The average user rating for this Book is 8.6 out of 10 (based on 51 Votes).
Paul L gave it a9: This a thought-provoking and daring story that's told in the effortless manner of a writer who is a true master of the craft. Some may criticize that the premise and characterizations are too unbelievable, yet injustices and foolishness (and the associated apathy of both the victims and enablers) in society abound. It's not that much of a stretch. Like a lot of science fiction, the story warns us of how the benefits of science and technology can sometimes quietly erode our humanity. However, unlike a lot of sci fi, it's presentation is gratefully much more subtle.
peter m gave it an8: Like some other readers I kept asking myself why they didn't rebel or run for it instead of meekly accepting the wholely unacceptable. I think the only way to read this is as a metaphor the class system in England, which has been propped up from below for the last thousand years by those who have least to gain from it ( the continued existence of the monarchy is the epitome of this of this deference culture) and as such fits in well with other examples of Ishiguro's works like Remains of the Day. Whoever said that Ishiguro is not political is very wide of the mark.
mac b gave it a9: Ishiguro is the pointillist of human emotions and relationships in the contemporary era. This book was a depiction of decent folk, not exceptional in talent or imagination, caught up in a nightmare not of their making, knowing the inevitability of their cruel fates but living (or as they might say in England, muddling through; or, as Roger Waters put it so aptly years ago: "hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way") as normal a life as they could under the circumstances, like the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto after the Nazi occupation but before the full Holocaust was implemented. Some reviewers took Ishiguro to task for making his characters so "dull" and the events of their lives (aside from their duties as "carers" and "donors") so mundane. But Ishiguro uses such literary technique, the excruciating detailing of the ordinary, to illuminate the horror and the pathos of the slow-motion, matter-of-fact holocaust to which these "ordinary" people have been consigned. Other reviewers were displeased that Ishiguro had not provided a discernble villain and/or had not spelled out greater (melo)dramatic actions and outcomes. But anyone familiar with Ishiguro's fiction and literary style know that he is not (unlike many of our most celebrated novelists today) looking to make political points or identify easy heroes or villains. The world he gives us is our own, slightly skewed and gradually seen as horrifying. To a vegetarian, a society that casually slaughters and eats animals without a blink of an eye would be horrifying. Ishiguro, in presenting us with his "as-if" England of the 1990s through the eyes of one of the creatures whose fate it is to be consumed and showing that just such a creature, considered not quite "human," is capable of the full range of emotion and perception we attribute to "normals," asks us to ponder ourselves, what we love, and what we fear losing. This is a brilliant book.
TheKate M gave it a6: Since I "read" this book on audio, I missed out on the font that Zach P has confessed to love. That is sad as I really do appreciate a good font. The pacing is also something translates differently in audio - but this book was refreshing to "read" because of Ishiguro's execution and the oddity of it all. Note to all writers: you automatically get a point deducted from your rating if you depend upon teasers to keep your readers reading (or listening, as the case may be).
Lisa D gave it a10: An amazing, haunting, powerful book. It is NOT about cloning or the ethical implications...not in the least. Not any more than waiting for Godot is about 2 men waiting. Ishiguro has captured the bleakness of the modern human condition, the illusion of choice and freedom, and the horror of wasted lives which are accepted with complacency. It left me in a somewhat disturbed existential funk for days. I suspect it will stay with me for years.
Zach P gave it a9: Everything about this book is incredible. The prose, the length, the style, even the font. I loved it.
Moki C gave it a5: Its little substancial this book. Nevertheless I quite enjoyed reading it.
