Fiction

Klara and the Sun

Klara and the Sun

  • Downloads：2098
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-03-31 06:52:00
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Kazuo Ishiguro
  • ISBN：0593311299
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK - NATIONAL BESTSELLER - Once in a great while， a book comes along that changes our view of the world。 This magnificent novel from the Nobel laureate and author of Never Let Me Go is "an intriguing take on how artificial intelligence might play a role in our futures 。。。 a poignant meditation on love and loneliness" （The Associated Press）。

BOOKER PRIZE Nominee - GOOD MORNING AMERICA Book Club Pick

"What stays with you in 'Klara and the Sun' is the haunting narrative voice--a genuinely innocent， egoless perspective on the strange behavior of humans obsessed and wounded by power， status and fear。" --Booker Prize committee

Here is 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 in 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？

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Reviews

Christine ，

The lack of general information in this book made it so confusing。 I had so many questions and didn't at all grasp the basic idea of the story。 I'm sure the author was trying to convey a deep message through his book but it was lost amongst all my lingering questions。 The lack of general information in this book made it so confusing。 I had so many questions and didn't at all grasp the basic idea of the story。 I'm sure the author was trying to convey a deep message through his book but it was lost amongst all my lingering questions。 。。。more

Sori ，

dnfed at 50%， this book is super boring and the audio book narrator has the worst fake British accent I've ever heard dnfed at 50%， this book is super boring and the audio book narrator has the worst fake British accent I've ever heard 。。。more

Natalie ，

i love this sm ！！ its honestly written in a very simple way， but thes authenticity of the characterisation and klara's voice despite being a robot is so lovely。 the sparing use of imagery and intricate description in relation to setting particularly is also really nice。 <3 the underlying discussion of humanity， the heart， and the individual is really nuanced and a little bittersweet at times。 i love this sm ！！ its honestly written in a very simple way， but thes authenticity of the characterisation and klara's voice despite being a robot is so lovely。 the sparing use of imagery and intricate description in relation to setting particularly is also really nice。 <3 the underlying discussion of humanity， the heart， and the individual is really nuanced and a little bittersweet at times。 。。。more

Michelle ，

I wish I’d finished this BEFORE my book club discussion about it and not two weeks later， because I’d like to talk about it now。 It’s a book in which the Artificial Friend （that’s what AF stands for， right？） is the one I connected with the most。 The humans are jerks。 Klara is kind and observant and believes in her mission and the Sun as a higher power。 She’s like a pet that everyone takes for granted。 And her greatest gift， her self-sacrifice， goes unnoticed。 In the end I thought the book a sad I wish I’d finished this BEFORE my book club discussion about it and not two weeks later， because I’d like to talk about it now。 It’s a book in which the Artificial Friend （that’s what AF stands for， right？） is the one I connected with the most。 The humans are jerks。 Klara is kind and observant and believes in her mission and the Sun as a higher power。 She’s like a pet that everyone takes for granted。 And her greatest gift， her self-sacrifice， goes unnoticed。 In the end I thought the book a sad commentary on a lot of things。 Family。 Friendships。 Education。 Love。 Dreams。 Overall， it left me sad。 If anyone wants to talk about this over wine and cheese， I’m down。 。。。more

Saamiah Zaveri ，

Hm an underwhelming ending to a fairly predictable storyline。 I was expecting some of the magic from Never Let Me Go and kept waiting for some kind of plot twist but to no avail。 Ishiguro is an artist but this one disappointed me。

Joy ，

I usually like sci-fi as a genre， but this book was too sllllooooowww。 It felt like nothing even happened for the first 2/3 of the book， and the last 1/3 was so vague and foggy that it left me unsatisfied。 There’s a good chance I would’ve given up altogether if I weren’t reading this for a book club。

leilani ，

klara was so sweet and i loved her character and her thoughts and intentions were so caring and kind。 this book was my first book by kazuo Ishiguro and it will not be my last <3

