Audiobook
Published by Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group.
"Klara and the Sun, the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, tells the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, 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.
Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?
In its award citation in 2017, the Nobel committee described Ishiguro's books as "novels of great emotional force" and said he has "uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world.""
"Klara and the Sun, the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, tells the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, 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.
Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?
In its award citation in 2017, the Nobel committee described Ishiguro's books as "novels of great emotional force" and said he has "uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world.""
Content warning Spoilers about the plot
This read like a rehashed yet unfinished Never Let Me Go. The world building seemed lazy because so many details were lacking. And I couldn't get past a "superintelligent" robot that didn't know how the sun worked.
Content warning Spoilers
1) "When we were new, Rosa and I were mid-store, on the magazines table side, and could see through more than half of the window. So we were able to watch the outside – the office workers hurrying by, the taxis, the runners, the tourists, Beggar Man and his dog, the lower part of the RPO Building. Once we were more settled, Manager allowed us to walk up to the front until we were right behind the window display, and then we could see how tall the RPO Building was. And if we were there at just the right time, we would see the Sun on his journey, crossing between the building tops from our side over to the RPO Building side."
2) "'Housekeeper,' I said. 'I have a plan, a special plan to help Josie. I'm not able to speak openly about it. But if I can go to the city with Josie and her mother, I may have the opportunity to carry it out.' 'Plan? Listen, AF. You make things worse, I fuck come dismantle you.'"
3) "'I think I hate Capaldi because deep down I suspect he may be right. That what he claims is true. That science has now proved beyond doubt there's nothing so unique about my daughter, nothing there our modern tools can't excavate, copy, transfer. That people have been living with one another all this time, centuries, loving and hating each other, and all on a mistaken premise. A kind of superstition we kept going while we didn't know better. That's how Capaldi sees it, and there's a part of me that fears he's right. Chrissie, on the other hand, isn't like me. She may not know it yet, but she'll never let herself be persuaded. If the moment ever comes, never mind how well you play your part, Klara, never mind how much she wishes it to work, Chrissie just won't be able to accept it. She's too... old-fashioned. Even if she knows she's going against the science and the math, she still won't be able to do it. She just won't stretch that far. But I'm different. I have... a kind of coldness inside me she lacks. Perhaps it's because I'm an expert engineer, as you put it. This is why I find it so hard to be civil around people like Capaldi. When they do what they do, say what they say, it feels like they're taking from me what I hold most precious in this life. Am I making sense?'"
4) "'Mr. Capaldi believed there was nothing special inside Josie that couldn't be continued. He told the Mother he'd searched and searched and found nothing like that. But I believe now he was searching in the wrong place. There was something very special, but it wasn't inside Josie. It was inside those who loved her.'"
5) "'Before you go, Manager. I must report to you one more thing. The Sun was very kind to me. He was always kind to me from the start. But when I was with Josie, once, he was particularly kind. I wanted Manager to know.' 'Yes. I'm sure the Sun has always been good to you, Klara.'"
This was an interesting read and given that I have not read any of the author's other works, I was not quite sure what I was getting into. (Though, I have watched Remains Of The Day)
This book felt simple and yet complex. The simplicity was in the narrator: an AI or artificial friend who seems a bit naive and limited to her programming being a friend with a sick child. The complexity was in everything surrounding the two of them that wasn't said or maybe not said too loudly.
It is scifi and post apocalyptic, but you would not know it first delving into the story. Klara is a unique narrator but unreliable for such interesting times. Her unique view of the world drives the narrative most of the time.
The uses of faith, family, culture, society, technology and relationships really fleshes out the story and …
This was an interesting read and given that I have not read any of the author's other works, I was not quite sure what I was getting into. (Though, I have watched Remains Of The Day)
This book felt simple and yet complex. The simplicity was in the narrator: an AI or artificial friend who seems a bit naive and limited to her programming being a friend with a sick child. The complexity was in everything surrounding the two of them that wasn't said or maybe not said too loudly.
