Never Let Me Go
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- Create Date：2021-03-15 03:16:30
- Update Date：2025-09-08
- Status：finish
- Author：Kazuo Ishiguro
- ISBN：B00LCRWFWQ
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Summary
As children， Kathy， Ruth， and Tommy were students at Hailsham， an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside。 It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were。 Now， years later， Kathy is a young woman。 Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life， and for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special--and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together。
Reviews
Wayne Brooks
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Knowing nothing ahead， I discovered this is a dystopian Brave New World novel--shocked to hear about carers and donors， possibles and clones。 The story is well told through Kathy the narrator who is the single protagonist seeking genuine relationship in what becomes revealed as a horrific environment。 When I became aware of the fate of the children， the believability factor dropped near zero， unable to imagine any real society which would allow such a process。 I tried to imagine a totalitarian Knowing nothing ahead， I discovered this is a dystopian Brave New World novel--shocked to hear about carers and donors， possibles and clones。 The story is well told through Kathy the narrator who is the single protagonist seeking genuine relationship in what becomes revealed as a horrific environment。 When I became aware of the fate of the children， the believability factor dropped near zero， unable to imagine any real society which would allow such a process。 I tried to imagine a totalitarian society in which citizens had learned to accept raising children for the purpose of organ donation and then barred from having the freedom to have any role except carer， donor or completed。 I still enjoyed the story。Then I thought of any society with cultural expectations and prohibitions which many people just take for granted。 There is less than freedom， even in more free societies， to talk about simple but highly significant subjects such as sex， gender roles， family values and the nature of societal expectations regarding work and reward， often just opting for a herd mentality。The redeming value of the narrator to seek genuine relationship contrasted deeply with the horror of the guardians in charge of educating the children who repressed the horror of their inhumanity and actual revulusion toward these clones， attempting to deny their inhumanity by first restricting telling them the truth of their condition， and then artificially trying to make them think they were worthy of human value by encouraging any form of creativity （Madam's gallery）。 More devastating was the rumor about the gallery which spread that these clones could at least get a few years deferral if they could prove to the guardians they were truly in love。 "You poor creatures" said the guardians at the end， regarding seeking deferral。 Even the suspected compassion by Madam who cried watching the narrator as a young girl dancing to "Never Let Me Go，" was not crying for the narrator but for her own innocence of childhood compassion lost now to the current cold technocratic society。 This was the value of the novel's ending。Even though Kathy the protagonist narrator continuously sought love--not only genuinely with Tommy， but even with Ruth who lived in a selfish dream world--and harbored nostalgia for the school of her brainwashing （Heilsahm）， her love seeking was one of innocent self-effacing acceptance of a cruel fate。 Perhaps this is also a commentary on human nature at our best， that love is not only an ideal to strive toward， but is also based on self-deception， clone or not， in order to believe in the human capacity for love under the best of conditions。 The nail in the dystopian coffin of humanity was in the last sentence which reflected the rubish collected on the fence of humanity， doing as the protagonist， what one is "supposed to。" 。。。more
Andy Zhang
，
After reading this book， I hold my plush and sing as softly as I can while rolling on my bed: never let me go， baby， baby， never let me go。。。When it comes to emotion and memory， Kazuo Ishiguro writes simplistic but precise。 Certain terms for emotion are repeated in the book， and when he mentions one， all the previous plots come up to you like it was your memory。 To Ishiguro， memory "melts away"， or is blurred。 He grabs the vagueness of memory and depicts it precisely。 When Kathy is reminiscing h After reading this book， I hold my plush and sing as softly as I can while rolling on my bed: never let me go， baby， baby， never let me go。。。When it comes to emotion and memory， Kazuo Ishiguro writes simplistic but precise。 Certain terms for emotion are repeated in the book， and when he mentions one， all the previous plots come up to you like it was your memory。 To Ishiguro， memory "melts away"， or is blurred。 He grabs the vagueness of memory and depicts it precisely。 When Kathy is reminiscing her past， she is not sure of the time it happened。 She forgets some details， and comparing to those other novels with a specific timeline， Never let Me Go feels more real。 。。。more