Mimi Le ，

Story about an android being picked up at the store to keep a sickly teenager company。 What’s super fascinating is that it’s all in the android’s point of view。 Android， named Klara， have special observation and insight abilities so her descriptions were refreshing and unique。 Klara is the biggest sweetheart， her unrelenting hope that things would turn out ok。 A lot of the drama picks up after Part 3。 Such a bittersweet ending too…

Lovisa ，

4。5/5

Michelle Sun ，

this was a rec from the owner of one of my favorite bookstores on campus （sleepy cat books） - it was one of the best fiction pieces i've read。 reads like a movie。 this was a rec from the owner of one of my favorite bookstores on campus （sleepy cat books） - it was one of the best fiction pieces i've read。 reads like a movie。 。。。more

Gabby Krueger ，

An interesting read。 At first I thought it was a mix between Never Let Me Go and Remains of the Day and I thought I knew the story。 But it became more complex and I was quite sad at the end。 My favorite part of this story was anytime there was long stretches of dialogue whether it be a conversation between Klara and another person or Klara observing a conversation。 Ishiguro is great with the flowing of conversations。 Bravo！！

Z ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 it's so close to being a great book but for me it fell short。 it was in some parts very intriguing and compelling but just landed flat。 I loved klara， her innocence， her faith and her loyalty。 she kept me reading， otherwise， the story was meh。 it's so close to being a great book but for me it fell short。 it was in some parts very intriguing and compelling but just landed flat。 I loved klara， her innocence， her faith and her loyalty。 she kept me reading， otherwise， the story was meh。 。。。more

Emily Robson ，

I'm not sure why but I just didn't have a connection with this book。 I found the story quite stilted and disjointed。 Interesting concept but would have like to have heard more about how the other characters felt about the society as most of it was klaras perspective。 I'm not sure why but I just didn't have a connection with this book。 I found the story quite stilted and disjointed。 Interesting concept but would have like to have heard more about how the other characters felt about the society as most of it was klaras perspective。 。。。more

Chocofreta ，

Μου άρεσε αυτό το βιβλίο， δεν ξέρω καν γιατί， δεν ήταν κάτι συγκλονιστικό αλλά κάτι που κολλάει σαν τσίχλα στο μυαλό， νομίζω ήταν οι εικόνες， ο κόσμος που φτιάχνει， οι χαρακτήρες που ζουν σε αυτόν και μια εσάνς νοσηρότητας μαζί με τεχνολογικής ανάπτυξης χωρίς περιττά ηθικά σχόλια και κριτική - it is what it is。

clíona ，

I don’t think any review I could do on goodreads could do this book justice。 That was the best read I’ve had in a long time and it was a pleasure to read， absolutely no reliance on dark subject matter just to make it interesting or for “shock factor”。 Klara is amazing and I’m already planning my reread🥰

Erin ，

This was fine？ Not earth-shattering at all。 "What if toys were sentient" doesn't seem all that original。 And the potential "twist" was telegraphed from a mile away， so that wasn't a reveal。 But it was enjoyable enough！ This was fine？ Not earth-shattering at all。 "What if toys were sentient" doesn't seem all that original。 And the potential "twist" was telegraphed from a mile away， so that wasn't a reveal。 But it was enjoyable enough！ 。。。more

