Klara and the Sun
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- Create Date：2021-02-27 17:02:40
- Update Date：2025-09-08
- Status：finish
- Author：Kazuo Ishiguro
- ISBN：057136487X
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Summary
From the bestselling and Booker Prize winning author of Never Let me Go and The Remains of the Day， a stunning new novel - his first since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature - that asks， what does it mean to love？ A thrilling feat of world-building， a novel of exquisite tenderness and impeccable restraint， Klara and the Sun is a magnificent achievement， and an international literary event。
Reviews
Heather
，
I burned through this book。 It's rare that a novel so gentle is also so compelling， and that spec fic done so softly can also be so tense。 The first half is the stronger and the scene in the portrait studio the most intense， but ultimately， despite some hammy parts， I've come away thinking about grief， promises and human desperation。 You'll read it and you'll love it。 I burned through this book。 It's rare that a novel so gentle is also so compelling， and that spec fic done so softly can also be so tense。 The first half is the stronger and the scene in the portrait studio the most intense， but ultimately， despite some hammy parts， I've come away thinking about grief， promises and human desperation。 You'll read it and you'll love it。 。。。more
Allison
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A recent profile of Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro in The NY Times proclaimed him the prophet of the age and declared Klara and the Sun profound and powerful。 I wish I could get on the bandwagon， but I finished the novel with a sense of disappointment and dispassion。 I guess when you write a story from the perspective of a robot， even one created to be an AF （artificial friend） for a human， you run the risk of telling your tale without emotion。 Often times a story like this works beca A recent profile of Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro in The NY Times proclaimed him the prophet of the age and declared Klara and the Sun profound and powerful。 I wish I could get on the bandwagon， but I finished the novel with a sense of disappointment and dispassion。 I guess when you write a story from the perspective of a robot， even one created to be an AF （artificial friend） for a human， you run the risk of telling your tale without emotion。 Often times a story like this works because the reader brings their own experience and translates the neutral analysis into the “real story”， colored by their personal feelings。 In Klara and the Sun， I never connected with any of the characters or cared much about their problems。 The events that took place in a world not too distant from our own， revolve around a young girl Josie who is suffering from serious unspecified health issues。 It is she for whom Klara is intended to be her AF。 Being an AF does not translate to sharing hopes and dreams。 Klara is somewhere between a favorite toy and a roomba， but unlike the Velveteen Rabbit， love doesn’t turn her into a real girl。 Josie’s family has been fractured by the death of an older sister and the separation of her parents。 A longtime friendship with a boy in her neighborhood is on shaky ground because of changes in the social status of both。 There appear to be no other social connections as all schooling is virtual。 The combination of Josie’s health issues and Klara’s inability to experience emotions leads to a muted atmosphere despite what would seem to be deep and unjust rips in the fabric of society。 In a world where science and technology seem to control all aspects of life， Klara， in order to cure Josie， reaches and acts on a conclusion that seems plucked directly from a fairytale。 I was never able to buy into her action and all that followed。 Klara and the Sun may have been offered up as an indictment of the world ahead of us， but to me， the whole construction lacked the passion that drives us and makes us connect to a story。 。。。more
Alan
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'Oh Klara，' Manager said quietly。 'You never miss a thing， do you？'In his first novel since the Nobel prize， Ishiguro seems to return to the sort of world we encountered in 'Never Let Me Go'。 Here， in a familiar yet slightly dystopian world， Artificial Friends （AFs） are available for people to buy for company。 The book is narrated by one of these， Klara， as she initially spends her days in the store waiting to be bought and then， when she finally is， observing the family as events unfold。This is 'Oh Klara，' Manager said quietly。 'You never miss a thing， do you？'In his first novel since the Nobel prize， Ishiguro seems to return to the sort of world we encountered in 'Never Let Me Go'。 Here， in a familiar yet slightly dystopian world， Artificial Friends （AFs） are available for people to buy for company。 The book is narrated by one of these， Klara， as she initially spends her days in the store waiting to be bought and then， when she finally is， observing the family as events unfold。