Brian
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 the growing quiet horror “When I watched you dancing that day， I saw a new world coming rapidly。 A harsh cruel world。 And I saw a little girl， her eyes tightly closed， holding to her breast the old kind world， one that she knew in heart could not remain， and she was holding and pleading at it， nerve let me go”The way that Tommy and Kathy resign themselves to their fate The last page is one of the best endings to a book I’ve read in some time I started thinking it was slow paced but the pace buil the growing quiet horror “When I watched you dancing that day， I saw a new world coming rapidly。 A harsh cruel world。 And I saw a little girl， her eyes tightly closed， holding to her breast the old kind world， one that she knew in heart could not remain， and she was holding and pleading at it， nerve let me go”The way that Tommy and Kathy resign themselves to their fate The last page is one of the best endings to a book I’ve read in some time I started thinking it was slow paced but the pace builds - like the Ford Maddox Ford writing， to a crescendo What’s a Carer？What and where is Haiksham？What’s a guardian？ ExchangesSalesWhat are the recovery centers？Why would I end up there？What’s Donation？ Scared of the woods - always thinking of them， they kept you in HailshamSales - they get random objectsShe buys a chess set but Ruth doesn’t know how to playWeaving in ordinary childhood rivalry and feelings Madame - scared of her but then also crying as she listened to the Judy Bridgewater song never let me go P77 - quiet comment of miss Lucy about good job that hailsham doesn’t have electrified fences; “you get terrible accidents”P80 the reveal - you have been created to have your vital organs harvested。 You won’t be going to America， you won’t be working in a supermarket。 Your lives are mapped out for you The fact that there is no shock from the children is partly the greater shock - we can get used to anything First names but all surnames are A B C D - p100 I realize; they are clones Her donor had “completed” - died？But bland writing - I know that this is intentional， write as if it’s all normal。 But her tone is dull。 Pace is not great - shifted again from p100 though P104 “your art is evidence”Keffer and Ruth’s stuff - she said “but it’s really good stuff！” And he laughs; they have nothing but rubbish Things “turn up” at the cottages - they have curtains and carpet instead of blankets - 135 - why is she looking at the faces？Out of nowhere - “where we were copied from”They only didn’t have a map of Norfolk and Ruth’s possible was there - are all clones from there？P165 Ruth says They all know they aren’t modeled from good people but from trash - junkies， winos， prostitutes， convictsAnother reveal - They collect art at hails ham to see into their souls， to see if they match She looked through old porn mags to find her possible。 P186 Tommy’s metallic creatures Ruth saying they laughed at the pictures - portent: “if only I knew what would happen I would have done something”Boat - mention of a big floodKings field converted recovery center Tommy Ruth and her on the way to the boat - so poignant “It felt right to become a donor - after all it’s what we are supposed to be doing， right？ The posters “How could I have tried？ She whispered， almost inaudible。 It was just something I dreamt about once”Ruth’s death - just once， for a few seconds， no more， she looked straight at me and knew exactly who I was”Ruth and Tommy together， but with a worry that it was all too late Finding madam and her reaction again -“As if a pair of large spiders were crawling toward her” （earlier in the book when the children realized that she saw them as spiders。 How the spider feels to make someone that scared） Their art was To prove that they had a soul at all Hailsham experiment “When I watched you dancing that day， I saw a new world coming rapidly。 A harsh cruel world。 And I saw a little girl， her eyes tightly closed， holding to her breast the old kind world， one that she knew in heart could not remain， and she was holding and pleading at it， nerve let me go”The way that Tommy and Kathy resign themselves to their fate The last page is one of the best endings to a book I’ve read in some time 。。。more
Edward Wayland
，
