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Klara and the Sun
Klara and the Sun: A novel | Kazuo Ishiguro
Klara and the Sun is a magnificent new novel from the Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro--author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize-winning The Remains of the Day. Klara and the Sun, the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, tells 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 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? In its award citation in 2017, the Nobel committee described Ishiguro's books as "novels of great emotional force" and said he has "uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world."
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Creadnorthey
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Pickpick

Inhabiting the same realm as “Never let me Go”, tensions are created through the interpretation of events and world by what amounts to being an unreliable narrator. Ishiguro surprises at every turn; adhering faithfully to the naive thinking of the main character. My only criticism is that the background world is too sketched; Ishiguro forgets we are visitors and, unlike his characters, not born to the events of the setting. Still, a fine👇🏻

Creadnorthey piece of speculative fiction! 1w
19 likes1 comment
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stimmlos
Pickpick

3.5/5

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Gissy
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Mehso-so

Third book read for #AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville Last book finished this month.

Well...same comment. I tried🤷🏽‍♀️I didn‘t enjoy this one as much as I would like. 3⭐️

November 2023 #BookSpinBingo (free space #24) @TheAromaOfBooks
#Rushathon @DieAReader @Andrew65 @GHABI4ROSES

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 4mo
Andrew65 This was a very strange one. Well done on finishing it 👏👏👏 4mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4mo
BkClubCare The more Ishiguro books I read, the less I like his style. I was not a fan of this one. 3mo
Gissy @BkClubCare It‘s good to know that I‘m not alone🙌 3mo
46 likes5 comments
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cottagelantern
Mehso-so

3 ⭐️s
Ishiguro tackles a lot of questions essential to humanity and technology in this book. This is a story that is designed to make you think deeply, not answer questions directly, & I think it accomplishes that. However, every character (not just the AI one) felt like a robot to me. The authorial voice was too detached and unfeeling. The ending was sad, but I couldn't imagine it ending any other way, either. Glad I read it, just not a favorite.

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La_Cori
Klara e il Sole | Kazuo Ishiguro
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Mehso-so

⭐⭐⭐

This is my third novel by Ishiguro and it's the one I liked the least..
The humanity of AI isn't the most original theme and I found occasionally the plot a bit boring; i hated most of the characters, the mother above all.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was 👌👌

(I love this cover!! 🤩 the Italian publisher made a great choice.)

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AllDebooks
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#AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

My favourite male author. Anything by Ishiguro is a treat imo 😌

jlhammar Agreed! 4mo
53 likes1 stack add1 comment
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La_Cori
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“..people often felt the need to prepare a side of themselves to display to passersby - as they might in a store window, and that such display needn't be taken so seriously once the moment had passed.”

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Soubhiville
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Pickpick

I mostly liked this, though I‘m not 100% sure I understood the ending. Was it straightforward? Was it alluding to something?

Ishiguro has quite an array of stories. This is my third by him, and Never Let Me Go was my favorite.

But Klara was interesting, an AI designed to be the best friend of a child, and seeing her relate to the humans in her life and try to interpret all of the unspoken things humans communicate, I thought it was well done.

Andrew65 Like you I enjoyed it but felt some was lost on me too, including the ending. 4mo
92 likes1 comment
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Larkken
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Pickpick

This was a quiet, gentle sort of scifi novel, and I mostly liked it. Some of it seemed a little obvious, and Ishiguro in general never really resonates fully with me, maybe it's the dialogue which feels stilted? An interesting and not entirely pessimistic view of the near future, however, and the parts about how Klara, a robot, perceives the world and stores memories was neat. Read for #aam

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TEArificbooks
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Pickpick

This is a soft pick. There are many brilliant things about this book and enjoyed it. But it was a slow burn and the world was disturbing and there were a few unlikable characters. #authoramonth @Soubhiville

Soubhiville I just started this on my way home from work today. 🙂 4mo
58 likes1 comment
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Andrew65
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Mehso-so

2nd book read for #AuthorAMonth. @Soubhiville

At the start I was quite enjoying this and the themes it was covering. However for me I just felt it went on too long, and it made me lose interest in it as I felt it was too slow placed. An interesting end piece to the book. Much preferred The Remains of the Day.

#Rushathon @DieAReader @Ghabi4Roses. 4th book finished in November.

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 4mo
90 likes1 comment
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JenReadsAlot
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this so much!
#authoramonth @Soubhiville

Soubhiville I plan to listen to it soon. Glad you liked it! 5mo
34 likes1 comment
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LibraryCin
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Mehso-so

I listened to the audio and I liked the start of it (after the short bit to figure out what was going on), but as the book continued on, I lost more and more interest. I guess it did end “better” than I‘d expected (for the main storyline that I was (mostly, as far as I know) following). I‘m rating this “ok”. As I read reviews that include a summary, it seems I missed more than I‘d even realized!

Andrew65 I felt very much the same about this book. 4mo
14 likes1 comment
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LaurenMags
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Pickpick

I was not expecting to like this book at all. I was pleasantly surprised!

