Such a brilliant book, can't believe I waited so long to read this one! Would definitely recommend for those looking for something a bit different. Looking forward to reading more from Kazuo Ishiguro.

Literary writers who dip their toes in science fictional waters can often become unstuck. Ishiguro is too good a writer to make a complete hash of this one, but it’s still the least satisfying of his novels I’ve read. The central conceit is interesting, although not nearly as mysterious from the outset as the author would like us to think, but the real problems are in the plot and narrative, which are both very slight. There’s barely any actual story here, and the narration is just too limpid and accepting of a fate that I’d expect to provoke rage and rebellion. It’s all a bit vague and wafty, as evinced by the way you can see the central idea as an allegory for pretty much anything if you squint at it hard enough. Is it about racism? Or is it an indictment of capitalism and our unthinking consumption of resources? It could be a pro-vegetarian argument against industrial farming or perhaps an attempt to illustrate the class divide in modern Britain. There isn’t enough in the book to firmly nail its colours to any of these masts, and the reader is left to apply her own prejudices to the set up in order to read it as anything other than straight narrative.

I’m moaning more than I mean to here. I didn’t hate reading this at all, and the pages kept turning quickly. Ishiguro is still an excellent prose stylist, and the evocation of place here, from an old fashioned boarding school to modern but run down facilities to house these people we don’t want clogging up our regular lives (oooh, add maybe it’s a metaphor for asylum seekers to the list above) is excellent. In the end, this is nowhere near his best work, but below par Ishiguro is still way ahead of the pack.

Never Let Me Go totally deserves its place in the lists of all-time great novels.

Beginning with a setting in what seems a boarding school, it slowly dawns on us that the children have a defined future, the exploration of which gives the reader an insight into the essence of the tightrope between hope and acceptance.

What society expects from the children as they move into adulthood is unimaginable to us now, in western society. But the structures for moulding, say, the administrators of the British Empire would have something in common with how the children are conveyor-belted into the adult world and their preordained role in that world.

The little rows and crushes and concerns of the children and then the development of sexuality and love and greater understanding as they progress through adolescence are set out in thoroughly engaging ways.

A masterpiece.

Incidentally, the cover is so right. I saw a Faber Zoom session on their approach to over design and it’s a pleasure to find the right ones won out.

I have given this book three stars as the plot idea is not totally original. As well as that I kept expecting there to be more to the story. I wanted an ending that I was happy with and some further explanations about the background of this story.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

Being "told and not told" is brought up here as a subject, but it's pretty much the entire ethos of the book, as a chatty narrator guides us through her school days and beyond in a kind-of Handmaid's Tale world where clones are produced to be farmed for their internal organs. As a result you really do have to be on board with them all learning about sex, the outside world and each other, and just wait and wait to get told the truth about Madame, their 'creativity' and its importance, and indeed pretty much everything else about their set-up. It's permanently readable, even if I didn't really, fully engage with the 'students' and their lot, but it does seem slight. It might try and boil down to a discussion about how some humans get treated as disposable, or how much we should educate and care for people when they have but one purpose to serve in life (much like giving a football to a pig weeks before he's bacon), but in dressing that up in hundreds of pages of soapy teenagerdom it does seem a little inconsequential a thing to give part of a Nobel Prize for. Also, Hollywood provided its own handy comparison - the films of "Children of Men" and "Blindness" both had Julianne Moore. This gets saddled with Kiera Twice-Knightley as the bitchy one. I rest my case. Three and a half stars.

I'd heard of this book before, but never read it - and it wasn't at all what I was expecting (in a good way). I loved the way Ishiguro took a dystopian storyline and set it against the backdrop of what appeared to be a quintessentially English boarding school. The relationships between the main characters were mostly built on the sorts of interactions one might expect from young people of that age, so that the disturbing nature of their future only gradually came into focus. The story is skilfully narrated from the viewpoint of Kathy, and I found myself pulled into her story and into wondering how it would end. This is the first of Ishiguro's books I've read, but I'm definitely keen to read more by this author.

The real horror of this 2005 dystopian narrative doesn’t really hit the reader until quite a way in to Kathy’s understated/innocent narrative. Now a young adult she recalls meeting Ruth and Tommy at Hailsham, a seemingly comfortable boarding school in the English countryside where art and creative projects are encouraged from all students and valued by staff.
The three become very close, experiencing the usual bouts of adolescent angst. At Hailsham, romances bloom and sexual relationships develop.
So it’s a pretty familiar world. But things aren’t as they appear. Once the Hailsham days are over, Kathy becomes Ruth’s ‘carer’ as Ruth recovers from her second ‘donation’ and we hear too of ex pupils who have ‘completed’.
And that is where the horror lies.
A chilling narrative, which questions the ethics of some current medical procedures and scientific research.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #Faber for my free digital download.