Like having your heart slowly pulled out。 I found myself thinking about something a commentator once said about Red Sox pitching great Pedro Martinez。 （relevant to the book， so stay with me） That， at his best， he could have walked up to a batter， told him the pitch he was going to throw， walked slowly to the mound， and then have thrown that pitch past him。 In this book you know pretty early （if you don't know going in from the chatter about the novel） the fate of the characters。 But then it is a Like having your heart slowly pulled out。 I found myself thinking about something a commentator once said about Red Sox pitching great Pedro Martinez。 （relevant to the book， so stay with me） That， at his best， he could have walked up to a batter， told him the pitch he was going to throw， walked slowly to the mound， and then have thrown that pitch past him。 In this book you know pretty early （if you don't know going in from the chatter about the novel） the fate of the characters。 But then it is as if Ishiguro， Pedro-like， says "I'm going to break your heart in just this way" and then he， inexorably， does it。 Masterful。 And a novel I suspect I will think about for a long time。 。。。more
Asia Burnett
，
I devoured the first half of this book。 The style of teasing just a bit more at a time and my need to know what was really going on， made this a fantastic read to start。 About midway through， the conversational narrative style stopped working as well and felt a little too much like telling rather than showing。 And I could tell we weren’t going to get the aha moment I was hoping for。 It picked up again for me in the last little bit: And I thought the ending was meaningful。 Overall， I was still a I devoured the first half of this book。 The style of teasing just a bit more at a time and my need to know what was really going on， made this a fantastic read to start。 About midway through， the conversational narrative style stopped working as well and felt a little too much like telling rather than showing。 And I could tell we weren’t going to get the aha moment I was hoping for。 It picked up again for me in the last little bit: And I thought the ending was meaningful。 Overall， I was still a little disappointed that we didn’t know more about the whys and hows of this whole world in the first place。 But it’s a book with some beautiful moments that definitely speaks to what it means to be human。 。。。more
Cande ♡
，
Interesting concept but was not a fan of the execution nor could I connect with any of the characters。 The audio really helped me get through this one。
Donald
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Goodreads needs a Tried/Didn't Finish button。 I gave it 100 pages， found it tedious， a mystery that didn't interest me enough to plow through。 Picked it up from a "books of the century so far" list。 Not getting that at all。 Goodreads needs a Tried/Didn't Finish button。 I gave it 100 pages， found it tedious， a mystery that didn't interest me enough to plow through。 Picked it up from a "books of the century so far" list。 Not getting that at all。 。。。more
Andy Ramsden
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I’d forgotten that I had read this book before but I’m pleased I decided to read it again。 Very thought provoking and often moving， rekindling my love for great reads！Ps - I didn’t like Ruth。 Am I alone here？
Maria
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Personally， I prefer descriptive novels and this one isn't descriptive at all， so not for me anyway。 Hardly any descriptions of characters and their appearances， and the most interesting characters are kept on the outskirts before vanishing entirely （Miss Lucy， for example， was a character I liked but wasn't even really in it）。I found the main character / narrator very boring and flat。 The world-building with the donors and carers etc is interesting but only briefly explained towards the end of Personally， I prefer descriptive novels and this one isn't descriptive at all， so not for me anyway。 Hardly any descriptions of characters and their appearances， and the most interesting characters are kept on the outskirts before vanishing entirely （Miss Lucy， for example， was a character I liked but wasn't even really in it）。I found the main character / narrator very boring and flat。 The world-building with the donors and carers etc is interesting but only briefly explained towards the end of the book， and again without much detail。 I know it might have been purposeful （for the whole mystery aspect and the vagueness） but I feel like the story had a lot more potential and it wasn't as fleshed out as it could have been。 。。。more
Jacquelyn Dunn
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This book left me with a lot of specific things to think about and some very unspecific feelings。 It was definitely a melancholy book， but there’s more to the feeling that I can’t quite put my finger on。
