compulsive read and I was delighted with Ishiguro's original and unpredictable plot turns. I had no idea where the story was going and that's such a rare experience these days.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Grief
jefferz's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
For two hundred pages I questioned why I was reading Klara and the Sun which for the most part, is a introspective and quiet story of an AF (artificial friend, think of M3gan without the horror malfunctioning) observing and learning from human activity around in her adopted household. An artificial friend resembling a doll of sorts, Klara spends an awful lot of time thinking about the sun (yes there's reasons for that) and watching over a young but weak girl named Josie and her childhood life. However, there are signs and a slow foreboding sense that nothing's is quite right but it takes a close look to notice it under Klara's well-meaning yet unreliable narration.
(On an unrelated note this book was an absolute pain to get and read for me locally, I had to wait 6 months on a library hardcopy waitlist and the ebook copy I had a hold for still currently has a 20+ week wait).
To say anymore would potentially give away the surprises and dark developments left in the last 100 pages, but needless to say things go dystopian really really fast. I'm accustomed to the more stereotypical takes on the dystopian genres such as oppressively political regimes (ie. The Giver, Hunger Games Series, 1984) or the scifi-infused variety (ie. Snowpiercer, Elysium, Severence), but this is the first time I read or watched this unique flavor or futuristic dystopia. Ishiguro is known for this type of sci-fi work, but Klara and the Sun's dystopia is devoid of violence, politics (in a bureaucratic manner), mass death/kills, etc. Instead it focuses on a not so distant future where AI/AF develop the skills to emulate and ultimately replace humanity, where children are genetically modified to enhance their intelligence with potentially lethal drawbacks, and people lose touch of their reality. It's dark topics but not in the traditional sense at all.
While I was on the fence for most of the book, the last 100 pages really reminded me a lot of Flowers for Algernon in that both novels feature a hopeful yet naïve protagonist who don't quite see the world and people around them for what it is. The prose is simplistic and childlike but that's 100% by design. Ishiguro nails both the wonder children experience when seeing new things as well how impressionable they can be. Needless to say every adult human and parent in this novel is heavily flawed, morally questionable and you will either be caught in disbelief or horror at the things they say or worse, what they believe similar to Charlie in Flowers for Algernon slowly discovering that nobody in his life was who he thought they were (the difference is you the reader sees the horror of the situation while Klara's AI/AF understanding doesn't).
I have the feeling most readers will gloss over it but apart from the obvious topics of AI, I found there to be some interesting unrelated commentary and metaphors. Early in the story Klara witnesses what could be considered a miracle, elevating the sun from a mere energy source (think of it like a solar battery for her) to something akin to a religion that gives her hope and faith. There are also trace elements of fascism and social inequality based on the "lifted" nature of children vs natural non-lifted and even bits of grassroot, alternative lifestyle/aspirational life goals. SpoilerKlara's eventual slow "fade" is also presented in a way that to me resembles dementia with the visual description memories and context blurring together and the physical loss of motion. This may carry more mileage for me as one of my grandparents' dementia is accelerating. These are less developed than themes already presented, but their inclusion elevates it's narrative and commentary for me well beyond the typical "resist the brainwashing and rise up in arms!" tropes of the genre. Anyone who says Klara and the Sun is simple or half-baked wasn't paying attention or cant read between the lines. There are also some truly great quotes:
(On an unrelated note this book was an absolute pain to get and read for me locally, I had to wait 6 months on a library hardcopy waitlist and the ebook copy I had a hold for still currently has a 20+ week wait).
To say anymore would potentially give away the surprises and dark developments left in the last 100 pages, but needless to say things go dystopian really really fast. I'm accustomed to the more stereotypical takes on the dystopian genres such as oppressively political regimes (ie. The Giver, Hunger Games Series, 1984) or the scifi-infused variety (ie. Snowpiercer, Elysium, Severence), but this is the first time I read or watched this unique flavor or futuristic dystopia. Ishiguro is known for this type of sci-fi work, but Klara and the Sun's dystopia is devoid of violence, politics (in a bureaucratic manner), mass death/kills, etc. Instead it focuses on a not so distant future where AI/AF develop the skills to emulate and ultimately replace humanity, where children are genetically modified to enhance their intelligence with potentially lethal drawbacks, and people lose touch of their reality. It's dark topics but not in the traditional sense at all.
While I was on the fence for most of the book, the last 100 pages really reminded me a lot of Flowers for Algernon in that both novels feature a hopeful yet naïve protagonist who don't quite see the world and people around them for what it is. The prose is simplistic and childlike but that's 100% by design. Ishiguro nails both the wonder children experience when seeing new things as well how impressionable they can be. Needless to say every adult human and parent in this novel is heavily flawed, morally questionable and you will either be caught in disbelief or horror at the things they say or worse, what they believe similar to Charlie in Flowers for Algernon slowly discovering that nobody in his life was who he thought they were (the difference is you the reader sees the horror of the situation while Klara's AI/AF understanding doesn't).
I have the feeling most readers will gloss over it but apart from the obvious topics of AI, I found there to be some interesting unrelated commentary and metaphors. Early in the story Klara witnesses what could be considered a miracle, elevating the sun from a mere energy source (think of it like a solar battery for her) to something akin to a religion that gives her hope and faith. There are also trace elements of fascism and social inequality based on the "lifted" nature of children vs natural non-lifted and even bits of grassroot, alternative lifestyle/aspirational life goals. SpoilerKlara's eventual slow "fade" is also presented in a way that to me resembles dementia with the visual description memories and context blurring together and the physical loss of motion. This may carry more mileage for me as one of my grandparents' dementia is accelerating. These are less developed than themes already presented, but their inclusion elevates it's narrative and commentary for me well beyond the typical "resist the brainwashing and rise up in arms!" tropes of the genre. Anyone who says Klara and the Sun is simple or half-baked wasn't paying attention or cant read between the lines. There are also some truly great quotes:
SpoilerMr 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.
-Klara
To say the least Klara and the Sun can be polarizing; my own experience and journey reading Klara was polarizing itself. While it certainly wasn't the most enjoyable read in the moment with its slow deliberate build-up into it's grimly dark (and very current/relevant) concepts questioning humanity, artificial intelligence, and technology, it's certainly a novel I am thankful to have read and experienced. And again while trying to avoid spoilers, the final part also heavily captures the same emotional ending and impact Flowers for Algernon did for me years ago with Klara's journey reaching its sunset (sorry the sun pun was too tempting).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Grief and Classism