This is the kind of understated， subtle book for which Ishiguro is best known; things are intimated， hinted at， alluded to， yet never quite fully explained， so that the reader has to almost create the world in their own minds。 There is a lot of focus on family and friendship， on growing up and moving on - and， of course， at its centre is the question of what it means to be human。There is an obvious immediate comparison to Ian McEwan's recent 'Machines Like Me'。 Too obvious， in some ways， for they are very similar。 Fortunately （for me， anyway） this is much better than McEwan's novel。 But， that's not to say that it's a masterpiece by an author at the top of his game。 It just didn't feel original， or particularly engaging。 It is well-written， and Klara's narrative voice， for the most part， felt authentic。 For all the emotions and angst of the family involved， it just felt disconnected and cold， so I couldn't fully engage with them， nor care about what actually happened。 Perhaps that was the intention， so maybe it's just me！A good and interesting book to make you think。 Just not a great book。 3。5 stars。 。。。more
Kate
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RTC。
curtis :）
，
this isn't the type of book i'd normally pick up but I'm genuinely so excited for this this isn't the type of book i'd normally pick up but I'm genuinely so excited for this 。。。more
The Bamboo Traveler
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I'm very， very excited to read this book。 I absolutely loved Never Let Me Go--one of my top 3 books I've ever read。 Reviews have been good！ I'm very， very excited to read this book。 I absolutely loved Never Let Me Go--one of my top 3 books I've ever read。 Reviews have been good！ 。。。more
CJ Alberts
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DNF
Andrea
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I am just starting to read Kazuo Ishiguro's books。。。this one sounds so much like the Miraculous Journey of Edward Toulane by Kate DiCamillo; which is one of my favorite children's books; that I may give it a shot。 I am just starting to read Kazuo Ishiguro's books。。。this one sounds so much like the Miraculous Journey of Edward Toulane by Kate DiCamillo; which is one of my favorite children's books; that I may give it a shot。 。。。more
Ernest Nagamatsu
，
“KLARA AND THE SUN”Kazuo Ishiguro This new Visionary Fiction book， “KLARA AND THE SUN，” by Kazuo Ishiguro， once again displays the author’s masterful command of story。 First pages grab hard， pulling the reader in， with keynote characters and brilliant kinetic motion of clues and questions。 Succinct and vivid surroundings shine through， providing immediate and total immersion into conflicts of being Karla， “the artificial friend，” in the commanding story。 Situations create self-questioning and o “KLARA AND THE SUN”Kazuo Ishiguro This new Visionary Fiction book， “KLARA AND THE SUN，” by Kazuo Ishiguro， once again displays the author’s masterful command of story。 First pages grab hard， pulling the reader in， with keynote characters and brilliant kinetic motion of clues and questions。 Succinct and vivid surroundings shine through， providing immediate and total immersion into conflicts of being Karla， “the artificial friend，” in the commanding story。 Situations create self-questioning and options， as Ishiguro is so acclaimed and acknowledged for。 Powerful crisis moments， pivots around personal and community at large issues of today。 No doubt， will be mesmerized to the end。 Never a de-coupled reading moment， in another solid creative writing performance that only Ishiguro can deliver。Ernest NagamatsuLos Angeles， California 。。。more
Aaron Akbar
，
Klara is an artificial friend， but there's nothing artificial about her。 Her innocent wisdom penetrates the pages as she encounters the complex situations of human existence。 Her ceaseless optimism and insistence of thinking only the best of people gives a refreshing sense of hope in troubled times。 She's proof that you don't have to be jaded to make tough decisions in life， and that childlike innocence can also be mixed with deep reflection and understanding。 Klara's soul captured me from page Klara is an artificial friend， but there's nothing artificial about her。 Her innocent wisdom penetrates the pages as she encounters the complex situations of human existence。 Her ceaseless optimism and insistence of thinking only the best of people gives a refreshing sense of hope in troubled times。 She's proof that you don't have to be jaded to make tough decisions in life， and that childlike innocence can also be mixed with deep reflection and understanding。 Klara's soul captured me from page one and didn't let go until the end。 I feel the sun shining on my heart and giving me the energy we all need so deeply。 。。。more
Emma
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4。5
Lynne
，
Klara is an AF （artificial friend） and her keen observations lead the reader to some challenging insights regarding love， family and humanity。 Ishiguro delivers a novel that is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time。
Drew
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Oh god it made me cry like four times。Also， I love that this book feels to me like Ishiguro and McEwan had a lunch date and started talking about AI and they both walked away to write their。。。 very different books。 Anyway， this is beautiful and full of joy and sadness both。 Lord， that man can write。