John
，
I've been wanting to read this since it came out in 2005， and after a number of false starts and wanting to finish it before starting Klara and the Sun 。 。 。 done。 Great read。 I've been wanting to read this since it came out in 2005， and after a number of false starts and wanting to finish it before starting Klara and the Sun 。 。 。 done。 Great read。 。。。more
Hannah
，
So much for all their crying， and yet I didn’t feel a thing。 Like I literally dove into this to get emotional myself—fucking devastated even， but for a book that was very #notallclones， the actual characters were without the soul to prove it。 Which seems a bit self-destructive considering the entire point was to subvert that sentiment， that they were human too， or whatever。 And I feel like including some semblance of resistance against their confining circumstances could have added a little more So much for all their crying， and yet I didn’t feel a thing。 Like I literally dove into this to get emotional myself—fucking devastated even， but for a book that was very #notallclones， the actual characters were without the soul to prove it。 Which seems a bit self-destructive considering the entire point was to subvert that sentiment， that they were human too， or whatever。 And I feel like including some semblance of resistance against their confining circumstances could have added a little more to that， since it indicates an essential aspect in human behavior。 You know， among several other things。It would have been much more compelling to have the characters defy the entrenched idea they were groomed to believe about their situation， to actively contemplate the existential nature of it instead of just being there。 What story is there to tell then， anyway？ The insipid love triangle that trudged on for more than a decade？ It just really bothered me how the very subject itself was skirted around the entire time， and it could have even given the overall story the needed edge。 The disregard of any possible， glaring outliers was pretty unnatural。 Organ harvesting is an interesting thing， and the subject matter it contends carries the amount of dimension I was expecting this book to illustrate。 There was not a single glimpse of the exploration of systemic abuse， humanity， or even anything minutely thought-provoking， but only the vague appearance of an unfulfilled potential。 Medical progress at the expense of clones and their feelings？ That was all it really amounted to。 The overall concept this book basically revolved around was just as portrayed in the same heavy-handed manner Kathy had taken to deliver her fucking sob story。 No heart。 The real kicker is that I actually prefer the film adaptation a lot more。 It still failed to hit that note of poignancy I was looking for， but the leading cast had done their absolute best with the little they were able to glean from the characters。 Beautifully shot too。 Both endings sucked balls， however。 。。。more
Zsuzsa
，
this was stunning and messed up at the same time， it will stay with me for a while
Carla
，
What a brilliant， and uncomfortable， read this was。 I wanted to read it in one breath， but at the same time I paced myself because I knew this wasn't one where I'd enjoy having the plot unravel too quickly。 I wanted to get to the end so badly， but as the pages progressed I slowed down。。。 I just didn't want it to be over， I just didn't want to come to terms with the fact there was nothing more。 Much like the characters， I'd always known the truth， the whole plot， while at the same time keeping ho What a brilliant， and uncomfortable， read this was。 I wanted to read it in one breath， but at the same time I paced myself because I knew this wasn't one where I'd enjoy having the plot unravel too quickly。 I wanted to get to the end so badly， but as the pages progressed I slowed down。。。 I just didn't want it to be over， I just didn't want to come to terms with the fact there was nothing more。 Much like the characters， I'd always known the truth， the whole plot， while at the same time keeping hope alive that some twist of fate would change it。 Some books are meant to leave a bitter sweet taste in your mouth。 What a brilliant read！ 。。。more
Michelle
，
It's been a long time since I've read a book that left me so unsettled。 The book is conversational with an unreliable narrator who often goes on tangents， the twist isn't difficult to figure out early on， and there's a big Hollywood style culmination scene to explain everything that seems a bit too convenient。 I still couldn't put the book down。 Ishiguro's writing style is so evocative and I had to sit quietly after finishing the book thinking about how society treats the "other" and how easy it It's been a long time since I've read a book that left me so unsettled。 The book is conversational with an unreliable narrator who often goes on tangents， the twist isn't difficult to figure out early on， and there's a big Hollywood style culmination scene to explain everything that seems a bit too convenient。 I still couldn't put the book down。 Ishiguro's writing style is so evocative and I had to sit quietly after finishing the book thinking about how society treats the "other" and how easy it is to hold onto the stories we tell ourselves to avoid unpleasant realities。 I'm frustrated that our cast didn't do more to assert their own autonomy and yet I see exactly why they believed their fate to be inevitable。 Will definitely revisit。 。。。more
