From the Bookshelf of EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club…

Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro

Start date: August 1, 2024

Finish date: August 31, 2024

Discussion: MODERN / POPULAR READS

Why we're reading this: August 2024 - Bookshelf Catch-Up
Group Pick for Jan '18 - Modern Classic/Popular…more
[close] August 2024 - Bookshelf Catch-Up
Group Pick for Jan '18 - Modern Classic/Popular

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MODERN / POPULAR READS

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - *SPOILERS*
By spoko · 8 posts · 50 views

last updated Aug 26, 2025 11:57AM

The Alchemist — *SPOILERS*
By Joanna Loves … · 105 posts · 509 views

last updated Aug 25, 2025 02:19PM

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What Members Thought

Oct 21, 2014 Carrie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, favorites, beautifully-moving

Question: What did you think?

Answer: I don't know...

Sometimes you read a book and as you read you form in your head how you are going to approach a review or thoughts on it and as you continue on these change and new ways come to mind. But then you finish and your mind is left, I can't say blank but more so numb with so much thoughts, feelings that the words are not there, they refuse to make themselves known. So when it comes to sharing them you're at a loss.

When I first picked up this book, I ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

Oct 18, 2018 Laurel Bradshaw rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, alternate-history, england, daytimers-book-club, coming-of-age, psychological-fiction, school-stories, science-fiction, 1980s, 1970s

Warning! Review contains spoilers!

This is a difficult book to really rate. Yes, I would say it is a modern classic. Yes, the author explores some powerful themes here - what it means to be human... what it means to have a soul... the fact that we all will die one day, so how do we make the most of the time we have... how do we create normalcy in a dystopian world... what does it mean to belong... what does it mean to love... to forgive... to create meaningful relationships... Basically, it's a s ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 16, 2013 spoko rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, sci-fi

I picked this up based entirely upon vague recommendations I’d heard. I hadn’t ever read anything by Ishiguro—or really even wanted to, though I knew his reputation as a good writer. And here’s a little confession: I pick books based at least partially (sometimes largely) based on their covers. It’s something I discovered when I was working at a bookstore: You may not be able to actually judge a book by its cover, but you can frequently pick them based on that. Covers are designed to appeal to t I picked this up based entirely upon vague recommendations I’d heard. I hadn’t ever read anything by Ishiguro—or really even wanted to, though I knew his reputation as a good writer. And here’s a little confession: I pick books based at least partially (sometimes largely) based on their covers. It’s something I discovered when I was working at a bookstore: You may not be able to actually judge a book by its cover, but you can frequently pick them based on that. Covers are designed to appeal to the same target market that the book itself would appeal to. It’s not a perfect approach, but I’ve found that it yields a lot more hits than misses. Anyway, the cover of this book is not the type of cover you’d see on a book that I would read. I like covers (and books) with warmth and texture. This cover is cold and ironically impersonal, and even the irony itself was on display. I’m honestly not sure why I went ahead and got the book.

The thing is that while I didn’t misjudge it—it’s pretty much the type of book I expected, based on that cover—still I’m glad I read it. After the first couple of chapters I wasn’t sure I’d like it, and I flirted with putting it down. But it was so well written that I decided to stick with it. Ishiguro deserves his reputation, I have to say. The writing is very good; good enough, in fact, that you can read the entire book and not even realize how well written it is. It doesn’t stand out, but it’s very effective. It’s also a very thoughtful book, and gives you quite a bit to work out in your head.

The first half of this novel is all very mysterious, and you’re trying to figure out who these people are and what makes them so special and what the hell these “donations” are they keep talking about. To really discuss the book as a whole, I’m going to have to spoil it, so here goes with that.

(view spoiler)

In which sense, it was a pretty good book. I’m definitely glad I finished it. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 01, 2014 Jen rated it really liked it

Interesting story.... I think it may be considered a sic-fi, but the read does not quite fit into that genre.
Setting is England, post WW2 to 1990ish
Story revolves around the lives of students from a private school, intermixed with a few adult authority figures.
As the information unfolds, the reader is more and more intrigued about possible outcomes.
I should probably give the book 3 stars, but because I became completely involved in the story, I pumped it up to 4.

1 like · Like · see review