Heather {theliteraturearchive}
，
Klara and the Sun is beautifully written through the eyes of an AF waiting for her human companion to pick her。 Ishiguro handles so many complex themes in this book: what does it mean to be human， what do we expect from others， what is the meaning of true friendship and the relationships between parents and their children。I found this book really interesting because it's science fiction but at the same time， doesn't feel like it。 I think this comes down to the quiet atmosphere Ishiguro creates i Klara and the Sun is beautifully written through the eyes of an AF waiting for her human companion to pick her。 Ishiguro handles so many complex themes in this book: what does it mean to be human， what do we expect from others， what is the meaning of true friendship and the relationships between parents and their children。I found this book really interesting because it's science fiction but at the same time， doesn't feel like it。 I think this comes down to the quiet atmosphere Ishiguro creates in his work。 This book is so beautiful and I will be searching for the nurturing effects of the sun for weeks to come。 Ishiguro's ability to explain this future earth through the eyes of Klara was excellent。 I thought that he showed the limitations of Klara's ability to understand the world around her was realistic and I didn't mind the bits I didn't understand entirely， because I don't think we are supposed to。 I love when authors blur the edges of the world they create through the narrator。 I think it reflects our own human experience and understanding of the world。**I received this book from Knopf This was my first Ishiguro and now I want to read all of his books！ 。。。more
Sarah
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I was very excited to read this。 It started off really great but got a little weird。 The point of view is an AI whose abilities and physical traits aren't shared at first。 About a 1/3rd of the way through， the narrator drops in descriptions of her visual system。 This isn't introduced， though， and it isn't clear if this is how her system is supposed to work and was not incorporated earlier， if it's a flaw in her system， if it's related to virtual reality or something else。 This function or view i I was very excited to read this。 It started off really great but got a little weird。 The point of view is an AI whose abilities and physical traits aren't shared at first。 About a 1/3rd of the way through， the narrator drops in descriptions of her visual system。 This isn't introduced， though， and it isn't clear if this is how her system is supposed to work and was not incorporated earlier， if it's a flaw in her system， if it's related to virtual reality or something else。 This function or view is never explained and remains confusing。More information in general would have made the story smoother。 The main character's child/owner is ill but the origin of her illness isn't shared until late in the book， and the process that underlies her illness isn't explored。 On the one hand， all that background doesn't necessarily matter to the narrator， but she is always presented as being curious and observant， so it doesn't make sense that this wouldn't matter to her。 The action of the second half of the book revolves around Klara's actions， based on a superstitious belief she has created。 There would be a lot of room to explore AI superstitions， either culturally or created individual by individual， but this is not the point at all。Finally， the dialogue from the other characters was stilted and jumpy。 Recommended for existing fans of the author。 Sci-fi fans looking for an exploration of possible AI futures may be disappointed。 。。。more
LLDW
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Releases March 2， can't wait。 From what I've read about it， is reminiscent of Never Let Me Go。 I hope John Lee narrates the audiobook， in which case the audiobook may be the richer experience。 I was entranced by his narration of When We Were Orphans。 Releases March 2， can't wait。 From what I've read about it， is reminiscent of Never Let Me Go。 I hope John Lee narrates the audiobook， in which case the audiobook may be the richer experience。 I was entranced by his narration of When We Were Orphans。 。。。more
Elena L。
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[4。5/5 stars]KLARA AND THE SUN centers around Klara， a humanoid robot whose purpose is to be an artificial friend （AF） to children。 Her generation of AF is dependent on the sun， therefore she likes to be close to the window in the store， also increasing her chances to find an owner。In Klara's turn in the window， she is always learning about the outside- she carefully observes people's behavior， the building and pedestrians crossing the street; so the moment she's out， she could act properly。 I w [4。5/5 stars]KLARA AND THE SUN centers around Klara， a humanoid robot whose purpose is to be an artificial friend （AF） to children。 Her generation of AF is dependent on the sun， therefore she likes to be close to the window in the store， also increasing her chances to find an owner。