Klara and the Sun
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- Create Date：2021-04-12 08:34:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kazuo Ishiguro
- ISBN：B08BCPV1G7
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Summary
'KLARA AND THE SUN' IS A MAGNIFICENT NEW NOVEL FROM THE NOBEL LAUREATE KAZUO ISHIGURO - AUTHOR OF 'NEVER LET ME GO' AND THE BOOKER PRIZE-WINNING 'THE REMAINS OF THE DAY。'
'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 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 of our illusory sense of connection with the world。"
Running Time => 10hrs。
©2021 Kazuo Ishiguro （P）2021 Random House Audio
'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 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 of our illusory sense of connection with the world。"
Running Time => 10hrs。
©2021 Kazuo Ishiguro （P）2021 Random House Audio
Reviews
Jenna Jackson
，
I too believe the sun can heal me of all ills。 3。5
Christopher
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Twisting a famous Maya Angelou’s quote， “You’ll forget what an Ishiguru book said， you’ll forget what happened in an Ishiguru book， but you’ll never forget how an Ishiguru book book made you feel。” I preferred ‘Never Let Me Go’ （and of course the GOAT ‘The Remains of the Day’） on plot。 Numerous ‘Klara’ passages showcase Ishiguru’s boundless range and mastery of literary elements from dramatic irony to symbolism and point-of-view。 The author’s creativity allows him to reflect upon the human exper Twisting a famous Maya Angelou’s quote， “You’ll forget what an Ishiguru book said， you’ll forget what happened in an Ishiguru book， but you’ll never forget how an Ishiguru book book made you feel。” I preferred ‘Never Let Me Go’ （and of course the GOAT ‘The Remains of the Day’） on plot。 Numerous ‘Klara’ passages showcase Ishiguru’s boundless range and mastery of literary elements from dramatic irony to symbolism and point-of-view。 The author’s creativity allows him to reflect upon the human experience in a manner discreet yet profound。 Reading up on Goodreads/AMZN community reviews this afternoon after finishing this book， I wasn’t surprised to see wide volatility among reviews。 One reader wrote: “I read right to the end of Klara and the Sun to be really sure there wasn't a moment， a clever twist lurking somewhere， that would make me love it。 I pushed through an underwhelming narrative of recycled sci-fi themes， waiting， surely， for Nobel Prize-worthy goodness。。。” I can resonate with this anticipation of a ‘twist that never arrives，’ and yet I still found ‘Klara’ creative， poignant， and clever。 Felt almost more like a debut novel for Ishiguru，，，， “if you enjoy this you’ll love his other stuff。。。” I never felt a connection with more tertiary characters （Melania Housekeeper？）， a lot of confusion and doubt re Rick’s/Josie’s connection）， but as usual for Ishiguru the narrator ties this book into something wonderful。 4/5！ 。。。more
Nicole D。
，
Fun book
Jordan
，
Beautiful and ultimately simple， still unfailingly elegant but lacking some of the focus of his best work - especially in the third act。 A second tier Ishiguro is still a fabulous book。
Russio
，
Seeing in rectangles because of the sun？ Pixelated vision？ Just one of the mysteries that one has to solve for oneself in this story of disposable people - in more ways than one - and parental competitiveness taken to insane extremes。 Very interesting indeed。
Carrie
，
2。5？ But I rounded down in the stars because I expected much more of Ishiguro。 Like some other reviewers， I wonder if I'm missing something， but it seems like there's just no there there。 Interesting premise that's been explored by so many science fiction writers before him， I kept waiting for layers of complexity that never arrived。 2。5？ But I rounded down in the stars because I expected much more of Ishiguro。 Like some other reviewers， I wonder if I'm missing something， but it seems like there's just no there there。 Interesting premise that's been explored by so many science fiction writers before him， I kept waiting for layers of complexity that never arrived。 。。。more
Meg
，
