tripleheaven's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
asiata's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
jmullenbach's review against another edition
4.0
This book touches on *so many* topics and themes:
loneliness, human interaction, social stratification
what makes us human, perception, imitation, souls
rationality, faith, intelligence
climate change & technology as savior
risk and reward and parenting
automation, work-as-purpose
It’s a well-made tapestry of all these things, but I wish the book picked a sample of these and went deeper. It’s very similar in concept to The Remains of the Day, plus sci-fi. A lifelong servant reflects on the crucial moments of their life. Ishiguro does this cool thing (at least in the books of his i’ve read, including this one) that’s like the opposite of dramatic irony: the characters know something the reader doesn’t. The narrator and other characters talk about abnormal (to the reader) things plainly and use colloquialisms that you have to decipher. It feels very natural and embeds you in the world while helpfully building your interest, and it works well here with the robot narrator.
I really appreciated the descriptions of Klara’s perception and her calm interpretation of her bizarre computerized input, which relates really nicely to the bits on human connection and imitation and how we understand each other. It’s fun to imagine the author reading a deep learning paper or two in preparation for writing this.
loneliness, human interaction, social stratification
what makes us human, perception, imitation, souls
rationality, faith, intelligence
climate change & technology as savior
risk and reward and parenting
automation, work-as-purpose
It’s a well-made tapestry of all these things, but I wish the book picked a sample of these and went deeper. It’s very similar in concept to The Remains of the Day, plus sci-fi. A lifelong servant reflects on the crucial moments of their life. Ishiguro does this cool thing (at least in the books of his i’ve read, including this one) that’s like the opposite of dramatic irony: the characters know something the reader doesn’t. The narrator and other characters talk about abnormal (to the reader) things plainly and use colloquialisms that you have to decipher. It feels very natural and embeds you in the world while helpfully building your interest, and it works well here with the robot narrator.
I really appreciated the descriptions of Klara’s perception and her calm interpretation of her bizarre computerized input, which relates really nicely to the bits on human connection and imitation and how we understand each other. It’s fun to imagine the author reading a deep learning paper or two in preparation for writing this.
unoriginalinspiration's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
la_cori's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Storia a tratti noiosa, le premesse non sono delle più originali ma la trama non decolla mai . L'audiolibro è letto molto bene.
Spoiler
non ho capito perchè Klara rimanga convinta fino alla fine del potere salvifico del Sole sugli umani quando, in teoria, lei dovrebbe essere un AA che si adatta e apprende da tutto ciò che la circonda.. mah!!!!sarah_pvd's review against another edition
couldn’t really get into it but really wanting to pick it up again at a later time - i just don’t have the capacity to sit down and take my time with it, as i mostly read while commuting atm
amstandley's review against another edition
4.0
So compelling. First fantasy in a while that I couldn't put down.
mollyxmiller's review against another edition
4.0
What to say about Klara and the Sun?
I listened to an interview with Kazuo Ishiguro prior to reading this where he talked about this book (his newest) and said he wrote it because he wanted to write something more positive, a little happier than his previous work. I can now see why he said that, though it took until the end of the book to come to that realization. Klara is not without the signature beauty and sadness that I have always found in Mr. Ishiguro's work. I loved Klara and rooted for her as the main character. I also found certain aspects of Klara deeply disturbing. What, after all, really separated us from a very complex machine? Klara has a purpose. Klara has hope. Klara believes in the benevolence of the Sun (she's a solar-powered AI) as much as any human being might believe in a higher power watching over them. In the end, I will mark this as to re-read because there is just so much going on here that I don't think one reading would do this book justice. I definitely recommend it!
I listened to an interview with Kazuo Ishiguro prior to reading this where he talked about this book (his newest) and said he wrote it because he wanted to write something more positive, a little happier than his previous work. I can now see why he said that, though it took until the end of the book to come to that realization. Klara is not without the signature beauty and sadness that I have always found in Mr. Ishiguro's work. I loved Klara and rooted for her as the main character. I also found certain aspects of Klara deeply disturbing. What, after all, really separated us from a very complex machine? Klara has a purpose. Klara has hope. Klara believes in the benevolence of the Sun (she's a solar-powered AI) as much as any human being might believe in a higher power watching over them. In the end, I will mark this as to re-read because there is just so much going on here that I don't think one reading would do this book justice. I definitely recommend it!
nonime's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75