In Klara's turn in the window， she is always learning about the outside- she carefully observes people's behavior， the building and pedestrians crossing the street; so the moment she's out， she could act properly。 I was surprised by Klara's insightful perception of the world as she notices and absorbs nuances that we， as busy and careless as we are， give little attention。Ishiguro masterfully examines the complexity of humanity - what is the meaning of life？ what it means to be human？ how people change in different situations as though wearing a mask？The genius character study allied to subtle social commentary added philosophical touch to the story while being emotional at times。 It was beautiful to follow Klara's connection with the sun （personification） and I frequently wanted to hug her for her innocent hope。 There were some awkward parts yet compelling dialogues that left me bewildered and， at the same time， held my interest。 Lastly， I have to say that it was very satisfying to see the way the plot unfolded beautifully while I didn't have a glimpse of the mystery。KLARA AND THE SUN is a memorable dystopian tale with fantastic writing。 The sci-fi and mystery elements were brilliant to provide us a deep meditation on love， friendship， ethics， technology and family。 Just read this book because I need to discuss it。[ I received an eARC fom Netgalley in exchange for an honest review ] 。。。more
Ti
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The Short of It:Love， loneliness and loyalty are front and center in this story about friendship。The Rest of It:Klara spends her days at the store， rotating positions with others。 Some days she is in the shop window and able to watch the busy people rushing past the shop， interacting with others and living their lives。 Other days， she is moved to the back of the store。 On these days， her only view is that of others in the store and she can’t help but yearn for more hours in the window。 Hours whe The Short of It:Love， loneliness and loyalty are front and center in this story about friendship。The Rest of It:Klara spends her days at the store， rotating positions with others。 Some days she is in the shop window and able to watch the busy people rushing past the shop， interacting with others and living their lives。 Other days， she is moved to the back of the store。 On these days， her only view is that of others in the store and she can’t help but yearn for more hours in the window。 Hours where she can feel the sun’s warmth and personally experience its rejuvenating effect。Klara is an AF， an Artificial Friend。 Although there are newer models with more advanced features than what she can offer， Klara is spotted by Josie， a young girl and instantly， Josie is sure that Klara is the AF for her， but the two do not meet at that moment。 The mother needs more convincing and so Klara， although hopeful to find a new home， is moved to the back of the store again。Months pass and Klara has all but given up hope， but then there she is， Josie。 Klara’s heart is bursting at the sight of her but she can’t help but notice that Josie doesn’t look well。 So as Klara is taken to Josie’s home， she quickly realizes that Josie is a special girl and that not only will she be Josie’s best friend， she will also be the one to notice her rapid decline in health and be the one to do something about it。What a story。 It’s a little weird and sad and somehow manages to hit on all the things we are feeling now。 Disappointment， loneliness， isolation， hope。 What does it mean to be a friend to someone？ How can you love a person when you are in fact a machine？ What happens when your purpose conflicts with your heart？You might think that it will be difficult to feel much while reading this story about what is essentially a robot but think twice。 Remember that episode of the Twilight Zone， Sing the Body Electric？ Bradbury wrote the script and it later became a story with the same name。 Anyway， I felt all the emotions while watching that episode and I felt the same way here。 Ishiguro presents an AF who is almost too human and I loved her。 I loved her gentle observations and her willingness to sacrifice herself when needed。 Truthfully， I am a little sad now as I just turned the last page not long ago。 This story will sit with me for a long while。If you are wondering about the title， it’s all explained in the story and probably represents many things but I will keep my thoughts to myself so that you can consider the meaning yourself。For more reviews， visit my blog: Book Chatter。 。。。more
Shawna
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Thank you Edelweiss for the advanced copy。 The first half of this is remarkably stronger then the second。 Even with the flawless Ishiguro writing throughout。 Over all it does have strong Never Let Me Go vibes， with a notably different protagonist。 The novel fails a bit in the logic of Klara through the second half。 Though I am sure it is reaching to be a religious allegory。 Still well worth the read for Ishiguro's style of storytelling that as always feels fresh yet classic。 Thank you Edelweiss for the advanced copy。 The first half of this is remarkably stronger then the second。 Even with the flawless Ishiguro writing throughout。 Over all it does have strong Never Let Me Go vibes， with a notably different protagonist。 The novel fails a bit in the logic of Klara through the second half。 Though I am sure it is reaching to be a religious allegory。 Still well worth the read for Ishiguro's style of storytelling that as always feels fresh yet classic。 。。。more
