Overall, what do you think?

Overall, what do you think of Klara and the Sun? (no spoilers in this thread, please)

I really enjoyed the book, written in the voice of the AF. Klara was fascinating herself for the way she perceived things and people, how she learned to interact and respond, and her amazing compassion. By seeing the future world through her eyes, we became gradually aware of the tremendous societal changes that had occurred as well as a foreshadowing of the future.

This is one of my favorite books!It is so unusual and full of surprises. I hope my book club will be able to add this to our reading list!

I thought it was rather depressing. When I realized he had written Never Let Me Go, I was interested in this book, but was a bit disappointed. I wonder if all of his books deal with existentialism.
Klara, herself was the one bright spot in the story. She always seemed to be hopeful and looking for ways to improve Josie's life.I felt like she was always on the outside looking in. I did not get the feeling she wanted to be human, but I feel she was aware that by the token of not being human, she was missing something.
In all fairness to this book, I read very little science fiction (not my cup of tea) but have watched
many sci-fi movies. While I usually find many of the movies very interesting, to me, they are not generally uplifting.

In general, I liked the book. It generated a lot of questions for me, specifically whether or not an AF could love and sacrifice for that love and also, the idea of genetically altering children to make them more intelligent at the risk of their health. But it did have some holes which frustrated me. I was confused about the concept of lifting until it was briefly eluded to in conversation. I suppose the author didn’t think the hows and whys were important to the story but I wanted to know more

I don't typically read sci-fi, futuristic books, but I decided to take a chance on Klara based on the reviews it received. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the book, and how human Klara seemed. The symbolism of the sun, cooter machine, bull was interesting, as were the philosophical questions of what it means to be human and to love.

Disappointed. Never Let Me Go is one of my favorite books of all time and I was expecting much more. Interesting and glad I read it because of all the buzz, but I'm glad I didn't pay for it.

I liked the book. Kazuo Ishiguro is one of the authors I always read. A well written book hard to put down. I knew nothing about AF’s and I enjoyed Klara, her thoughts and intelligence. I was not sure I would like reading about an AF but I did. Book clubs will enjoy discussing this book.

An interesting novel entry by a Nobel Prize winner. Ishiguro depicts a curious future world where men are made redundant as workers and parents, where the children are sick, alienated from society and their peers, and rely on intelligent Artificial Friends. The only constant, redeeming presence in this grim world is the Sun, whom Klara, the protagonist AF, sees as the nourishing Father. Klara has human qualities and sacrifices for her friend and keeper, Josie, in attempt to bring her back to health. The story has plausibility. I believe Artificial Friends are an inevitability. It seems Ishiguro poses a question regarding artificial servant friends. They are programmed to care for us. How then should we care for them? They’re a bit more than a favorite dolly or teddy bear. 

This is not my favorite genre; however I'm very glad I read it. It was a page turner for me, and it certainly makes for good thought-provoking conversations!

I really liked it. On the face of it, it seems a little simplistic, but there was so much under the surface to think about— what did it mean to be lifted— how teens treated their Artificial friends— how Klara was treated throughout the book— what dedication, determination and belief can accomplish, and the power of unlikely bonds and relationships. I also liked thinking about what it means to act humanly Vs. humanely.

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. I've read all of Ishiguro's previous novels, but I'm not into futuristic books. I noticed a lot of common threads between Never Let Me Go and Klara and the Sun--almost as if this were the next logical step in human progress. I think he did a great job of representing Klara, especially as she learns about humans as she lives with Josie. As others have noted, there is so much going on under the surface; at times I thought "wait--what??" and went back to read a paragraph. Ishiguro leaves so much to the reader imagination.

I told my book club that when I read the first review of this and it mentioned the word dystopian I thought I would not like it because I absolutely can’t stand the handmaid‘s tale. Much too grim and depressing. But upon reading further reviews I decided to give it a try and I loved it. I told my book club that unlike the handmaid‘s tale there’s so much caring and love in this book. And I really love that when Klara was in the window on display and she saw a family go by with a very forlorn little AF walking dejectedly behind them she thought how awful it would be to be an AF whose boy did not want them. So much empathy and feeling in that one sentence. The one part that broke my heart was the ending and where she ended up. But even this was not as horrible as most so-called dystopian tales. My book club does not all read the same book but instead we come together and share about the books we’ve read that month. I had read five and I told them this one was my favorite for this month. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to get this book to review.