OK， I feel I missed something。 This book was so anticipated and I have read other books by this author。 I expected more。 It is the story of an AI tasked with being the friend and companion to a teenage girl。 In a world where parents are deciding to genetically enhance their children or not it suggests a glimpse of a possible world where people are separated in their jobs， education， and social lives by the choices they make with these new innovations。 It examines the feelings of humans and the p OK， I feel I missed something。 This book was so anticipated and I have read other books by this author。 I expected more。 It is the story of an AI tasked with being the friend and companion to a teenage girl。 In a world where parents are deciding to genetically enhance their children or not it suggests a glimpse of a possible world where people are separated in their jobs， education， and social lives by the choices they make with these new innovations。 It examines the feelings of humans and the possible feelings of the AI's。 The subject was interesting but I listened to the Audio of this book。 The monotone given to the AI seemed to leak into the reading of some of the characters and it left the whole thing a little emotionally flat to me。 It may have just been the narration of the story。 。。。more
Pedro
，
La novela es Literatura en mayúsculas。 El autor a través de la mirada curiosa， ingenua y bondadosa de su inusual protagonista， con pocos mimbres y a través de situaciones de casi convivencia diaria， nos va exponiendo y asomando a grandes temas。 Temas como la soledad， el valor del amor， de la vida， de los sacrificios que hacemos al progreso， y por los demás。 Es una novela para releer， con el convencimiento de que cada lectura será un redescubrimiento。
Purl Scout
，
3。5。 Klara， as a character， is beautifully written， but the plot never matches her capacity as a narrator。 Such a shame。
Julia Durr
，
Unfortunately pretty lukewarm on this？ It really didn’t go anywhere。
Shelby Boyer
，
Wow。 I love how gripping Ishiguro’s worlds are without even bothering to explain everything away。 The slow give and take， ebb and flow of his plotting; the gentle tease of his characters; the quiet thoughtfulness that lingers long after the last page。 He is a master storyteller and this was a treasure to lose myself in。
Steven
，
A truly wonderful and amazing tale that takes you into a near future where much of what we talk about today being used in a purposeful but morally interesting way。 I loved every page and wanted it to go on， but alas。。。well， I can't tell you。 Read it， it is a wonderful time。 A truly wonderful and amazing tale that takes you into a near future where much of what we talk about today being used in a purposeful but morally interesting way。 I loved every page and wanted it to go on， but alas。。。well， I can't tell you。 Read it， it is a wonderful time。 。。。more
Jasmijn
，
I am sorry to say that I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped。 Still， it was a pleasant read。
Megan
，
I love Ishiguro’s writing but was hesitant to listen to this audiobook based on its description。 After almost giving up about 10% into the audiobook， I decided to forge ahead， and I am glad I did。 I loved Klara and how human she was。 Her observations were particularly enlightening。 The ending was perfect。
Simon Spiegel
，
Although I read «Klara and the Sun» quite quickly and rather enjoyed the process， I think it only works partly。 Adam Roberts nails my main gripes in his review （on his blog）。Although I don't consider myself part of the particular sf camp which always has to emphasize how much the genre has to offer and what reader of mundane literature are missing， I do indeed think that the novel would be much better if the author was more sf-savy。 Ishiguro's uses several sf tropes， but they feel only partly th Although I read «Klara and the Sun» quite quickly and rather enjoyed the process， I think it only works partly。 Adam Roberts nails my main gripes in his review （on his blog）。Although I don't consider myself part of the particular sf camp which always has to emphasize how much the genre has to offer and what reader of mundane literature are missing， I do indeed think that the novel would be much better if the author was more sf-savy。 Ishiguro's uses several sf tropes， but they feel only partly thought through。 。。。more
Matt
，
This is my first time reading Kazuo Ishiguro and this novel persuaded me to add some of his previous work to my tbr list。 Pop culture is experiencing an influx of movies， books， and tv shows about artificial intelligence and robots as it is becoming increasingly clear that those things will become a part of our society。 For better or worse。 In my experience with the fictional works that deal with these existential themes， I feel like they tend to hit viewers and readers over the head in much too This is my first time reading Kazuo Ishiguro and this novel persuaded me to add some of his previous work to my tbr list。 Pop culture is experiencing an influx of movies， books， and tv shows about artificial intelligence and robots as it is becoming increasingly clear that those things will become a part of our society。 For better or worse。 