Toche Ruz
，
I've accidentally deleted some of the books I've read while organizing my page and sadly lost a bunch of reviews as well ;-; MMM well that sucks， I'm a fan of going back to certain books when reading my reviews。。。 I've added Never Let Me Go as a book I want to re-read because I'm not quite sure I got the hang of it the first time around。 Don't get me wrong， it all made sense once I finished it， but I can't help but feel like 22 year old Toche would get something 17 year old Toche didn't。 Maybe t I've accidentally deleted some of the books I've read while organizing my page and sadly lost a bunch of reviews as well ;-; MMM well that sucks， I'm a fan of going back to certain books when reading my reviews。。。 I've added Never Let Me Go as a book I want to re-read because I'm not quite sure I got the hang of it the first time around。 Don't get me wrong， it all made sense once I finished it， but I can't help but feel like 22 year old Toche would get something 17 year old Toche didn't。 Maybe there won't be a difference at all！ A solid high school english class read， it does get dull for a bit but only because it's so ominous。。。 the movie made me cry loads too hahaha。 Anyways back to finding my lost books！ 。。。more
Claudia Ivette
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 La verdad no me gustó tanto el libro。 Está muy centrado en la interacción entre los personajes principales que es completamente trivial: un niño que sufre de bullying， una chica berrinchuda y otra que solo quiere caer bien。 No me identifiqué a nivel emocional con ninguno de ellos。 Sin embargo， lo positivo es que poco a poco te empieza a develar el misterio de algo mucho más grande que los personajes y que está mal。 Para mi esa es la parte interesante del libro， pero tristemente no se ahonda much La verdad no me gustó tanto el libro。 Está muy centrado en la interacción entre los personajes principales que es completamente trivial: un niño que sufre de bullying， una chica berrinchuda y otra que solo quiere caer bien。 No me identifiqué a nivel emocional con ninguno de ellos。 Sin embargo， lo positivo es que poco a poco te empieza a develar el misterio de algo mucho más grande que los personajes y que está mal。 Para mi esa es la parte interesante del libro， pero tristemente no se ahonda mucho en ello。 Me parece un libro muy humano， pero definitivamente no lo volvería a leer。 。。。more
Tina Ger
，
NEVER LET ME GO - I didn’t know anything about the book when I started to read it and had the pleasure of slowly sliding into Kathy’s world – a dystopian world without being science fiction。 There is a mystery about the protagonists， but it does not really matter。 Ishiguro reflects on fate， dignity and humanity in a most compelling way。 He challenges the reader to think about self-determination and our ability to shape our destinies。 How much of a choice do we really have？
Toby
，
It's been a long time since I've read a book that has emotionally hit me the way this one has。 It is devastating sad and so beautifully poised all the way through。It's not really a dystopian novel， even though it appears on school syllabuses as one。 It is set in an alternative but not completely different world to the 1980s/modern world that we are familiar with。 It is a world with a few tweaks in scientific understanding in the 1950s could feasibly have found its way into contemporary reality （ It's been a long time since I've read a book that has emotionally hit me the way this one has。 It is devastating sad and so beautifully poised all the way through。It's not really a dystopian novel， even though it appears on school syllabuses as one。 It is set in an alternative but not completely different world to the 1980s/modern world that we are familiar with。 It is a world with a few tweaks in scientific understanding in the 1950s could feasibly have found its way into contemporary reality （and in darker imaginations perhaps still could in other scientifically advanced places in the world）。There are themes a plenty to pick and choose from apart from the more obvious questions of what it means to be human and what it means to love。 Plato is the shade at much of the feast with its questions about clones and perfect forms。 