literarystew's review against another edition
4.0
Heart-breaking. You might think of it as the Enid Blyton schoolgirl story initially but the children in it will give you the creeps.
shaffe71's review against another edition
2.0
I probably wouldn't have gotten very far in this if I hadn't accidentally seen the copyright page where it gives subjects for the book. I was not a fan of the writing, or the characters, or much of the story. Overall, very boring.
lucie_legoupil's review against another edition
2.0
this book was so boring, although i did like Kathy, I hated every second of this
nataliesophia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, and Grief
kindred_reader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
3.25
This is a book I'm glad I have read but did not enjoy the process of reading it.
I have a lot of thoughts about this book that it almost makes it impossible to put them into any kind of order.
I suppose this whole thing will be spoilers because it is hard to talk about this book without it.
The fact that every student at Hailsham is a clone feels like a weird thing to leave out until a random page in part two. I really thought there would be a big lead up to the breaking of that news, but it came rather casually in the middle. I found it rather annoying because it made all the confusion up to that point kind of unnecessary.
And honestly, the writing was slow and a little dull. I can't deny that Ishiguro brings an ethical conversation to the table in a way that is true to how things are discussed (or avoided) in our own world. I still was rather annoyed that there was no true resolution or answers, but again, that is probably the point he was trying to make. Big ethical issues, despite the overwhelming circumstances, don't ever have true resolutions especially when things are already in motion (like the donation program in this case).
An aside: I had to read this for a class. We spent four weeks discussing this book, picking it to the bone concerning ethics but not really caring about the story aspect of it.
It is not a bad book. It brings to attention some questions we should be asking ourselves while also allowing us a look into complacency in culture when our own individual needs are met. It is an interesting study for those reasons, but as a novel, I don't know that I would have picked it up if my grade wasn't dependent on it.
I have a lot of thoughts about this book that it almost makes it impossible to put them into any kind of order.
I suppose this whole thing will be spoilers because it is hard to talk about this book without it.
The fact that every student at Hailsham is a clone feels like a weird thing to leave out until a random page in part two. I really thought there would be a big lead up to the breaking of that news, but it came rather casually in the middle. I found it rather annoying because it made all the confusion up to that point kind of unnecessary.
And honestly, the writing was slow and a little dull. I can't deny that Ishiguro brings an ethical conversation to the table in a way that is true to how things are discussed (or avoided) in our own world. I still was rather annoyed that there was no true resolution or answers, but again, that is probably the point he was trying to make. Big ethical issues, despite the overwhelming circumstances, don't ever have true resolutions especially when things are already in motion (like the donation program in this case).
An aside: I had to read this for a class. We spent four weeks discussing this book, picking it to the bone concerning ethics but not really caring about the story aspect of it.
It is not a bad book. It brings to attention some questions we should be asking ourselves while also allowing us a look into complacency in culture when our own individual needs are met. It is an interesting study for those reasons, but as a novel, I don't know that I would have picked it up if my grade wasn't dependent on it.
valleisu's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
3.5
lorj's review against another edition
5.0
An incredible heartbreaking and emotional read. Can't really find much to say about it but even though I'd seen the film a few years ago, I'm very glad I read this book.
mynameisnotshelley's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5