In my experience with the fictional works that deal with these existential themes， I feel like they tend to hit viewers and readers over the head in much too obvious ways。 Thankfully， Ishiguro has crafted a novel that is much more subtle and gave me a visceral， emotional reaction。 Set in a future where AI robots are becoming a growing part of society， Klara and the Sun is a book about an AF （artificial friend） named Klara， whose purpose is to be a companion to a teenage girl （Josie）。 This is not a plot driven book and readers that have expectations of a sci-fi action novel will be severely disappointed。 Instead the book focuses on interactions between the family and friends of Josie through the eyes of Klara （the artificial friend）。 One of the things I liked most in this book was the character of Klara。 Klara’s view of the world is often flat and vague， as she’s trying to make sense of the physical， emotional， and human world around her that she doesn’t totally understand。 Ishiguro does a great job of writing from the pov of an AI robot。 I wasn’t familiar with the author so it was at times laboring to get through the first half of the book。 However， once I got to the midpoint， I found myself reading faster and with more intent as the theme of the story started to take shape。The heavy lifting I had to do at the beginning of the book paid off in a major way。 A large chunk of the first half is setup for a poignant climax at about the 80 percent mark。 There were many themes in Klara and the Sun that resonated with me。 Loneliness， mortality， existence， love， hope， are some that come to mind。 But perhaps the most important theme from the book was what it means to be human。 Ishiguro tackles this question in a unique way by telling a story through a character that is not human， but is instead observing humans and trying to make sense of the humans she observes while also trying to make sense of an unfamiliar world。 Klara and the Sun was one of those books that will stick with me for a while as I also try to make sense of an increasingly unfamiliar world。 。。。more
Marianne Søiland
，
Hmm。。。 Denne kunne slått ut begge veier， og jeg er jammen ikke sikker på om den fortjerner 4 - og ikke 2。。。
Mel
，
4。5 stars。 If you're interested in AI and robots this is a beautiful take on what their capabilities could become as far as empathy and caretaking and spirituality。 It's told from the perspective of the AI （or AF in this book）， which lends a slight wonder and point of view of the world that's refreshing。 4。5 stars。 If you're interested in AI and robots this is a beautiful take on what their capabilities could become as far as empathy and caretaking and spirituality。 It's told from the perspective of the AI （or AF in this book）， which lends a slight wonder and point of view of the world that's refreshing。 。。。more
Ryan
，
This is the first book I’ve read by this author。 I liked it。 Mainly for its first person narrative from a robot’s point of view and because its ending wasn’t as predictable as you’d think。 It had a bit of magic， science fiction， complex characters， and human struggle combined。 In the future I may read more of this author as I’m now curious about the other books。
Cindy
，
This is the second book I read by Kazuo Ishiguro。 Both have been character driven novels， vs plot。 In this one， we follow Klara， an artifical intelligence robot designed to be a companion to teenagers。 She is bought by a family with an ill child。 Over time we realize the true purpose of why Klara was chosen for this family。 Glimpses are given into the larger world and what changes have happened with technology， but this is not the focus of this narrative。 The main theme is exploring what disting This is the second book I read by Kazuo Ishiguro。 Both have been character driven novels， vs plot。 In this one， we follow Klara， an artifical intelligence robot designed to be a companion to teenagers。 She is bought by a family with an ill child。 Over time we realize the true purpose of why Klara was chosen for this family。 Glimpses are given into the larger world and what changes have happened with technology， but this is not the focus of this narrative。 The main theme is exploring what distinguishes us from advanced AI and could robots replace humans。I wouldn't read this as sci-fi lit， but more as a character study with the sci-fi setting。 。。。more
Alicia G
