Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

[Kim]

Wow. Amazing. So far this is one of my favorites from this book.

[Steven]

I too prefer the Remains of the Day to NLMG. Haven't read other Ishiguro, though.

[Kim]

yes, I've heard that one is really great too. I've been waiting for it on bookmooch for awhile now...

[Pam]

what a fantastic book this was....

[Danielle]

I really enjoyed NLMG...it felt a bit like a sci-fi plot plugged into a quaint little English novel. I loved the way all the characters just accepted this aspect of their lives for what it was. All the while as I'm reading it I'm freaking out about what they have to go through!

[[riley]]

This was my first book on the list to read and I must say that I was far from impressed. Perhaps it's just not my style, but now I'm obviously concerned about my next choice...any suggestions?

[[deleted user]]

I agree, Riley. I too found it distinctly underwhelming. Don't give up... the books on the list are incredibly varied in style. You're sure to find something to suit you. Maybe try going back to the earlier 'classics'?

Out of interest, why didn't you like it?

[Kecia]

I finished NLMG earlier this week. I really liked it. What I like about Ishiguro's writing is the subtly. The Remains of the Day is one of my favorite books for that very reason.

Their acceptance of the situation was the scariest part of NLMG. It made me wonder if there are things in our lives that we just accept and don't question.

[mara]

Now that's a can of worms

This book really got my mind spinning on the what ifs too.

What if the microorganisms we take for granted were sentient, sort of like an inward spiraling microconsciousness in the universe, and the whole purpose of human life and propagation was just so that bacteria could harvest our cells.

The issue of harvesting organs says a lot about class too,I thought

[Rhiannon]

I look forward to reading more of Kazuo Ishiguro's work, I absolutely adored Remains of the Day.

[Alana]

This book was incredible. The intimate thoughts, the idea that we can so slowly be conditioned to think that something so horrid is perfectly normal... deep enough to make you shudder, sweet enough to really catch your emotions.

[☼Marian☼]

I loved The Remains of the Day more than Never Let Me Go. But, unfortunately, its film adaptation kinda ruined the book. I knew some people who watched the movie, never get to read it.

[Shaun]

I felt NLMG got kind of maudlin. I never got a good sense of the heroine's character because the book was too overt in trying to get an emotional reaction. Remains of the Day was more subtle, but the characterization was much richer for it.

And yeah, movie adaptations often suffer compared to the original books. Oftentimes the director will discard the writer's intentions in favor of his own "vision", which invariably suffers due to the constraints of film.