Shanna
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A very sweet novel about a delightful robotic friend in a dystopian future。
Laina
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This is not a genre that I typically enjoy， so if this the genre for you my review may not be the best when deciding whether or not to read Klara and the Sun。 Klara， an artificial friend， is unusually perceptive and a compelling main character， however， her story becomes less interesting after the second act。 She offers a good dialogue about humanity and the future of technology， especially when it comes to artificial intelligence。 When I grabbed the ARC， I was really excited because I had read This is not a genre that I typically enjoy， so if this the genre for you my review may not be the best when deciding whether or not to read Klara and the Sun。 Klara， an artificial friend， is unusually perceptive and a compelling main character， however， her story becomes less interesting after the second act。 She offers a good dialogue about humanity and the future of technology， especially when it comes to artificial intelligence。 When I grabbed the ARC， I was really excited because I had read Never Let Me Go and thoroughly enjoyed it。 However， there were some glaring flaws within the writing that disturbed the flow of the story making it a difficult read for me。 This book lacks direction in some areas， though it often calls back to the first act throughout the second half。 I was unsure about the children's ages throughout the book， though I am sure it was mentioned somewhere and I forgot。 I found myself questioning the characters' actions and dialogue， which was unrealistic at best。 While this may have not been the book of the year for me， there is a lot to gain in reading it， especially when it comes to spirituality and the evolution of artificial intelligence。 Overall， if you have read Never Let Me Go and/or are a fan of this genre， I would pick this up when it comes out and give it a chance for yourself！ 。。。more
Alex Simms
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3。5
Lori
，
Wow！ This is as close to perfection as I can recall reading。 It was like really listening to Stairway to Heaven with your eyes closed for the first time。 I felt like I was in a half dream。I was provided with an ARC of this title by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。
Scarlett
，
I love Ishiguro so much that even when I don't feel like it's a 5-star worth book， I still love it like it is one。 His writing is so gentle and poetic and I am in constant awe of his imagination and intertwined metaphorical allegories。 I am in danger of sounding romantic now， but his books make me feel cozy， caressed and on a verge of a dreamlike state。 So to sum up， I love Kazuo Ishiguro！ However， Klara and the Sun didn't blow me away。 I got an ARC long time ago， but I kept holding it for a tim I love Ishiguro so much that even when I don't feel like it's a 5-star worth book， I still love it like it is one。 His writing is so gentle and poetic and I am in constant awe of his imagination and intertwined metaphorical allegories。 I am in danger of sounding romantic now， but his books make me feel cozy， caressed and on a verge of a dreamlike state。 So to sum up， I love Kazuo Ishiguro！ However， Klara and the Sun didn't blow me away。 I got an ARC long time ago， but I kept holding it for a time when I knew I could completely get immersed in it and when my mood would match Ishiguro's writing。 Everything aligned， but still， I felt like something was missing here。Our protagonist is Klara， a humanoid robot created for a sole purpose of being an Artifical Friend to children。 We meet Klara while she is observing the street from a shop window where she is on display day after day。 She is extremely observant， highly empathetic， fast learner and simply - the most charming creature。 Klara is not the latest model and as we learn quickly， there are other series of AFs who are technologically more advanced， but lack some of Klara's emotional capabilities。 Even though we as readers know this， we witness parents wanting only the best for their children and they go for the latest models， completely forgoing Klara until she loses her spot in the shop window。 Emotionally， this beginning of the book was really tough for me， especially since Klara found understanding even for this and kept her optimism and faith while standing in the shadows at the back of the store。 Klara's model has one technical disadvantage - she is dependent on the Sun。 We witness her connection to the Sun's rays and she quickly starts fearing for Sun like it's a real person。 She is angry because of the pollution， she is worried about where the Sun goes at night and she tries to connect to the Sun as much as possible。 If this is not the cutest thing in the book， than I don't know！ The plot of the book starts pacing a little more once Klara gets finally chosen and goes to her new home。 A girl named Josie buys her and takes her home。 This is where the book lost some of its magic for me。 We get introduced to a lot of new characters in Josie's life - her mother， housekeeper， her friend/boyfriend Rick， Rick's mother etc。 None of them are likeable。 Well， maybe Rick， but "decent" is the most I can say。 I feel like this was intentional to show us how robots can be kinder than humans， because all of them had their own agendas and Klara was the only selfless character。 Still， thoughts like this are the reason why you should read Ishiguro。 This book will impose a lot of questions like "What is love？ What can you expect in return and do you get to expect anything if you truly love someone？ When does the love end， with a death or loss of memory？"These questions are the reason why I read。 It doesn't matter the genre， as long as I am left baffled in the end thinking things over。 I would recommend this book even though I didn't enjoy it as much as Never Let Me Go and An Artist of the Floating World， because it is the sweetest Ishiguro's book I've read so far。 I got my ARC from Random House， through Edelweiss， thank you so much！ 。。。more
Laetitia
，
Klara and the Sun is Kazuo Ishiguro's long-awaited first novel since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2017。 Klara and the Sun is a Bildungsroman of sorts set in an unnamed place （which presumably is somewhere in the United States， but the setting is never named as such） in the not-too-distant future。 It is a character study of its narrator and protagonist Klara， who is a Girl AF Type B2 - with AF standing for “Artificial Friend”。 AFs are AI-powered humanoid robots， which come with a uni Klara and the Sun is Kazuo Ishiguro's long-awaited first novel since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2017。 Klara and the Sun is a Bildungsroman of sorts set in an unnamed place （which presumably is somewhere in the United States， but the setting is never named as such） in the not-too-distant future。 It is a character study of its narrator and protagonist Klara， who is a Girl AF Type B2 - with AF standing for “Artificial Friend”。 AFs are AI-powered humanoid robots， which come with a unique set of capabilities。 They are primarily designed and sold to be companions for children and teenagers。 Klara is an excellent observer。 She pays a great deal of attention to her surroundings， absorbs and processes an enormous amount of data。 We learn early on that these are skills unique to Klara， since other AFs – like her friend Rosa – do not seem nearly as sophisticated as her。 As the reader， we see this futuristic world through Klara's immature eyes， so the novel requires the reader to stay engaged to fully understand Klara's experience in the human world。 Klara's journey starts in a store where she whiles away with other AFs – most notably the brand-new and physically superior Type B3s – waiting to be sold to a hopefully loving human child。 The AFs are attended to by the store manager， who Klara refers to simply as Manager， who rotates them throughout the store to increase their chances of being sold。Klara's favorite spot in the store is the large shop window。 It allows her to observe the sprawling cityscape with all its different characters and buildings， but it also allows her to see the Sun who “provides her with nourishment，” as she explains。 AFs are solar-powered， thus the Sun is something akin to a deity to Klara。 It is from that shop window that Klara is spotted by a teenager called Josie。 After a brief interaction， it becomes clear that Josie and Klara have taken to each other right away and Josie promises Klara that she will return with her mother to come get her and take her home。Klara and the Sun is one of those novels you should go into almost blind to fully absorb and appreciate all of its beauty and complexity。 The descriptions of the dystopian world presented in the novel are evocative and intricate， from the loud， heavily polluted city to the peaceful but melancholy rural farmland。 （I particularly liked the diner shaped like a slice of a pie）。 Yet， the world building never overshadows the complexity of Ishiguro's set of characters。 It is in the characterization where Klara and the Sun truly shines。 This novel also tackles several philosophical questions。 It examines the human condition and what being human entails。 When does a human stop being human？ When does an AI-powered being like Klara start being human？ Is it possible for technology， like the AFs in this novel， to ever fully replace humans？ It also provokes the reader to question the way Klara is being treated by the human beings around her and how this makes us feel as observer-readers。Fans of Never Let Me Go， rejoice！ Klara and the Sun revisits some of the same themes the author introduced in his 2005 novel， however， he truly outdid himself this time around。 The tone of Klara and the Sun is at times deeply melancholic， so much so that I had to put it down frequently to process the many conflicting feelings it triggered in me。 But， in the end， Klara and the Sun is a memorable novel about hope and love， and I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it。 I highly recommend this novel to readers who liked works such as Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go， Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam Trilogy and Philip K。 Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep？（Disclaimer: Klara and the Sun is published by Knopf in the US and available on March 2nd。 Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for providing me with a digital review copy of this novel。） 。。。more