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really dont know what it is about AI robots that turn a switch in my mind that makes me feel so much sympathy for them。 I think being in Klara’s mind， reading from her perspective， really made this book’s ending emotional for me， even if the happenings in the book itself were almost average-like。 It is saying goodbye to a friend， a life， a childhood。 Klara’s pure intentions throughout the book made this story sweet。What I expected from this book was the almost classic twist， the “AI are also p I really dont know what it is about AI robots that turn a switch in my mind that makes me feel so much sympathy for them。 I think being in Klara’s mind， reading from her perspective， really made this book’s ending emotional for me， even if the happenings in the book itself were almost average-like。 It is saying goodbye to a friend， a life， a childhood。 Klara’s pure intentions throughout the book made this story sweet。What I expected from this book was the almost classic twist， the “AI are also people， with emotions”， but this book did quite the opposite。 Klara was never offended that she was treated as a robot， because she simply was one。 The book even made it a point to explain that AFs and humans are very different。I was worried about some parts of this book that seemed so terribly boring at first。 Klara’s deal with the Sun。 It felt so naive and pointless to me， and in my opinion it was luck that Josie got better after the Sun came through。 However， i love how the book never clarifies this， we will never know if in this world the Sun could truly save people from illness。 I wish there had been more information on the “lifted” kids and what exactly that entailed。 They were genetically modified， but how？ It tickled my interest so much but we never got to find out。It was really cool and mysterious for Ishiguro to really jsut leave so much in the shadows。 This world filled with humans but yet everything is a little different and we will never know how exactly because our Pov is a robot whose main aim is to protect Josie。 I presume the fact that AFs were not informed on how the world works exactly so that the premise of this book with the Sun could work out。 It is very wholesome， and as always so different fromother stories I have ever read。 Ishiguro does a fantastic job of creating slightly uncanny valley stories， and yet so close to home。I am glad this book took the turns it did。 It couldve easily been a thriller-esque story about what is human nature and AI。 But instead it was a heart-warming story about an AF’s fulfilling “life”。 It was good， im glad my heart wasnt wretched out。 I will miss Klara even if she wouldnt miss me back。 。。。more
Erin
，
Genetic editing， artificial friends （AI）， the risks people are willing to take for a ‘better’ life along with questions of faith and what’s disposable and replaceable。 Much to ponder。 I appreciate it when the author lets you figure out lingo and world-building as you go， but I had a hard time finding fondness for any of the characters。
C Morland
，
Quite enjoyable， gentle read。 But there are books that do the AI sci-fi element better， and sci-fi books that do the human part better。
Timothy
，
reading this made me sad 。。。 sad that Ursula Le Guin is no longer around to give this dull， trite， lazy， simple minded， derivative， emotionally manipulative， less than mediocre YA novel the literary blog post scorn it deserves 。。。
Lindsey Thomas
，
Wow。 I’m going to have to think on this for a while before I come up with a rating。 It’s the first book in a while to wreck me at the end 😭。 I’ve never read any of his other books and didn’t really know what to expect。 I thought I was going to read a sweet story about the love between a girl and her AI friend。 What I got for most of the book was more of a dystopian sci-fi that really gave me some anxiety in parts。 The dystopian aspect involved pollution， dependence on technology， and losing our Wow。 I’m going to have to think on this for a while before I come up with a rating。 It’s the first book in a while to wreck me at the end 😭。 I’ve never read any of his other books and didn’t really know what to expect。 I thought I was going to read a sweet story about the love between a girl and her AI friend。 What I got for most of the book was more of a dystopian sci-fi that really gave me some anxiety in parts。 The dystopian aspect involved pollution， dependence on technology， and losing our humanity。 It made me question what was real and what wasn’t as it was told from the perspective of the AI/AF （artificial friend）。 I couldn’t guess what was really going on until he explicitly told us about 70% or 80% in。 I would have preferred to have some clues sprinkled in throughout the story。 So， I didn’t like how the first 70% or so was a little slow and confusing， but I LOVED the last 20% and the ending and the insights into humanity， love， and sacrifice。 I also didn’t particularly love any of the human characters， except maybe Rick。 The characters spoke just to speak instead of to respond to each other。 Rick and Josie didn’t sound like real teenagers to me， especially Rick， he was too mature。 But I did enjoy thinking about what sacrifices of our health are potentially worth it in order to secure a future for ourselves。 I could also connect with Klara and her love for the sun and the idea that is has healing properties， although Klara took that quite literally :）。 。。。more