Novel about friendship in a dystopian Britain. Original and well told

This book deals with the friendship between three people at the home where they are growing up and later on after they left it. Kath, Ruth and Tommy are together throughout their short lives and share love, friendship and experiences as they deal with the “reality” in which they live. The characters are, in many ways, the most important element of the novel as well as the science fiction basis for the story. It’s not uplifting and it certainly leaves the reader with a sense of unhappiness about the world in which these characters live. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Spoiler alert. I couldn’t believe what I was reading - clones raised for use as organ donation. This dystopian world is such a real possibility - after Dolly the sheep, only ethics keep us from this story being truth. The writer so cleverly described the views of the scientists and the clones. The heart ache, the misleading leaders and the cross purposes all weave a tragic tale- one which was such a believable possibility for the future. Let’s hope ethics still keep us humane.

Having recently read "The Remains of the Day" by this author, "Never Let Me Go" came as a real surprise. I loved "Remains" but this book is an entirely different animal. The writing style itself is hugely different, and I now realise the amazing skill of Kazuo Ishiguro to become the character he is writing about. The story itself is a bit shocking - enjoyably so. I wasn't too keen on any of the characters, and I think this is deliberate - there is a reason not to get too close. I was blown away by this reading experience.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

I have enjoyed books by Ishiguro but this is very different. Generations of young people grow up only for the purpose of being donors of body parts in adulthood and some will be the carers. That is a rather depressing storyline. In a different context, the relationships between the adolescents would be well characterised. It is hard to find the point of this story.

This is a very different book to what I was expecting. Brilliantly written, fabulous characters and a plot totally unexpected to me. I really enjoyed this book and it is easy to see why it was short listed for the 2005 Booker prize.

The novel surrounds three friends Kathy, Ruth and Tommy. Kathy is a carer who looks after organ donors and the novel starts with her thinking back to her time spent at a boarding school in Hailsham. During her time there Kathy made a close friendship with Ruth and Tommy and it is this friendship that forms the story.

It is difficult to talk about this novel without giving too much away but I picked it up not really knowing a lot about the story and was completely blown away. The book starts rather slow and gentle but the more you read the more you learn about what is actually happening. A beautiful writing style and characters that come to life on the pages and is worth reading for that alone.

This is a fast read and most probably a novel that will revisiting in your mind long after finishing it. I am glad I had not read about this book before starting it as I feel it added to the enjoyment.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Faber & Faber for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I have read two other books by this author and found them both interesting in different ways. The Remains of the Day was a particular favourite.
This book....how to review it without giving away the storyline? Suffice to say it is a tale narrated by Kathy, set in a remote noarding school.
It is only gradually, over the story, that small bits of information are dropped in, unemotionally, flatly and without further explanation. You begin to learn, with some horror, the background of this odd group of youngsters, and to maybe foretell their future. There is sadness, there are relationships which never quite develop...how could they?
For me one of the most interesting points was Madame's question as to whether the group had souls. To go any further would reveal too much.
It was a fascinating book. I didnt regard it as sci-fi at all. Thank you for the chance to review it.

I watched the film adaptation of Never Let Me Go a few years back and was intrigued enough to want to read the book. I’m so glad I gave it a chance because it’s much better than the film! 

This book was a beautiful thought-provoking story of youth and friendship, all set in the backdrop of this dystopian world where things are not what they seem. 

The plot was slow in parts, but the brilliant character development made up for that. I loved the relationships between the characters, especially Kathy and Tommy. However, it was hard to put myself in the moment. I know it’s Kathy telling the story of what happened, but I struggled to connect with the story as much as I might have done.

One thing I would have liked to see more of was some fight from Kathy. Why didn’t she question what was going to happen to them? It was like she found out and just took it. It would have been nice to see more conflict added in there. Overall, though there were things I didn’t enjoy, the story was still good, and the writing was brilliant. I’d be happy to check out more of this author’s work in the future.

Set in an alternate Britain, Never Let Me Go is a part-mystery, part-dystopian sci-fi thriller that grips from the start. Kath, now in her early thirties, narrates the story of her school years, culminating in where her friends and herself are now. But is this an ordinary school? And are these ordinary children?

Ishiguro creates a world we can't help but dive into. At once odd and familiar, it's one that is ultimately believable, and therein lies its power. Childhood and adolescence are portrayed here with such accuracy and emotion; matters of truth and deception weave through a coming-of-age tale.

As this unfolds, it becomes more and more a discussion on what it really is to live, to love and to be human. Written with compassion, feeling and true mastery, this is one book you will never forget. It deserves every word of its acclaim.

