Reviews with content warning for Medical trauma - Never Let Me Go

Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro

59 reviews

dovewrites's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-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

5.0

I remember reading a piece of writing advice recently, about how so many authors get tragedy and trauma wrong. That many stories seem to display trauma just for shock. This book executed tragedy in the most profound and beautiful way. As the advice I read stated, Ishiguro managed to do sadness with the audience, not to the audience.

Spoiler

the catharsis of this story is that these three people who were not considered people by the world they lived in mattered, their love mattered.

Content Warnings

milet22's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious 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

4.25

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luxxltyd's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

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lissybeth91's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

This book is written in the style of spoken reminiscences, with allusions to things that haven't been described yet, and "but maybe I should explain..."

This device makes you really feel that you are one of Kathy's friends, or maybe just a chance acquaintance, or perhaps one of her donors who has been asking for stories of Hailsham.

All in all, this is a devastating book, will make you ponder all the things that bind us together as humans.

Content Warnings

dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

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

1.0

The students at Hailsham, a private school in the lovely English countryside that Kathy, now 31 years old, attended as a kid, were shielded from the outside world and taught that their wellbeing was essential for both themselves and the community they would eventually inhabit. Kathy had long since left this beautiful past behind her, but when two of her Hailsham pals come back into her life, she quits resisting the tug of recollection.

Kathy remembers their time at Hailsham as her relationship with Ruth is revived and the sentiments that once drove her juvenile Tommy obsession start to develop into love. She paints joyful pictures of boys and girls growing up side by side, unconcerned—even comforted—by their seclusion. However, she also portrays episodes of conflict and misunderstanding that allude to a sinister truth concealed under Hailsham's maternal façade. The three friends are forced to face the truth about their childhoods and their current lives as the clarity of hindsight begins to emerge.

Sometimes, even in their own stories, people don't merit being the main characters. Ruth is such a jerk and also such a boring person. Like, why are you a bland AND a jerk? Imagine being only known as a jerk. I wished Kathy wouldn't have reignited their friendship. And let's not even talk about the writing. It was equally as dull and nasty.

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arshiya_amreen90786's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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emfield's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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oceanwriter's review against another edition

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dark 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? Yes

3.0

This book has an interesting concept and poses a lot of intriguing questions about life and creativity. I only wish I'd latched onto it more.

The story follows Kathy as she reflects on her life and relationships at the Hailsham boarding school. In this ultimate universe, people like Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are lumped in these 'schools' as they were created with one purpose in mind — to be organ donors.

I'd call this light sci-fi, which I do like, I just found the pacing to be too slow (a similar issue I had with The Remains of the Day). There was also a glaring lack of world-building. Without a lot of context, I struggled to connect to the characters and the universe.

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simonstays5's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Content Warnings

baybod's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

Oh. my. god. Heartbreaking and thought provoking. Asks big science fiction questions that, unlike in Mary Shelly’s time with the classic Frankenstein, seem scarily close to being pertinent to our world. I appreciated the gradual revelation of the secrets of the novel, which mirrored the gradual way in which Kath learned them herself. It’s interesting that Kath tells the story as if we already know what much of it means, but also holds back other important details. It was interesting to hear this story from the perspective of Kath as an adult—makes me think I should reread it again to pick up on more of the emotions she’s feeling, especially in the earlier chapters. This was an emotionally harrowing read and I would certainly recommend not only to someone interested in dystopia and science fiction, but also anyone looking for a thought provoking experience that brings in to question what it means to be human.

Want to add something for all the people who were let down by the ending and reaction to the big reveal:

Spoiler

A lot of people are saying the ending is unsatisfying, but I feel like it’s supposed to be. It almost has to be. A society which creates beings that are, for all intents and purposes, human, neglects to recognize this humanity and continues to use them as products cannot produce the ending we want. However, if we’re honest with ourselves, I feel like that is the society we live in. Yes, it’s upsetting for the reveal to lead to nothing substantial—it should be—but that’s kind of the point. Madame and Miss Emily have seemingly proved the humanity of the clones/students, but society refuses to see it for two reasons: 1. they could no longer justifiably use these beings as means to an end / exploit them and 2. they fear granting humanity to beings who could reasonably surpass them in society. With the clear refusal to recognize their humanity, it’s hard to say whether Miss Lucy or Miss Emily is right. Is it better to keep them in the dark, but give them the gift of a somewhat normal childhood to hold onto? Or should they be fully aware all along of their purpose? Neither seems right because neither is right. We can understand where each woman is coming from because both are simply trying to offer some dignity to people who have been robbed of it. All of our questions and all of our dissatisfaction is the point; it’s supposed to scare us and leave us feeling empty. Hopefully, it will make us wary of creating this problem in our own world.

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