Fiction - Dystopic
2021 Alfred A. Knopf
Finished on July 10, 2022
Rating: 2/5 (Fair)
Publisher's Blurb:
From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.
In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?
My book group is discussing Klara and the Sun later next week. I have heard so much praise for this novel and have always intended to read something by Ishiguro, so I was happy to get a copy from the library with plenty of time to read it for the discussion. My overall impression is that this is a very odd story. It took me three or four chapters before I got interested in the novel and almost quit early on. I went back to Goodreads and read some of the reviews posted by my friends and decided to push on and see why so many loved Klara's story. The dialogue is stilted and unnatural, which became annoying as the story progressed. There are details about Klara and the dystopic society that are confusing, but most of my questions were answered in the Q&A section on Goodreads. There is a vagueness to the plot, and the ending is ambiguous; the combination was frustrating and makes me wonder if I'm not smart enough for Ishiguro or if I simply missed the underlying metaphors. It will be interesting to hear the opinions of my fellow book group members, but whether or not they enjoyed the book, I'm sure we'll have plenty to discuss. I plan to read Never Let Me Go, which has been languishing on my shelves for years, but Ishiguro's latest isn't one that I can recommend. I hope Kazuo Ishiguro isn't going to be one of those authors like Margaret Atwood and Toni Morrison (I know, I know) who just isn't for me.
The only one of this author's books I've read is The Remains of the Day. I think I tried another one, but don't think I finished it. Can't even remember which. And I'll say that I think that both authors you mentioned are not in my 'must read' area. Each of us have to find our book 'happy' place. Mine usually involve 'nice murders' - ha! And by nice I don't mean cozy. LOL
ReplyDeleteKay, I loved watching the film version of The Remains of the Day, but have never read the book. Lol. "Nice murders." Yep, those are my kind of mysteries/thrillers, too. :)
DeleteOh dear. Books are so subjective and it's too bad this one didn't work for you.
ReplyDeleteHelen, they really are, aren't they?!
DeleteOh no, sorry you did not enjoy this one more. It definitely isn't the kind of story I would be drawn to but, I did enjoy the audio and loved Klara. Curious what your group will think of it? Which reminds me, our group meets next week and I need to start: The Only Woman in the Room; Marie Benedict. Hope I can make the meeting. (Diane)
ReplyDeleteDiane, I'll bet the audio was good. I might have been more drawn to Klara had I listened to the book. I hope I can make it to my book group meeting. We have more family visiting this week!
DeleteHe's not for everyone. There is a sterile, cold quality to his writing. He views everything from a safe distance so there is a bit of detachment going on, with his characters IMO. I have grown to appreciate his style but it took me years.
ReplyDeleteTi, I still plan to read Never Let Me Go. Well, at least start it. Who knows if I'll finish it! :)
DeleteI loved the simplicity of Klara, especially in her approach to life. I also enjoyed listening to the author read from his book and share his thoughts about the book at Inprint, so maybe that is also part of the reason I enjoyed the book so much.
ReplyDeleteDeb, it sounds like this would have been a good book to listen to on audio. I found the video of Ishiguro reading on Imprint and will give that a listen. Thanks for letting me know about that!
DeleteIt looks like that video is from 2015, but maybe I can find another video elsewhere.
DeleteSometimes I wonder if maybe Ishiguro isn't for me.... didn't care much for either Never Let Me Go or When We Were Orphans very much. The Remains of the Day has been languishing on my shelf for years and I do want to give it a try before giving up on this author. I wonder if Klara and The Sun would have been better on audio?
ReplyDeleteJoAnn, after reading several comments by those who have read Klara and the Sun, I think it might be better on audio. However, if you didn't care for his earlier novels, you may not care for this one either. I still plan to at least try Never Let Me Go, since I already have a copy.
DeleteOh no 2 stars for Ishiguro. I'm in the (big) fan camp of his books and liked Klara quite a bit. But books are subjective so if you don't like this one .... I don't have high hopes you will like Never Let Me Go ... but you might like Remains of the Day (set WWII era) ... it is more straightforward than Never Let Me Go ... which has an unusual element of a world & reality.
ReplyDeleteSusan, we did have a good discussion about the book yesterday at my book club meeting, so there's that at least. I remember watching the movie based on Remains of the Day and may try that novel someday. We'll see how I like Never Let Me Go, if I try that one. You are so right about books being subjective!
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