I've always loved this book, with it's dark twisting story that forces you to join the lines and create a picture of the character's world in your head. One book where the film adaptation really doesn't do justice to the power of imagination, I remember thinking how the book created a much more vivid picture than they captured on screen. A true classic of it's genre.

The book felt like as if Kazuo Ishiguro came across an article about the clones, cloning, the future of the clones, and thought “I should write a novel about it!”. Nevertheless, I must say that the character development in this book is superb! I loved the clones; I pitied them, I wanted to save them. My heart was with them the whole time. Loved the love triangle and loved that school! Maybe I would have loved the book even more if it wasn’t so similar to the film The Island. I’ve got to say, “The Island” makes a lot more sense than this book.
But I'll definitely read more of Ishiguro's books cause it is obvious that he is a good storyteller.

This is seemingly a quiet book, but beneath the surface is a disturbing and very dark story which, at its centre, asks what it means to be truly human. Do be aware that some of the reviews give away too much of the plot: the drip-feed of details which we put together to understand the world of the book is done very well, and to pre-empt this by knowing the plot would have spoiled the book for me.

That said, this isn't a book which is all about the plot, and certainly not one which rests on narrative twists to make its mark. The voice of the narrator, Kathy H., is done very well, and some of her stylistic tics tell us about the confined, narrow, pre-defined world in which she has been forced to live. The emotional restraint and almost pedestrian tone of her story is a reflection of her own limitations.

While on the surface this book appears very different from The Remains of the Day, the underlying themes are actually very similar: both are concerned with people whose lives are stunted, undeveloped, though for very different reasons.

In summary, I found this a masterful read: gripping, quietly horrifying, thought-provoking, and immensely sad. It's the sort of book which demands to be discussed with all your friends, and which I have found myself thinking about days after having finished it. Highly recommended.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Note that I originally read this in 2016, but didn't realize it until I was offered this copy from NetGalley. This is the review from that time.

I have a few problems which I want to mention up front.  First, there has been controversy over it's classification as dystopian science fiction.  I didn't know anything about the book when I picked it up, and so I didn't read it as sci-fi.  Quickly you realize that something is a little off, and although it is integral to the storyline, in a way, the science fiction part is background.

Second, it will be difficult to review this book without spoilers but I am going to give it a go.

Basically this is the story (told by Kathy H.) of her life in "late 1990's England" and that of her friends Ruth and Tommy.  She is now 31, and has been a "carer" for 11 years.  She reminisces about her childhood, and how they grew up together in Hailsham, a special "boarding school" where they are kept very isolated from the rest of the world.  They had a rather normal curriculum (if very old technology), with emphasis on their artwork, and on healthy choices (smoking is taboo to the extreme).  The best artwork is taken by "Madame", and the children believe it may be going to a "gallery" on the outside.  They are taught not to question - anything.  Although the three are good friends, they have squabbles like any other group of kids growing up together.  Ruth is very self-centered, and tends to be a bit of a bully, with Kathy and Tommy falling into line behind her.  Eventually a normal love triangle forms.  Ruth and Tommy become a couple, but Kathy and Tommy continue to talk, as they question life, choices, the world.  Ruth does everything she can to keep Kathy and Tommy apart.  At the age of 16 they leave the school and live in The Cottage (sounds like an old farmhouse) with older residents, until they are ready to get further training, and to move on to what they are really being groomed for.

The character depths were good. I really wanted to slap them all.  Ruth of course deserved it - often.  Tommy, well I just wanted to wake him up.  Kathy was the peacemaker, but for how little she stood up for herself, she deserved slapping too.  She should have put Ruth in her place more than once.

Overall, the book is very sad.  For this group of individuals, there was never any real hope, no dreams of a wonderful future, no major triumphs.  But they also knew nothing different.  No other way of life.  Overall, they seemed happy with their lot in life, proud that they had attended Hailsham.  Circumstances as they were, their teachers tried to make sure they had everything they needed.  Sort of.

In one way, this book deserved 5 stars -- the overall idea is good, somewhat unique.  It is very thought-provoking.  Then again, part of me would rate it only 1 star -- it got boring, a little too detailed in descriptions.  There is not really a lot of excitement.  I settled on the middle ground. The 3 stars means I enjoyed it, am glad I read it, but probably won't read again.

This book instantly draws you in, very few books actually leave you wanting to abandon all plans and finish it in one go but this book is one of them. Desperately tragic and thought provoking I saw the film years ago and the story stayed with me. I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy the book as much as film adaptations are better at making you care for characters at times but I’m glad I received a copy through NetGalley as it’s now probably one of my favourite novels. I can’t add much more that the many accolades and awards this book has won haven’t already said but as an average reader I can confirm it deserves them all.

Thank you to Faber and Faber Ltd and NetGalley for the free review copy.