It is scifi and post apocalyptic, but you would not know it first delving into the story. Klara is a unique narrator but unreliable for such interesting times. Her unique view of the world drives the narrative most of the time.
The uses of faith, family, culture, society, technology and relationships really fleshes out the story and gives the quiet parts more weight.
Maybe I'll try another book by this author. I really enjoyed this.
I'd never read anything from Ishiguro before. I picked it up, read the entire thing in one day from dawn til dusk, and found it such an easy read. I didn't even feel particularly engrossed I just knew that I was enjoying it and I wanted to read on. I was unfamiliar with Ishiguro's craftmanship and was unwittingly sucked into his trap
I won't spoil anything, but I spent a good hour or so in silent reflection after finishing the book, and for the week that followed I barely worked and spent a lot of time thinking about the book and reading reviews to try and figure out what on earth had just happened to me
I'd never read anything from Ishiguro before. I picked it up, read the entire thing in one day from dawn til dusk, and found it such an easy read. I didn't even feel particularly engrossed I just knew that I was enjoying it and I wanted to read on. I was unfamiliar with Ishiguro's craftmanship and was unwittingly sucked into his trap
I won't spoil anything, but I spent a good hour or so in silent reflection after finishing the book, and for the week that followed I barely worked and spent a lot of time thinking about the book and reading reviews to try and figure out what on earth had just happened to me
What even was this? A parable? A fairy tale? An allegory? Was it about religion? About artificial intelligence and how it can spawn its own superstition? This seemed to me a huge amount of world-building and excruciating detail just to say‚ what?
I love everything I've ever read by Kazuo Ishiguro. His prose isn't filled with vocab words and doesn't ever even feel anything but mundane, and yet somehow, every single line is poetry. This book did not disappoint. Lovely, loving, heart-rending... and also exploring the very real potential futures of artificial intelligence, machine learning, friendship, and disposability.
I love everything I've ever read by Kazuo Ishiguro. His prose isn't filled with vocab words and doesn't ever even feel anything but mundane, and yet somehow, every single line is poetry. This book did not disappoint. Lovely, loving, heart-rending... and also exploring the very real potential futures of artificial intelligence, machine learning, friendship, and disposability.
Content warning Ending mention
I guess I get it a little bit, but I don’t really get it. Felt a little bit like a YA novel and not just because main characters where kids. It’s told from the POV of someone who only partially understands what she observes but is very observant nonetheless.
The ending could’ve swung for the fences a little more, I feel.
Read this mostly as a bedtime read, which it was good for - pretty easy and not too creepy (although slightly unsettling at times). It nodded to a few things that piqued my interest (AI, eco-sabotage, transhumanism?) But didn't really flesh out any of them, they were mostly just a vibe/backdrop for the story of the characters, which was fine. Ive really enjoyed some books that explore human-robot interactions - marge piercey's body of glass comes to mind - but this didn't quite do it for me in terms of making my brain stretch around those questions of how we relate to machines. Which I don't think was the point of the book, I think the point was to build the world up from the perceptions of the narrator (an android) and that part was done quite well.
Overall a totally fine read and well-written but just didn't scratch …
Read this mostly as a bedtime read, which it was good for - pretty easy and not too creepy (although slightly unsettling at times). It nodded to a few things that piqued my interest (AI, eco-sabotage, transhumanism?) But didn't really flesh out any of them, they were mostly just a vibe/backdrop for the story of the characters, which was fine. Ive really enjoyed some books that explore human-robot interactions - marge piercey's body of glass comes to mind - but this didn't quite do it for me in terms of making my brain stretch around those questions of how we relate to machines. Which I don't think was the point of the book, I think the point was to build the world up from the perceptions of the narrator (an android) and that part was done quite well.
Overall a totally fine read and well-written but just didn't scratch anything super interesting in my brain.