Dan C gave it a7: A 10 in terms of the power of Ishiguro's deceptively simple prose - immensely engaging, with fully realized characters who live and breathe on page. That said, no novel can be truly successful when its central concept is so laughable. There is a great novel yet to be written about the ethics of human cloning; this is not it. The premise is risible on two levels: first, the main characters' meek acceptance of their fate; second, the lack of anyone in the larger society willing to challenge their status. I would compare this book (unfavorably) to both Bladerunner and 1984. Both of those stories provide a context that makes plausible the seemingly unthinkable system they describe. Ishiguro does nothing of the kind. He succeeds in making his characters fully human in terms of mental and emotional life, and thereby connects the reader to them, but in so doing he destroys his premise. Put simply, they would rebel, as slaves have done throughout history, no matter how indoctrinated they might be to think of themselves as less than human. In addition, some "normal" people would fight for their liberation. One only need look at the abolitionists in America (often motivated to the point of violence; see John Brown) or the civil rights movement for examples of fully enfranchised people fighting for the rights of others who are accorded subhuman status, but who are clearly human. Only a totalitarian government could suppress such a movement by both the slaves and their supporters in a modern society. But by presenting an England that is like today's in every respect (no hint of economic collapse, police-state repression, raging epidemics, etc), Ishiguro makes his own story ridiculous to anyone with the slightest knowledge of modern human history. As such, this book is a beautiful failure. His lame explanation that people became used to the status quo and then dependent on it before they had time to consider the ethics involved is so unsatisfying as to be worse than leaving the mystery unsolved. One need only recall that in modern times there are zealots who are willing to go to violent lengths for the "liberation" of animals from medical experiments, despite the obvious benefits of those experiments to humankind, to see that Ishiguro's world of universal acquiesence to human enslavement is impossible. We're supposed to accept that the strongest protest in this alternative world is a group of enlightened counter-culture types who complained softly and then receded quietly, the battle unwon. My response after finishing this very compelling book: No. No. No.
Dan B. gave it an8: I'll agree with Kevin R, below, that the plot decide the author uses, to tell you something about what's coming up in the next few pages so that you keep reading--that gets a little annoying. And yet it works, and it's a pretty small complaint compared to how much I enjoyed the book. It *is* slow, but still suspenseful. And, especially as it hits its peak and everything is explained, it just hits so many profound notes... which of course I can't say here because it would give things away.
kevin r gave it a5: I'm a bit surprised by the raves for this book. The author does a masterful job of creating moody moments, but the book is very slow paced and ultimately kind of boring. The entire book seems to endlessly repeat the same plot device. The narrator speaks confessionally and mentions something like a notebook or a trip as though you are part of the clued in group and know the significance of that notebook or trip. You wonder, Hmmm what's the deal with this notebook or this trip? Then a few pages later the narrator tells you about the notebook or trip. It's an effective plot device and not terribly annoying, unless of course you do it dozens of times, as this author does. Also, the central plot surprise is obvious fairly quickly, and, though the author raises some ethical issues in a compelling way, all this ground has been thoroughly gone over before (See Nancy Farmer's teen book The House of the Scorpion). Overall it felt like a waste of time.
Silas E gave it a9: Ishiguro captures the subtleties of memories and emotions in a powerfully understated novel. This was a wonderful read.
vera z gave it a10: A true masterpiece. Devastatingly sad, poetically beautiful it stays with you for days.
Benjamin S gave it a10: This book deserves to rank along THE great books of our time. It is beautiful, every page wills you to keep going, because every tiny thing that Ishiguro seeks to bring into our mind's eye is so perfectly described. You feel pure emotion, simply from reading, as with all the greatest books. Forget John Banville's 'The Sea', it is a travesty that Ishiguro did not win his second booker prize. I will never forget this book, but I will never forgive those who dismiss it as clinical. What do you expect from a character in such a sanitised environment? As a former boarding school pupil, I recognise Ishiguro's story in its fullness, able to make the comparison between the two worlds, and it is striking. This book is, at the risk of sounding slightly odd, gorgeous.
Susan W gave it a9: In response to Jim H: I actually found the story very believable from the point of view of a young woman. I was surprised at how well he represented the youth of many young girls. -- For those donators that did make it to three.. which was rare. Many made it through just one or two.. a kidney, a lung, even a stomach.. for the more vital organs, no one's saying they survived. :) -- Overall, I really enjoyed this novel.