This is one of those books that I feel will resurface in my thoughts & I will ponder in the years to come. There are so many underlying topics that were touched on that I am sure it will be inevitable. I am very glad that I read it! That being said, I'm somewhat surprised that I did not like it as much as I thought I would. Even though it was extremely well-written & provocative, I never really connected to any of the characters except for Klara. In fact, I didn't really like or trust most of them. To me, Klara & The Manager showed more understanding & genuine kindness than any of the others.

I found this book a little disturbing but at the same time, I think it's a vision of what the future may hold for humans. Great for discussion!

I found it depressing. AI frightens me, as I see it becoming out of control, as social media has and real people may no longer have a chance to live a fulfilling, normal life

I am frustrated by the book. I feel it left too many questions, or is it that I lack the imagination? I admit I do not read sci-fi and have a hard time with things left hanging. What happened to Beggar Man and his dog? Were they seriously just asleep all day???? And the machine that Klara and Paul set out to destroy, it must have been part of a road-construction crew? And the special fluid from Klara's brain, where they found the machine and it's dismantling? Was Klara adversely affected? I find all of these things far-fetched and need more detail. I found too many things left hanging. I really wanted to know more about the sister Sal, and I wanted to hear the mother admit what she was doing - to Josie. How would Josie react?

Ishiguro is my favorite author. Klara and the Sun reminded me a bit of Never Let Me Go but not as sad probably because Klara was a machine and not a clone. That said, this book was a kinder exploration of otherness and oddly more positive.

I loved Klara for her personality and optimism but found it hard to visualize her.Perhaps the author intended that .

I had a problem with this book - too ambiguous for my taste and I do not like the idea of AI or "Klara" as a friend. It was way too depressing and I would have liked to understand more about "lifting" and what was the deal with Josie's"illness" - I had not read any of Ishiguro's previous works - not sure he is my cup of tea. I do think it would make a great discussion book for a book club though.

I liked it but didn't love it. The book raised many provocative questions about humanity and our future. Ishiguro appears to see our present and future in a very negative light. I read a lot of sci-fi and was very excited to read this. Most of the dystopian sci-fi I've read has some glimmer of hope for the future. This really didn't and it's the reason I didn't love it.

I am a fan of some of Ishiguro’s novel but not so much this one. As a character I liked Klara and her faith in the Sun but so much of the book was such a gloomy view of a future world.

I did not like this book. It left me with too many questions. It was very frustrating. Ishiguro can do better, or, at least, he used to be able to.

I can't understand how Ishiguro got so much praise for this book, unless it was because it is so much better than his last book. Or maybe people praise his books just because they're written by Ishiguro.

I too did not like this book. I wanted to but then I didn’t like the other one. It’s just not my choice of reading. I did love the cover! I try to be open to new genres but can’t read what I don’t love.

I really agree, too depressing .

I’m really glad that I read the book but I didn’t enjoy it past once Klara went home with Josie. The book is very well written and both plot and characters were well developed, but I became increasingly anxious and then sad. My strong emotional response is probably evidence of a great book, but I don’t like feeling this bad. I will be doing some interesting journaling on this.

I have the feeling that the author’s authoritarian description of the future in Klara and the Sun is too depressing for many readers after 2+ years of pandemic isolation.

I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I had trouble with some vagueness by the author. Unless I missed a few pages, I wanted more info on Sal and what happened with her and her clone. I didn't understand the "lifting" and needed more explanation there as well. I finally figured out there was some kind of gene editing or something but felt I needed the info to truly immerse myself in the story. It was a fascinating story concept with lots to think about.

Rather than say “lots to think about," I would say "lots to figure out.”

I say that I am not a sci-fi reader and I did not read early reviews so I was not quite prepared for sci-fi when I started the book. But, I loved this book and as I also liked The Buried Giant, I may be becoming a sci fi reader. It was not just the story but Ishiguru's phrasing and concepts that really fascinate me. I was particularly taken with his contrasting of hedges and fences and the permancy or impermancy of each. I saw that as a metaphor for the impermancy of childhood love (Josie and Rick, Josie and Klara) and lasting love (Raincoat Man and Coffee Cup Lady.). I also loved his noting how favoritism was a form of corruption and more effective when not acknowledged. I think I may need to reread the book to identify other such insights.

We both really liked the book. Enjoyed the setting the author created - didn't need to know what city or country or the exact timeframe it's set in. Some readers might have difficulty with the dialogue - might be due to the translation.

Although I found the book, Klara and the Sun rather gloomy and a sad tale, I plan to read it again and will get more out of it in a second reading.
By the way, Ishiguro is now British and writes in English so not a translation.