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Jaimelire
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Pickpick

That was an interesting book. Written from the viewpoint of an AI companion robot.

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jen_the_scribe
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Pickpick

I‘m actually somewhere in between a pick and a so-so with this one. The prose was beautiful and the characters likable. I sympathized with them on a profound level. There were some slow parts and it felt like time stretched on to get through them for some reason. But this book has a lot of heart and the story points to the lengths we go to in order to hold onto hope; and with those we love, we can always hope.

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jen_the_scribe

“In the morning when the Sun returns. It‘s possible for us to hope.”

I don‘t know why, but this line made me emotional…

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jen_the_scribe
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Winding down for the night… Sunny always has to see what I‘m doing when a book‘s involved. I wish I captured the moment he stood on my stomach and peeked down at me over the top of my book lol #CatsOfLitsy

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SW-T
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Bailedbailed

I tried the printed version, then the audio. Plot sounded interesting, but the execution didn‘t work for me, so decided to move on. This one just not for me.

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YasmiNova
Pickpick

LOVED! I had not long ago watched the series Humans about the moral/ethical/other implications of robots acquiring human consciousnous. In this book Klara is an Artificial Friend with the remarkable ability to observe & relate to human emotions and analyse their interactions. But can a machine truly understand, feel, and express the great and complex emotion that is love? And how does our "inate" humanity fare in comparison to her "acquired" one?

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YasmiNova

"Sometimes, at special moments like that, people feel a pain alongside their happiness."

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jen_the_scribe
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A little me time before bed with my journal and the tagged book… my schedule is so off with my kids on summer break. But I‘m trying not to stress it, especially in this moment.

currentlyreadinginCO Great book, hope you're enjoying 💕 9mo
21 likes1 comment
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jen_the_scribe
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I had no idea what I wanted to read next… had to seriously fight down the urge to go to the bookstore and buy something lol. So, I decided to be good and pick something from my ever-growing TBR pile. This one‘s been there for a while.

25 likes1 stack add
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Chars
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Mehso-so

It‘s peculiar that a novel that has an artificial being as the protagonist can be so much about what it means to be a person and an individual.

Ishiguro originally intended the story as a children‘s book. This points out another peculiarity: the fact that children‘s stories often tell us more about who we are, or who we want to be, than other forms of fiction deemed more serious or profound.

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Bec_lectic
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Pickpick

I love how lending libraries expose me to books I never heard of or would never pick out. I liked this book because the story line was unique with the narrative coming from an Artificial Friend and not a person. I saw a lot of mixed reviews on this book due to a lot of things are not explained but for me it didn‘t take much away from the story. I basically got the gist of the unexplained and made my own theories.

currentlyreadinginCO I read this for a book club and really enjoyed it! I liked the dreamy opaque what-is-going-here vibe and I've had luck with this author before 11mo
Bec_lectic @thereadingreference I will definitely have to check out his other books ☺️ 11mo
61 likes2 comments
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DHill
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Not sure where this is going yet but it‘s giving me M3GAN vibes. Sort of.

tpixie This was quirky, but I enjoyed it. Another totally different book from this, but a fun quirky book 13mo
52 likes1 comment
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Centique
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Pickpick

Loved this, not quite as much as I loved Never Let Me Go, but again Ishiguro has a marvellous skill of dropping the reader into a dystopian world and letting them see it only through the eyes of someone naive who also doesn‘t know exactly what is going on. Little by little you figure a few things out - but I wanted to know more! This time you‘re seeing the world as an Artificial Friend made to support a young teen girl.

Centique So many possibilities as to what has gone wrong in this dystopia - would be great to discuss. 13mo
vivastory I was disappointed when I first read this (July '21) but I have thought about it quite a few times since then. I think I might need to revisit it, I feel like there is a lot of subtext to it. (edited) 13mo
Centique @vivastory yes I think you‘re right. I really thought he was going to make it clearer - but maybe I‘m supposed to piece some of the clues together. 13mo
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Ruthiella I loved this too. I want to become a Ishiguro completist. 13mo
Centique @Ruthiella yes, me too. 😍 13mo
Centique @Ruthiella so far I‘ve read 3 and loved 3, can‘t get better than that! (The 3rd being Remains of the Day) 13mo
Rissreads I loved this too! 🧡 13mo
73 likes1 stack add7 comments
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Night_Reader
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Pickpick

4/5 🌟

Told from an AI's (Klara) point of view, about her relationship with her owner, Josie. Klara is very observant, curious and loyal, which makes the ending so much sadder. Overall, it is a story about love, loneliness and sacrifice. It would be an excellent book for a book club because it raises so many questions.

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Night_Reader
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Currently reading

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rachelk
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Pickpick

This story takes place in a not so distant dystopian future, told from the pov of an intelligent but naïve robot, Klara, designed to keep a young person company. The book gives you a lot to think about —transactional relationships, ethics, love, loneliness, humanity, the future and AI. I loved this book but I did wish there had been more about the futuristic world beyond Klara.

