Title: Never Let Me Go
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia
First published: March 3rd 2005
Publisher: Vintage Books
Finished reading: August 31st 2017
Pages: 288
“Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.”
Sometimes you stumble across books that are simply not a right fit, and I’m having a feeling that is exactly what happened between me and Never Let Me Go. I’ve had this title on my TBR for ages and always wondered if this story would be for me… This doubt is probably one of the main reasons I have posponed picking this title by Kazuo Ishiguro up for as long as I have, and it seems like the author and me will not be friends. Because even though this book has been highly rated by many and is very well known, I actually struggled a lot with it. I had a really hard time making sense of it all when I started reading and while things became better as I forced myself to keep reading, I can’t say I exactly enjoyed the reading experience. And this surprised me, because I’ve seen so many people naming Never Let Me Go one of their favorites… Call it unpopular opinion, call it a bad book-reader match, but this dystopian story wasn’t for me. The prose never managed to lure me in completely and like I said I had a hard time figuring out what was really going on. I like a healthy dose of weird and mystery, but apparently I ended up being allergic to this particular brand. As for the characters… Kathy wasn’t all that bad, but I absolutely loathed Ruth. I guess the fact that she was able to provoke such strong emotions is a sign of good character development… But it also ment I ended up enjoying a story I was already struggling with even less. I seem to be one of the few though, so definitely take my experience with a grain of salt. And to be honest, with my reputation with popular books I’m not surprised this review has turned out to be another ‘unpopular opinion’ one.
Kathy, Ruth and Tommy grow up attending an exclusive boarding school called Hailsham in the middle of the English countryside. They have never experienced life outside the school and are not allowed to leave the premises. The teachers keep reminding them just how special they are, even though they don’t really understand why. That understanding comes years later when their real purpose is revealed… And slowly the understanding comes of exactly what it is that makes them special.
I’ve tried really hard to like Never Let Me Go, but I’m convinced that this book/author and me simply aren’t a right fit. Especially since this book has received so much praise over the years… I personally really struggled with both the prose, plot and characters and I had a hard time making sense of it all. It’s almost as if the readers are clueless students as well and quite a lot of key information is left out in the beginning. In the end Never Let Me Go wasn’t my cup of tea, but since most people did enjoy it don’t let my review stop you from picking it up.
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I also had a hard time enjoying Never Let Me Go — I listened to the audiobook, however, and I think the narrator saved it for me, because some of that just wasn’t my thing. It’s incredibly depressing and strange, and you’re right — Ruth is terrible. I hope you like your next read better!
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I can imagine a good audiobook narrator helping the cause… Good to know you managed to enjoy it slightly better. My next read was a total winner so that definitely made up for it. 😉
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Nice! That’s good to hear. 🙂
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It’s been a while since I read it but I do remember finding it hard going but ultimately really good (although kinda depressing).
Maybe it’s better just to watch the film.
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I might watch the movie then some time… I guess it is a story that can go either way, and a lot of people did seem to like it in general.
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It’s too bad you didn’t enjoy it.. I really hoped you would. I love your honesty and I hope to read this title soon.
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I hope you will have better experience with it! A lot of people do love it so fingers crossed you will be long to that group.
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I don’t like this one too. I mean, I haven’t read it yet 😅 but I just….it just…..huh…whenever I pick it up my mind seems to repel it with utmost passion! 😂 i don’t know why but the title, the cover, the author – everything about this book screams ‘DON’T READ ME!! DON’T READ ME’ 😂 And I guess I actually will never get around to reading it.
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Haha to be honest I was quite hesitant to pick this one up… But I needed an author with the last name beginning with an I to complete a challenge and couldn’t think of another option. xD Oh well, at least now I’m sure it wasn’t for me.
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You and popular books 😀 gosh. sorry this one didn’t work out for you…
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Oh well… Can’t say I’m suprised to see another unpopular opinion out there haha.
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