What struck me most forcibly， especially towards the end that in many ways this is a novelisation of that equally devastating Nineteenth Century poem Dover Beach。 It is a novel about the collapse of faith and a belief in a perfect future - whether spiritual or technological。 As Kathy and Tommy clutch each other in the windswept darkness of a field it's very hard not to think of the lines:Ah， love， let us be trueTo one another！ for the world， which seemsTo lie before us like a land of dreams，So various， so beautiful， so new，Hath really neither joy， nor love， nor light，Nor certitude， nor peace， nor help for pain;And we are here as on a darkling plainSwept with confused alarms of struggle and flight，Where ignorant armies clash by night。 。。。more
Crumb
，
I didn’t really like this book。 I found much of it slow and the parts that did interest me were ambiguous and confusing。
Jade Clark
，
Well now I’m crying
Elle Kaye
，
DNF。 This book sent me into a reading slump
Sergio
，
I wish there were 6 stars to rate the book。
Loretta Diaz
，
Hooked and confused。 Its as if I had a sit down with the main character and got told her story。
João Pedro Vale
，
Ficção Científica desse jeito faz muito tempo q eu não leio。 O jeito q o autor vai entregando os detalhes sobre a situação dos personagens me deixou preso do começo ao fim， e adorei o jeito como ele descreve as emoções e as interações dos personagens， sempre de forma muito natural e nunca em extremos， como se sempre os personagens estivessem passando por um mix de emoções， o que é mais parecido com o que acontece na vida real
Rudrika ✨
，
Well， oof。Big OOF。 No one warned me about the waterworks that would accompany this novel。This novel kicked me in the gut in the nicest way possible， and I bawled my eyes out at 4 am。 And while i'm usually DOWN to ugly cry， this was a different kind of pain。 I mean， it's no secret that I love depraved deranged characters trying to find themselves while making terrible disastrous mistakes in the bargain。 But this novel is just。。。。。。OOF。 I went in blind， which I suppose helped a lot。 I will caution Well， oof。Big OOF。 No one warned me about the waterworks that would accompany this novel。This novel kicked me in the gut in the nicest way possible， and I bawled my eyes out at 4 am。 And while i'm usually DOWN to ugly cry， this was a different kind of pain。 I mean， it's no secret that I love depraved deranged characters trying to find themselves while making terrible disastrous mistakes in the bargain。 But this novel is just。。。。。。OOF。 I went in blind， which I suppose helped a lot。 I will caution people to not enter thinking this is a sci-fi novel， because while yes， of course， the main premise of this novel is centred around a dystopian society， it's heart and soul is completely， 100 percent literary fiction。 This novel is more so about humanity， societal conditioning and hope （or the loss of it）I have seen the explorations of morality and humanity before in bold and unflinching voices in several other books， but what I didn't expect this book to do was take all of those questions and explorations and distribute it subtlety and quietly throughout the extent of this novel， building it bit by bit， until it hits you with it's full force like a kick in your freaking solar plexus。This novel is so so important。 Not just because it is written so very stunningly， but because it asks questions and give answers innocently， and reminds us that somewhere， we too have left our humanity behind in the pursuit of selfishness。（P。S-If you can get your hands on the audiobook for this novel， i'd recommend doing that， because without it， I don't think I could've actually read the book。 The first 1/3rd of the book is not nearly as engaging as the rest， and the audio book really helps in the the initial third。） 。。。more
Winston C。
，
More layered， mature， and believable than any other sci-fi dystopia novel， Ishiguro works miracles into an otherwise silly genre。
Watchout4snakes
，
Very well-written with detailed scenes and complex characters。 It's not a "fun read"， however。 Be prepared to be put through an emotional wringer。 Very well-written with detailed scenes and complex characters。 It's not a "fun read"， however。 Be prepared to be put through an emotional wringer。 。。。more
Elyce
，
What a book。 I love the pace。 I love that it never comes out and says what it is about， but you know exactly what it is about。 I love the way it makes you think about what makes us human and what makes us matter， without coming out and asking those questions。 Definitely worth the read。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Never Let Me Go
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Never Let Me Go&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Never Let Me Go&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0