Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Never Let Me Go

Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

87 reviews

sheriffrockyraccoon's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I’m devastated.

I picked up this book because the New York Times listed it as one of the best books of the century and while I expected a mysterious, apocalyptic thriller I instead found a beautiful and realistic story about what it means to be human.

I absolutely loved the characters. Even Ruth, who is a bit of a mean girl, felt incredibly realistic and I had sympathy for her regardless of her actions. The same applies for Kath and Tommy, they felt incredibly realistic in a way that’s rare in literature. The one part that bothered me was how the chapters and page breaks always seemed to end on a cliffhanger, it felt repetitive toward the end. Otherwise, the writing was so specific I have to remind myself that this isn’t something I went through.

I would recommend this book to any fans of dystopian literature, although it focuses much more on the characters rather than any action. Honestly, I would just recommend this book in general as long as you’re ready to have your heart broken.

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scottishgremlin's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I think I need to read the rest of Ishiguro’s bibliography now.

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tinypear's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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

3.25

"I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it's just too much. The current's too strong. They've got to let go, drift apart. That's how it is with us. It's a shame, Kath, because we've loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can't stay together forever."

Never Let Me Go touches on the finite nature of our lives indirectly by introducing science fiction elements in such a magnificent way. Many parts of this book had me considering the characters' dilemmas, their existentialism, and feeling that sense of existentialism reflected in myself. I loved how this book made me consider the concepts of childhood, being drip-fed information vital to the human condition throughout our education and childhood experiences, growing up into our adult identity with our friends, and facing death all in less than 300 pages. The deeper consideration of the oppression and alienation within this book was especially evident in Part Three, alongside the ending providing a bleak outlook and suggestion of a lack of hope. I also appreciated the discussion around art and the importance of preserving this within the context of the book but also expanding into the wider context.

I found some elements of this book to be too slow for my liking - I felt that the story was really gripping only in Part Three, which only leaves about 80 pages of the story remaining. I also just didn't enjoy the narrative style in this book. I found many parts repetitive, often looping back to 'I need to tell you this...' or 'I should explain this...' and this style was just generally not to my taste. I liked the character- and story-building that Ishiguro was going for, but the writing style in this one just wasn't it for me.

The end is predictable - you can see it coming from a mile off - but it was emotional and captivating nonetheless. I found myself hurting for the characters and wishing things could be different. Never Let Me Go had an ending that left me wanting a little more, but maybe this is intentional and I'm just being picky. The dystopian reality created within this novel makes the reader face the harsh reality of the human condition, however the ending left more to be desired. 🫀

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anna_pearl's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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els4lp's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

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shaleen64's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The first two thirds of the book are hard to read, simply due to the pace being so slow. Having said that , the picture building is required for context.

The final third is emotional and engaging. It makes you question what it means to be human and how decisions/factors out of our control can dictate our lives.

Whilst the book is worth the read, it’s a book that seems better suited to analysis in oppose to reading for enjoyment.

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