Jaylen Lopez
，
Heartfelt and thought-provoking， Klara and the Sun is a compelling and mysterious read that is in conversation with Ishiguro’s previous work， Never Let Me Go。 We are introduced to Klara， an Artificial Friend who spends her days in a store waiting to be purchased and observing those outside of the store’s front window。 Solar-powered， she finds faith in the Sun’s potential for healing， which is elevated once she is selected by a young girl with an unspecified illness and is removed from the comfor Heartfelt and thought-provoking， Klara and the Sun is a compelling and mysterious read that is in conversation with Ishiguro’s previous work， Never Let Me Go。 We are introduced to Klara， an Artificial Friend who spends her days in a store waiting to be purchased and observing those outside of the store’s front window。 Solar-powered， she finds faith in the Sun’s potential for healing， which is elevated once she is selected by a young girl with an unspecified illness and is removed from the comfort of the store。Similarly to Never Let Me Go， Ishiguro presents a deeply philosophical novel in which he ponders questions of humanity in a world very similar to our own。 Ishiguro asks whether personhood is defined by one’s actions and physical makeup or whether there is something more innate and interpersonal to an individual’s soul。 Set in a vaguely dystopian world， the book questions societal failures and its response to them。 Finally， through the brilliant and empathic perspective of Klara， we learn about this world from one of the most unique characters I’ve read in recent memory， instilling a sense of hope in the reader despite her often bleak circumstances。 While the book is hard to pin down thematically as it progresses， it ultimately enhances the mystery of the novel which makes it hard to put down。 This is a book I will be thinking about for a long time and it naturally lends itself to discussion。 Highly recommend， especially if you enjoyed Never Let Me Go。 。。。more
Sean Kennedy
，
Ishiguro breaks your heart again。
Dylan Bailey
，
I enjoyed much of this novel。 It has moments of beauty and thoughtful substance。 However， I found it hard to keep reading when the plot was pushed along by the false belief—a misunderstanding of how the natural world works—of an unreliable narrator， an AI robot。
Jennifer Hope
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Ishiguro leaves so much up for interpretation。 With his deep questions about the so， love， and what makes us human。 Full of sadness， joy， and wonder。 A story of a future where your place in life and society is determined by genetic augmentation。
Stephanie
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Thanks to Knopf for an advanced copy of this title！There's no way around it - I can't start this review any other way than by telling you about how much I love Ishiguro's previous novel， Never Let Me Go。 If you've been following me for a while， you've probably heard me gush about that book at one point or another。 Summary: I first found it in high school， read it twice before I graduated， and have come back to it several times since then。 It's one of those novels that I still find myself thinkin Thanks to Knopf for an advanced copy of this title！There's no way around it - I can't start this review any other way than by telling you about how much I love Ishiguro's previous novel， Never Let Me Go。 If you've been following me for a while， you've probably heard me gush about that book at one point or another。 Summary: I first found it in high school， read it twice before I graduated， and have come back to it several times since then。 It's one of those novels that I still find myself thinking about in odd moments。All that to say， knowing Never Let Me Go so well really influenced my reading of Klara and the Sun。 In so many ways， they're sister novels - Klara continues the conversation that Kathy started。 In both， Ishiguro is exploring what it means to love and what it means to be human with the help of a near-future setting。 He creates these detailed worlds but keeps most of the iceberg submerged， leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for the reader to discover。 Above all， he creates such trust between author and reader: we don't know where we're going， but we trust him to bring the story to fruition and he trusts us to be bright enough to appreciate his subtlety。Like in Never Let Me Go， it's the sort of book you should go into blind。 Klara， the protagonist， is an Artificial Friend waiting in a store for a customer to choose her。 She's insightful and bright， and those traits are both a boon to her and a curse。 It's thoughtful， moving， clever， and heartbreaking。 I hope you'll pick this one up！ 。。。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