He's known for experimenting with different genres. I think this one falls into the dystopian YA fiction category. Maybe you don't like this genre? |
I think the opposite, that he was opposed to reliance on technology and helped Klara because he wanted her to weaken/go away. Under the guise of helping her, it was an easy way to get her gone. And the machine, too: a bonus. |
Never Let me Go is my favorite book ever and I loved Klara and the Sun. It is perhaps more optimistic than Never Let me Go. Now I want to go back and re-read Never Let Me Go. |
The Unconsoled was the only one I have ever finished by him. And at the end of it my only thought was "I get it, I am now the unconsoled, because that book was a struggle and completely unconsoling" |
I loved the book and excited about the movie. The casting choices look solid to me.
https://deadline.com/2024/02/natasha-lyonne-simon-baker-klara-and-the-sun-1235832391/?fbclid=IwAR2yJgIW3SvWZ8cv7hCP2s86zILepuqIMx6b8lLP1sN4HQX9igwRaoVVlVI#recipient_hashed=dc3fb3ff12517ec9dbceeda132953ef89f5343be94bf572c2496753f55af09ee&recipient_salt=edea88b4aa5b409c027b177e2cd1a7bfa79fdef5f9832101434508bb6c11e571 |
Jenna Ortega is well cast.
I loved the book. It’s a fascinating perspective. |
Wow that is quite a cast |
I really liked this book as well, though I agree iwth some PPs in that I wish some aspects of the story were more fleshed out. However I see the point of some commentary I read online, that Ishiguro isn't in the business of fantasy world-building but just wanted to explore themes of humanity, friendship etc.
Very excited to learn there is a planned film, I hadn't heard that before seeing this thread. |
Ishiguro is one of those who make me questioning humanity. |
I enjoyed it but it has not stuck with me the way Never Let Me Go does. I think Klara's much more limited understanding and awareness is an interesting literary device (I liked how much of the book kind of reveals itself as you go -- he leaves a lot unexplained so that you can uncover it along with Klara, which was an enjoyable experience), but it made for a less emotionally rich reading experience.
In a way this reveals what I think is a major ethical difference between human cloning and AI. A human clone is a human. They have a human experience. AI, even if sentient and feeling, is not human. So where the ethical issues in Never Let Me Go were extremely immediate and poignant to me, I felt they were less obvious in Klara and the Sun. Yes I felt sad for Klara at parts in the book, but I don't think she experienced even the worst parts of her experience with a depth of sadness that made me think "this is wrong." Even at the end, I felt like I felt worse for Klara at having been discarded than she felt for herself. Her emotional range as AI was so much more limited and just not human. But the fact that I can even draw these comparisons and think of these characters as real in this way is a testament to Ishiguro, who I truly do think is a genius. I also loved Remains of the Day, I think I might want to reread it because it's been so long. I never attempted any of his other books but now I'm interested. |
To that I'd say why do it at all then? Or at least to the extent that he did in this book. |