Wouter ，

Prize winning authors remind me of students of whom you have great expectations， but fail to deliver during their test。 For if you have read The Remains of the Day， Never Let Me Go， The Buried Giant and， yes， even the enigmatic The Unconsoled， how can you start reading with a blank sheet？ Klara and the Sun， for me， was a disappointment。 The plot is thin， the characters few， the symbols too much in your face， the lessons too obvious， the setting not present and the ending cheap （view spoiler）[（ev Prize winning authors remind me of students of whom you have great expectations， but fail to deliver during their test。 For if you have read The Remains of the Day， Never Let Me Go， The Buried Giant and， yes， even the enigmatic The Unconsoled， how can you start reading with a blank sheet？ Klara and the Sun， for me， was a disappointment。 The plot is thin， the characters few， the symbols too much in your face， the lessons too obvious， the setting not present and the ending cheap （view spoiler）[（everything you just read might just be made or mixed up by a degenerating robot） （hide spoiler）]。 Yes， it is told from the perspective of a robot， but the novel still needs to be read by a human being。Ishiguro is known for his light world building。 In Never Let Me Go and also in The Remains of the Day， he has shown to be a subtle storyteller。 Rarely explaining things， but hinting at them so we can construct what is actually going on。 I found that the most interesting bit of this novel。 Figuring out 'lifting'， wondering about the fight Paul is fighting， and the role of AFs in society。 My problem mainly lies with the plot。 I think the story could have been told in less pages without losing a lot。 There wasn't enough to keep me interested。 The few secrets that were revealed were not really groundbreaking。 It all felt like an interesting first draft that needed to be fleshed out。There are elements （symbols/motifs） that are recurring and seem important， but it is up to the reader to fill in the gaps， like a vague Ed Kowalczyk song from The Distance to Here where the fans add meaning to meaningless mumbo jumbo of presumed sagaciousness。 We have sheep and a bull， the Sun， of course， the hip and shoulder， Raincoat Man， the Cootings machine， the barn， birds， fluids （waterfall， Klara's liquid）。 It attempts to illuminate an integrated message （view spoiler）[but can be all just images from a deteriorating artificial mind （hide spoiler）]。Now， ironically enough， the plot felt artificial， constructed。 You could say， in an Kowalczykian way， that this is intentional as it is narrated by an artificial entity， but that would be lazy writing， wouldn't it？ Take the manager ，（view spoiler）[ she neatly enters the story as the mother figure of the AFs and is there at the end of the Klara。 The manager is a tool for Ishiguro to have Klara obviously share ideas to the reader。 There is a lot of tell but not show at the end of the novel。 （hide spoiler）] If this would be a debut novel， we would all say its author is promising and we will hear more from him。 Ishiguro has made a name and created expectations。 However， he is the creator。 He can decide what to write。 I just didn't catch on this time。 I might have missed the sagacity and will revisit if people can convince me it is an intricately woven piece of art。 For now， there were too many dots on a blank canvas with very few connections。 。。。more

Kiera Mc ，

I think this will be a book that I think about for a while。。。 Definitely not for everybody， but if you're ok with a bit of ambiguity then I think this story will really resonate。 I think this will be a book that I think about for a while。。。 Definitely not for everybody， but if you're ok with a bit of ambiguity then I think this story will really resonate。 。。。more

Dani ，

What a fascinating book！ My book club had a field day discussing all of the theories and possibilities surrounding this plot。 I have to be honest， I didn't have high hopes。 It seemed like an odd premise。 It is an odd premise， but it works。 It presents aspects of human nature， and forces the reader， through Klara's perspective， to consider explanations that we might not otherwise consider。 It grabs bits of human activity and tries to explain why people act that way。 Sometimes Klara's simple expla What a fascinating book！ My book club had a field day discussing all of the theories and possibilities surrounding this plot。 I have to be honest， I didn't have high hopes。 It seemed like an odd premise。 It is an odd premise， but it works。 It presents aspects of human nature， and forces the reader， through Klara's perspective， to consider explanations that we might not otherwise consider。 It grabs bits of human activity and tries to explain why people act that way。 Sometimes Klara's simple explanations make sense。 Other times， she misses the mark， but her misunderstandings are a great jumping off point for us to think about bits of human nature that we are so used to as simply "that's just the way it is。" It's a little uncomfortable thinking deeper about what seem to be basic actions， but it can be very revealing。 I've only read this once， but I'll certainly need to read it again。 I wonder what new insights I'll pick up on successive readings。 。。。more

Adriana ，

książka miała potencjał na wspaniałą， ciekawą i unikatową historię， niestety autor podążył w innym kierunku i trochę mnie tym rozczarował

Eva Hille ，

En vakker og annerledes bok。 Full av overraskelser som setter tanker og fantasi i sving。 Lettlest også 😊

