About this title: From the Booker Prize-winning author of "The Remains of the Day" and "When We Were Orphans" comes an unforgettable edge-of-your-seat mystery that is at once heartbreakingly tender and morally courageous about what it means to be human.
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Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. 2006-Paperback----Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Description: Very good. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Very good. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
"In turns both captivating and sleepy, "Never Let Me Go" is an atmospheric, tender, and heartbreaking story masquerading as a mystery novel. It is told in Kathy's voice, and her straightforward description of the facts of her life - with no explanation of unfamilar terms (which turn out to be unfamiliar because they only exist in Kazuo Ishiguro's alternate reality) - subtly and beautifully reveal the emotional underbelly of the narrative layer by gradual layer. Ishiguro's delicate, engaging prose suck you right in - and the feeling that the answers to all of Kathy's questions are JUST around the corner keeps the reader pushing through the slower, and sometimes dreary sections. Though occassionally the logistics of this slightly altered reality are a bit hazy, one gets the impression that this is simply because Kathy's exposure to the world has been hazy itself. Her unsentimental account of her life will slowly break your heart. If you're looking for a nailbiting thriller, this ain't it. But for a quietly devastating, very human story that will stay with you for a long time after you turn the last page, look no further."
"I'm an old man and have been a heavy reader for decades. I've read thousands of books. I say this to give weight to the following statement..."Never Let Me Go" is an original novel. For me, discovering originality of plot, of thesis, is exceedingly rare. The story is well presented; leisurely yet meticulous, and credible thruout. It made me think of Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451." Both novels take outrageous ideas and present them with a high degree of plausibility. If there exists an antonym for "insipid," NLMG would illustrate that definition.
"A sort of science fiction and mystery hybrid, Never Let Me Go portrays a dystopian future in which medical advances have taken precedence over ethics. The narrator, Kathy H., is a caregiver whose idyllic memories of her schooldays at Hailsham hint at a darker, more terrible story that she seems reluctant to acknowledge. As Kathy slowly recalls the details of her experiences at Hailsham, though, it becomes clear that she and her classmates are treated differently from everyone else--and their pride and nostalgia in their Hailsham heritage mask an underlying fear at having to accept the tremendous burden of their difference.
Another author might have simply told this story chronologically, but Ishiguro's masterful use of memory gives the novel an added gravity and momentum. Like many of Ishiguro's narrators, Kathy H. has an imperfect memory--when she first describes an incident, she often can't remember when precisely it happened, who was there, or why it was significant. As the story progresses, though, she returns to her incomplete memories, filling in forgotten details to provide context and importance. As a result, even seemingly innocent memories carry troubling undertones, and you're never sure if Kathy really doesn't remember what happened or if she's just too afraid to admit it.
Ishiguro is just so good at using memory in his stories--reading Kathy's description of something that happened at Hailsham, I often felt as though I was just about to figure out an important piece of the puzzle, only to discovery that her memory was just fuzzy enough to leave me with more questions than I had before. In a way, the novel reminds me of a sort of literary Memento--but with more gravity and a much darker, more terrible center. Through her incremental and uncertain memories of Hailsham, Kathy provides the details of her life at a measured, almost reluctant, pace, carefully unraveling the bandages of her past to expose the delicate, wounded heart of her story.
Other than admiring Ishiguro's writing style, I can't really say too much about this novel without giving away more of the plot than I'd like to, but I will say that the way Ishiguro deals with otherness in this story--the way the Hailsham kids come to understand and quietly, shyly accept their roles, almost as if they feel they deserve a sort of punishment just for being who they are--is heartbreaking.
I really enjoyed Never Let Me Go. The skill with which Ishiguro gradually reveals his characters' fates, and the care with which he presents their struggles to understand those fates, make this a thoughtful and exciting read. Easy to get into and hard to put down.
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