Klara and the Sun

L.A. reviewed Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

5 stars

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 …

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.

Rachel Unkefer reviewed Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

A lot of setup for not much payoff

3 stars

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?

finktank reviewed Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Ishiguro is a modern master

5 stars

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.

sunstone reviewed Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Worthwhile but not one of my recent favs

3 stars

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.

peoplelikedogs reviewed Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

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3 stars

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 …

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.