Never Let Me Go by
Kazuo Ishiguro
Genre: Dystopia
Age Group: Adults
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Year: 2006
Format: Kindle
Pages: 304
Source: Amazon
Buy It: $10 with free delivery
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Imagines the lives of a group of students growing up in a darkly
skewered version of contemporary England. This novel dramatises the
author's attempts to come to terms with her childhood at the seemingly
idyllic Hailsham School, and with the fate that has always awaited her
and her closest friends in the wider world. - Book Depository
I had this book sitting on my Kindle since the day I got it, my birthday in February. I bought it and thought no more about it. I got it simply because I thought the movie advertisements were decent looking and it was on sale. I looked it up on Goodreads a couple of days before I started reading it (finally!) and I found out what it was actually about. So, I began reading and I wasn't dissapointed.
It starts out with the main character, Kathy H introducing herself. I liked the description of Tommy. From the first mention of that boy, I loved him. He was a great and well developed character, throughout. I didn't like Ruth much, nor did I like Miss Emily. But one character, I had no opinion on, was Kathy. You were very detached from Kathy throughout the book which is one of the reasons why I gave it just a 4/5. But don't get me wrong, I loved the book!
Another thing I wasn't too pleased about was the writing. It was very conversational and choppy in time. It began to take on a bit more of a linear sequence after about halfway, but broke off again at the end. Though, I did manage to get used to this and it wasn't
too distracting.
I really loved the relationship between Kathy and Tommy from the very start. But that side of things was a bit predictable.
Some people didn't like how the book was so emotionless but I did. I realised it was a reflection on Kathy and how she was brought up in Hailsham. No one was allowed speak their mind or show their feelings. Kathy, especially felt quite intimidated by her friend, Ruth, which, I think, was another reason she wasn't very emotional.
It was a small bit confusing as to what happened at the end but I eventually realised (thanks to the movie adaptation). If you're a fan of books that you have to think about a lot, read this. If you're not, watch the movie because everything is practically spelled out for you.*
I really enjoyed this book!
*I might do a book and movie review (comparing them) also.
Friday Finds is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading. It showcases
the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether
you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren't necessarily books you purchased).