Sandy C gave it a10: Ishiguro's trick is to take an idea that interests him, in this case cloning, set in the context of a slightly unexpected genre, the boarding school story, and explore his favourite themes: memory and its deceptions, loss of innocence, dreams and fears. Whatever the ostensible storyline, Ishiguro seems most fascinated in that curious no-man's land between the superficial details of daily existence and the swarming, suffocating world of the subconscious. Kathy, like Ryder in "The Unconsoled" and Stevens in "The Remains of the Day" relate experiences and recollections that seem to trouble them and yet each is treated with the same degree of significance. An innocent passing remark between any two of the friends that populate Kathy's memory is as important as what the reader might expect to be the significant plot revelations by Madame and Miss Emily towards the book's end. Ishiguro writes gripping, exasperating novels and this one does not disappoint.
eliza gave it a9: one of the most beautiful and touching books i've ever read. possibly one of ishiguro's best books by far, concerning a subject having such emotional subtlety yet emotional depth. more imptly the issues in this book have been dealt with so delicately and yet put forth so strongly its definitely a worthwhile read.
Sara W gave it a10: This was a great book. Well written, and a page-turner. I have never read a book that had so much meaning in it. I didn't even want to read this book but I'm glad i bite the bullet and did it because it is the most amazing book ever.
Jim H gave it a7: I was disappointed in this offering from the author of Remains of the Day and A Pale View of Hills. Ishiguro is understated here as he is in those two very superior novels, but it simply doesn't work as well. We don't feel and see the events of the book. We're never really convinced that we are reading the tale of a young woman, as we were utterly convinced that the narrator of Remains was a repressed English butler. Throughout reading this, I was aware of influences and derivations, not originality. That is to say, this would have been a stunning John Wyndham novel; but it's thin Ishiguro. And one last thing-- there are questions that nag. For example, what organs are they donating, that they can possibly survive three donations? Other may enjoy this book because it is well written, but all in all, I was quite let down. He's a major writer, but this is a minor work.
Lucinda M gave it an8: Beautiful, naiive, unemotional. It was compelling reading and I couldn't rest until I'd reached the end.
tony o gave it a7: bleak and depressing. the writing is well matched to the story; a sort of naive, child's eye view. there is something disturbing about such a grotesque dystopia being related in such a bland, indifferent voice
Ria F gave it a10: Excellent! A very wierd book that stays on your mind long after you put it down. It reminds you that science without moral standards is unacceptable.
Kate M gave it a9: Enthralling, inspite of itself! Beautifully written.
Colin G gave it a9: A skilfully executed homily on the consequences of unbridled scienfitic progress. A profound novel of wasted lives and unrealized love.
Richard C. gave it a10: The book was extremely enjoyable and thought provoking. Even though the ending was revealed early on, the story was still not spoiled. Something about the story made it hard to stop reading. Even after I finished it was impossible to get the book off my mind.
John E gave it a10: Huge surprise if Ishiguro is not headed for another nomination for prestigious Booker Prize from this sterling piece of work. Former award winner for Remains of the day, this story filled with mystery and supense of a surreal future that someday may come true. At the top of his game.
Areth gave it a7: A decent book, but I was left mostly unaffected by the end, and thought the style of writing left much to be desired.
R J Keefe gave it a10: An outstanding allegory that will draw attentive readers into intense, possibly troubling reflections on human mortality. Not a work of science fiction, and not a book about cloning, either.
Craigan U. gave it an8: Clinical, sterile, yet captivating.
Thomas R gave it a10: One of the top three books I have read this year.
karen h gave it a10: Ishiguro has created a book I'll never forget..
robert w gave it a6: very disappointing after remains of the day. the plot was silly, the characters boring. once the twist of the plot is revealed about one- third of the way, the reaction is "is that it". i skimmed to the end to avoid prolonging the suffering
Willem JM gave it a10: His subtle technique of detail is absolutely magisterial
Cat gave it a10: Devastatingly sad book--it is Ishiguro at his perplexing best: depicting lives wasted and unlived. Ishiguro captures loss that we feel in our bones, and not just in our hearts. A true artist of the floating world.
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