Melissa
，
"You’re an intelligent AF。 Maybe you can see things the rest of us can’t。 Maybe you’re right to be hopeful。 Maybe you’re right。"Like Corduroy for grownups， Klara and the Sun tells the story of a sentient Artificial Friend - a robot， of sorts - who waits to be chosen （and eventually is！） by an owner。 Klara's job is to observe and learn about her owner， Josie， in order to assist her effectively。"She’s going to choose him！ She loves him。 He’s so lucky！"Kazuo Ishiguro raises such interesting questio "You’re an intelligent AF。 Maybe you can see things the rest of us can’t。 Maybe you’re right to be hopeful。 Maybe you’re right。"Like Corduroy for grownups， Klara and the Sun tells the story of a sentient Artificial Friend - a robot， of sorts - who waits to be chosen （and eventually is！） by an owner。 Klara's job is to observe and learn about her owner， Josie， in order to assist her effectively。"She’s going to choose him！ She loves him。 He’s so lucky！"Kazuo Ishiguro raises such interesting questions about humanity， worth， cruelty， acceptance， and love， and although I was thoroughly confused for most of the book， I also kind of enjoyed it？ There is enough nostalgia woven in to make you feel like you’re reading a grown-up version of a favorite childhood storybook， and some of the vague， open-ended scenarios seem to leave room for the reader to reach their own conclusions。"I refuse to accept this world has become so cruel。"The writing style reminded me a bit of Piranesi - perhaps it was the perpetual optimism， tinged with naivety， of the narrators in both works that had me drawing comparisons， or maybe it was just the way that both books left me feeling a little triggered by my own IQ， which is clearly too low to fully appreciate the highly intellectual nature of literature like this。"I believe there’s now reason for hope。"I appreciated the juxtaposition of Klara's sweet， simplistic tone， with the deeper philosophical questions about what it means to be human， and what is unique to the human experience。 I felt totally unqualified to even be reading it， but I enjoyed it nevertheless。——Follow @letteredlibrary on Instagram！ 。。。more
Arvin
，
What did I just read？This must be one of the worst book Ive read？ Like everything is so vague and out of context。 Everything doesn't make any sense。The world is not hardly explain。 Like we don't get the idea of child being lifted？ Whats the deal if your not 。。。and Rick's mother， whats her deal too？ And for God sake's the Sun。。。 really？I was expecting a big kind of thing was about to happen in the end。。。 but yeah， so disappointed。 This book is so dull from start to finish。 What did I just read？This must be one of the worst book Ive read？ Like everything is so vague and out of context。 Everything doesn't make any sense。The world is not hardly explain。 Like we don't get the idea of child being lifted？ Whats the deal if your not 。。。and Rick's mother， whats her deal too？ And for God sake's the Sun。。。 really？I was expecting a big kind of thing was about to happen in the end。。。 but yeah， so disappointed。 This book is so dull from start to finish。 。。。more
Farda
，
Poignant exploration of what it is to be human， what makes us “us” and what the persistence of love
CL
，
I’d probably give this 4。5 if I could， only because when compared with NEVER LET ME GO， one of my favourites and not just of Ishiguro’s， it didn’t hit *quite* as hard。 That said， it’s still an absolutely beautiful， heartbreaking， and thought-provoking story all on its own。 Klara is far more deserving of love than any of the humans she meets， and she’ll stick with me for a long time。
Yumi
，
Such a treasure each one of these books is 🙂 I've heard a few of them and can't wait to read most of these 🙂 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top Such a treasure each one of these books is 🙂 I've heard a few of them and can't wait to read most of these 🙂 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Klara and the Sun
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Klara and the Sun&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Klara and the Sun&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0