The story begins quietly enough, although there is something "off" about it that nags at you in the back of your mind as you read, and then slowly bits are revealed and explained. I can't say exactly at what point my interest turned to fascination and then horror. I have not read many dystopian novels - 1984 is the only one I recall just now. This one stayed with me and provoked a great deal of discussion in my reading group.

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Others have expounded on the plot and the book itself, but here's what I thought of the physical book: This is a trade paperback, 8"x5", with a matte paperback cover which you could probably spill something on, provided that you wipe it off right away. The actual pages are not the best quality, it is that "better than newsprint" paper that the publishers have been moving to in the last few years.

As for what's inside the book, well... people looking for your classic science-fiction novel will be disappointed in this book, and from the reviews, it seems that they are. But this is a classic Ishiguro work instead, emphasizing understatement, beauty, nobility, and that haunting feeling of impossibility.

While it has an intricate plot based on a mystery surrounding the exclusive boarding school of Hailsham, the plot unwinds slowly, piecemeal, and bit-by-bit through the character's thoughts. It takes nearly the entire book to figure out that you're in a a vision of an alternate dystopian world. So for someone who is looking for a "DaVinci Code" type of plot-driven, wham, bam, thank you, ma'am book, this is not it. Instead, you'll be treated to our main character, Kathy. She is quiet, reserved, and mostly passive to what is happening around her, although she is not indifferent; the book is written in her voice. The best way to describe this voice of this book is "controlled." You are really kept wondering through most of the book at what is going on, and what is going to happen to this trio of friends. Though it's no David Lynch movie, it's more like Atwood's Handmaid's Tale. If you're looking for a definite conclusion to an episode, you want to end up laughing, and have everything wrapped up nicely and tied with a bow, this is not your book. But if you want something thought-provoking, solid, moving, and somewhat suspenseful, it's good for that. Plus, it's a quick read at 288 pages, and one that will make you think afterward.

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All I can say is this - I could barely speak when I finished this book, and it was a while before I picked up another book to read. Truly haunting, especially as you learn to care so much about the characters.

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What a disappointment! The story was certainly unique, of course, esp the characters. So in keeping with the difference of the characters, one would expect the details of their lives, the details of their "purpose." There were enough hints these things were coming. Alas, they did not. The book just ended.
Interesting, yes, in many parts, but too often I thought of just turning to the last chapter to see what happened and not wasting any more time.

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This was a book that had me from the first sentence. One of those books that I wish had gone on & on so I could keep hearing about the characters. I did NOT expect to love this book so much, to me, it is one of those "hard to give away" books. Those "generic" authors keep writing about silly crime detectives, I think they should keep writing about characters like in this novel!

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Caregivers, donors, a recovery center, guardians, a private school with little or no contact with the outside world, completions. A bizarre Charlie Brown world: no mention of parental influence, or even of parents yet. A world straight out of Shelley, Zamiatin, Orwell, Huxley, even Vonnegut. A prophecy of what cloning may lead to. Read on, if you dare.

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This was my first Kazuo Ishiguro novel, and I
enjoyed it. Very creative and thought provoking
premise. I will definitely seek out his
other work.

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Snooze. I don't get it. I picked up this book on vacation and had no idea what it was about. I won't spoil it, it's an interesting concept, but the ending was so unfulfilling, as was basically the rest of the novel. Spare yourself.

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Intriguing! But I would have ended the story differently.

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One of the best books I have read in years. It is not easy to read, but I promise you will never forget it - both hopeful and heartbreaking. For what it is worth, Time Magazine named it one of the best books of all time.

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This book is awesome.

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I'm not a big sci-fi fan, but I couldn't put this one down. It's written like a memoir with tantalizing hints throughout the book. The only thing I didn't like was toward the end when the girl is reminiscing about reminiscing! But it was only mildly annoying.

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The BC read Never Let Me Go, which at the time I thought was the eeriest, bizarrest (if that is a word) book on human DNA, cloning, organ harvesting I could have ever read (which a few others books that I have read made this one not seem not so weird).

This book will be a movie Fall 2010. I will pass on the moviecant imagine it on the big screen

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Ishiguro uses an intriguing style throughout the book; introducing a hint of a topic that will be more fully discussed later, and then eventually getting to it. In the meantime, you wonder and come up with your own theories. Most of the loose ends are tied up at the end, but the ones that aren't allow you to feel a sense of mystery even after the book is over. His other books that I have read (The Remains of the Day and A Pale View of Hills) had a similar style, with details left untold.

The characters are described through their words and actions. There is little physical description given, which allows you to picture them however you like. Ruth is a particularly interesting character, and the contrasts and conflicts between Kathy (the narrator) and Ruth are the most complex parts of the story.

If you have enjoyed anything else by Ishiguro, you will like this book also.

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Well written novel about students at a special school where things are just not quite right. Reminded me of the Midwich Cuckoos, later renamed Village of the Damned.

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It took me a long time to get into this book, and I did not like the way it jumped out of sequence, but the ending definitely moved me. I think the reader is supposed to get to know the main characters as "normal" people first, before more is revealed about them. This book had some very thought-provoking ideas that would be good for a discussion.

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I loved the way the author wrote this book. It takes place in a futuristic world and the author writes the story in such a way that assumes that the reader knows about it. But rather than confusing and annoying me, it just kept me intrigued. I couldn't wait for it to be finally spelled out for me! And the author does it in such a good way too. That said, it is such a good story. I definitely want to reread this book again.

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