Betty J ，

This could/should have been targeted to the young adult audience。

Eleni Pinnow ，

I liked the story well enough， but I found the narrator felt rather gimmicky。 It was somewhat frustrating to not have the context for need for AFs and "lifting。" Some of the characters （Klara， Ricky） were likeable--but others were not terribly engaging。 Due to the choice of narrator， characters' motivations weren't always clear so it feels like you're looking （as Klara would say） at a bunch of unidentified oblongs。 。 。I had really high expectations of this book--and that may have made me feel mo I liked the story well enough， but I found the narrator felt rather gimmicky。 It was somewhat frustrating to not have the context for need for AFs and "lifting。" Some of the characters （Klara， Ricky） were likeable--but others were not terribly engaging。 Due to the choice of narrator， characters' motivations weren't always clear so it feels like you're looking （as Klara would say） at a bunch of unidentified oblongs。 。 。I had really high expectations of this book--and that may have made me feel more let down。 I was relieved when I finished it--though the writing was lovely。 。。。more

Lynda Cohagan ，

I usually enjoy books with unusual narrative voices， and this one is no exception。 Narrated by a robot， or Artificial Friend， the story forces the reader to confront our own perceptions of reality。 Intriguing。

Catherine ，

Nothing like as good as his previous books， honestly a bit boring。 The deliberate vagueness just got irritating。 Such a shame because the premise of the book is interesting。

Jennifer Boettcher ，

3。5Not my favorite book， but I appreciate the voice and perspective from an "AF"， or Artificially-intelligent Friend。 The narrator's voice was so pure and I enjoyed trying to picture the settings and what was really going on from that naive and fresh view。 I was， however， confused by Josie's diagnosis， thought the adult characters were largely awful， and wasn't very compelled by the story of the sun。 The ending felt abrupt and left me unsatisfied。 3。5Not my favorite book， but I appreciate the voice and perspective from an "AF"， or Artificially-intelligent Friend。 The narrator's voice was so pure and I enjoyed trying to picture the settings and what was really going on from that naive and fresh view。 I was， however， confused by Josie's diagnosis， thought the adult characters were largely awful， and wasn't very compelled by the story of the sun。 The ending felt abrupt and left me unsatisfied。 。。。more

Natalie Zebula ，

I really enjoyed this book， but I still had to google stuff to fully understand some parts。 Perhaps because I was listening to the audiobook version and it felt like it jumped somewhere else all of a sudden。 Some parts seemed a bit slow， but all in all， I was interested in this world， and who the characters are。

Alexa ，

I have wanted to read a book by Ishiguro for a long time as he is such a renowned author， Klara and the Sun was a great book to start with。 His world building was skilful and his writing was subtle but stunning。 Klara and the Sun tells the story of Klara who is an AI。 Her purpose is to be a support for her teenage owner Josie， to be a friend but to also aid her as she is ill。 Ishiguro really questions what it is to love， what it is to feel， what it is to be human。 The narrative style reflected h I have wanted to read a book by Ishiguro for a long time as he is such a renowned author， Klara and the Sun was a great book to start with。 His world building was skilful and his writing was subtle but stunning。 Klara and the Sun tells the story of Klara who is an AI。 Her purpose is to be a support for her teenage owner Josie， to be a friend but to also aid her as she is ill。 Ishiguro really questions what it is to love， what it is to feel， what it is to be human。 The narrative style reflected how an AI might interpret the world - with grids， plains， and renderings。 At first I found it somewhat jarring but as the novel continues you realise how important this narrative style is to assert that Klara is not a human but a machine that has a limited emotional range and perception。 Yet what is so interesting is despite this Klara is able to hope and even hold religious beliefs。 It really made me question how we will interact with machines in the future and what it is that makes us different from them。 I will have to read another Ishiguro soon。 。。。more

Drew ，

Amazing book。 What does it mean to be human？ What does love look like？

una ，

liked the writing style but disliked the audiobook experience and the representation of both the british accent and values， it felt extremely stereotypical and unknowledgeable。 that aside， the story wasn't really for me as I personally don't connect well with sci-fi。 would definitely recommend this to someone who does though。 liked the writing style but disliked the audiobook experience and the representation of both the british accent and values， it felt extremely stereotypical and unknowledgeable。 that aside， the story wasn't really for me as I personally don't connect well with sci-fi。 would definitely recommend this to someone who does though。 。。。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