Q84 I was surprised that I enjoyed this. Not something I would usually pick up. 1y
rachelk @Q84 I‘m glad you enjoyed it. This is the third book I‘ve read by Ishiguro and I think it‘s safe to say I‘m a fan. 1y
Q84 I‘ll have to check out some of the others. 1y
45 likes4 comments
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steph_phanie
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
This is the first Ishiguro I have read, so I have no idea how it compares to his other work, but I was totally and pleasantly taken in by this novel. A lot is said about the human condition, about the difficult choices we make for the people we #love, and about the nature of love itself. All beautifully told through the lens of our non-human main character: Klara, the artificial friend.

What #Ishiguro should I read next?

13 likes2 comments
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WriterAtHeart
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Pickpick

"Klara and the Sun" was an interesting read about what it means to be human and be conscious with a soul. Klara is a robot who goes home with a girl named Josie. Klara learns and grows and begins to think for herself to help her young charge.

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Writeme
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this sparsely beautiful story about a near future that includes most teenagers having an AF (artificial friend) to keep them from getting loney. A beautiful meditation on what makes us human and the power of hope. Totally recommend.

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Mrs_B
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Pickpick

This is a very clever book. Ishiguro, through Klara, gives glimpses into this future world. Klara is an incredible observer but varies between perceptive and naive in her world view. He offers tiny insights into this futuristic society and leaves much to the reader to put together. Clever.

71 likes3 stack adds
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Johanna414
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Lane picked up one of his dad's Star Wars books and asked me to read chapter books with him. Apparently this was code for sitting on the couch and listening to him talk about how cool he is for "reading" a book with no pictures ? #raisingreaders

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BooknerdsLife
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My first Kazuo Ishiguro book. Read it in June, or was it May? Gave it a 4⭐ at the time, as time goes by, changing it to 3.5/5⭐
About a beautiful friendship between an AI & a little girl who had chosen the AI (among others) as her companion. Love the POV & I was totally captivated & moved by the writing. Was it something unique or extraordinary? Not really, but definitely want to read more books by this author.

#bookreview #booknerdslife

21 likes1 stack add
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KadeLexical
Pickpick

A book with so much heart, soul and warmth.

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kitapkurdu
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This book will forever have my heart.

12 likes1 stack add
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AllDebooks
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Goals for #jubilantjuly readathon
Read 1 book for each of my reading challenges based on mood. So that's #192025 #booked2022 #readharder2022 and #inspiredbynaturewriting (FB group). I will also continue with the monthly read for #shesaid tagged in comments.
We are expecting a 32-40°c heatwave over the next week in the uk. I'm expecting plenty of rest and reading periods inbetween melting. 🌞📚🥵🔥🌡🍻
@Andrew65 @Librarybelle

Andrew65 Great to have you with us, good luck 😊👍 Far too hot for me! 🥵 2y
Librarybelle Great goals! 2y
25 likes3 comments
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Hanna-B
Mehso-so

Some interesting ideas but not up to the same standard of Ishiguro‘s other books.

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Robotswithpersonality
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Mehso-so

There's a line between feeling emotionally manipulated and genuinely moved when encountering art, written or otherwise. There were some points heavily made and others hinted at, but I finished this book not feeling the sorrow or inspiration I think I was supposed to. Maybe that wasn't the goal, maybe I'm not disposed towards this type of literary fiction, or maybe I made a mistake reading another dystopian! 🤷🏼‍♂️

batsy Nice review. I felt pretty much the same. 2y
Robotswithpersonality @batsy the votes are in! 😁 2y
9 likes3 comments
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Robotswithpersonality
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"Hope,' he said. 'Damn thing never leaves you alone'". ?

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Robotswithpersonality
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This. THIS is why you should not go searching for and placing holds on books late at night/when you're sleepy. 🤦🏼‍♂️Obviously I should return one to the library right away. The large print softback will be easier to read, but should I return it now so those with vision issues have this copy (not the only LP copy at my library) sooner ? Or just wait and see which one I can renew the most? 😈

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AReedCollett
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Rogers Public Library's Books and Brews meeting tonight. We are covering this little interesting little gem. Many different thoughts from the group on this one. Have you read this one? What did your think?
#rplbooksandbrews #arrcreads #rogersreads

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mjtwo
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Mehso-so

10 Mar-27 May 22
#Booker longlist 11
This took a long time to finish. Admittedly, I did read a 700+ page guidebook to WDW, auction our house and move, but I certainly lost momentum part way through.

Klara is an Artificial Friend with strong observation skills who watches life go by from a store window, hoping for someone to buy her. When they do, she loves her owners and tries incessantly to please them.
Interesting, but ultimately unsatisfying.

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OneCent76
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Pickpick

This book is interesting. You learn things as Klara learns them so there is NO world building. This would typically make me DNF but for some reason it worked here. I still had, and have, questions. I'm not totally happy about the ending but it is still a great book. I'm glad I read it, and it got me out of a reading slump.