Never Let Me Go Audiobook By Kazuo Ishiguro cover art

Never Let Me Go

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Never Let Me Go

By: Kazuo Ishiguro
Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
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NOBEL PRIZE WINNER • From the acclaimed, bestselling author of The Remains of the Day comes “a Gothic tour de force" (The New York Times) with an extraordinary twist—a moving, suspenseful, beautifully atmospheric modern classic.

As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were.

Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life. And for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special—and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together.

©2005 Kazuo Ishiguro (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc. Coming of Age Genetic Engineering Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Science Fiction Thriller & Suspense Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Suspenseful

Editorial reviews

As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were. Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life. And for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special—and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together.

Critic reviews

  • National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee, 2005, Fiction
  • Alex Award Winner, 2006

"Stunningly brilliant fiction....A masterpiece of craftsmanship that offers an unparalleled emotional experience." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Ishiguro's elegant prose and masterly ways with characterization make for a lovely tale of memory, self-understanding, and love." (Library Journal)

"So exquisitely observed that even the most workaday objects and interactions are infused with a luminous, humming otherworldliness.....Ishiguro spins a stinging cautionary tale of science outpacing ethics." (Publishers Weekly)

"So exquisitely observed that even the most workaday objects and interactions are infused with a luminous, humming otherworldliness. . . . An epic ethical horror story, told in devastatingly poignant miniature. . . . Ishiguro spins a stinging cautionary tale of science outpacing ethics." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Perfect pacing and infinite subtlety. . . . That this stunningly brilliant fiction echoes Caryl Churchill’s superb play A Number and Margaret Atwood’ s celebrated dystopian novels in no way diminishes its originality and power. A masterpiece of craftsmanship that offers an unparalleled emotional experience. Send a copy to the Swedish Academy." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Ishiguro’s provocative subject matter and taut, potent prose have earned him multiple literary decorations, including the French government’s Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and an Order of the British Empire for service to literature. . . . In this luminous offering, he nimbly navigates the landscape of emotion—the inevitable link between present and past and the fine line between compassion and cruelty, pleasure and pain." —Booklist

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If you like well-written novels that prioritize compelling timely storylines with artful prose and structure, then this is the genre for you. So, why is it called "contemporary"? Because it’s fiction set in the real world, in times contemporary to the date it was published, and the stories deal with real-world issues. Representing a diversity of backgrounds and nationalities, here are our picks for the best writers of contemporary fiction over the last 50 years.

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Haunting Narrative • Exceptional Intonation • Emotional Depth • Thought-provoking Themes • Layered Storytelling

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Kathy is a pupil at a special boarding school called Hailsham, which trains its students to be "donors" and "carers". Though Kathy describes her work and education in casually vague terms, it quickly becomes clear that there's a more troubling purpose to it. However, Ishiguro shies away from explaining or examining the real issue directly (at least until the end), instead conveying the story's emotional tone through Kathy's reflections on small details of her life and her relationship with two close friends from Hailsham, especially as their roles approach a final decision point.

There's certainly some resonance to Ishiguro's understated approach to his story, but I found it a little too glancing. Once it was clear to me why Hailsham existed, which happened about a third of the way into the book, I wanted more directness. How could this have happened in post-World War II Britain? And why would the characters, who seem to be intellectually and emotionally normal people, and aren't too restricted in their adult lives, accept their lots so passively, rather than, say, running off to Mexico? To me, there were a few too many logical questions that Ishiguro didn't adequately address, and the main characters' relationships, though they are drawn with a poignant mix of adult and juvenile behavior, didn't have enough going on to carry the heavy moral questions that the book poses. I had trouble taking the premise seriously without knowing more about the political realities of the novel's world. All in all, though the writing is good and there is some power in a scene towards the end, I found this one to be a bit of a disappointment as a whole.

A little too glancing

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This book is not for everyone. It's a slow burn filled with pages of detailed descriptions of trivial things that at first make no sense. However, there is a big pay-off for the reader that sticks with the story. Eventually you begin to piece together what is happening and the reason behind all the detailed and trivial descriptions. This book was such a haunting tale of advanced science and the ethics behind it. This book will stick with me for years to come and most likely I will never be able to let it go.

Haunting...it will never let me go

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Would you listen to Never Let Me Go again? Why?

Probably not because the story is depressing.

What did you like best about this story?

The dialogues between the central protagonists.

Which scene was your favorite?

No favorite.

If you could take any character from Never Let Me Go out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Cannot choose.

Any additional comments?

The narrator made in this into a wonderful listen.

A Wonderful Narration

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I've listened to this twice. The premise is intriguing. The characters are well-rounded and very believable. Sure, they're petty at times. But who isn't? My issue with the book, and this wasn't the case the first time I listened to it, are stretches of uninteresting parts in the middle. That said, there's a reason I wanted to listen to this a second time. I was completely engaged with the lives of Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth. The end really got to me. This is one of those books that stays with you long after you've read it.

Brilliant, devastating, but meanders in the middle

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It’s a long haul to the shocking conflict of this story, but well worth the diligence to follow to the end. A great study for writers about the power of simple subject verb object progression toward resolution. There are so few embellishments and plot changes with vast plains between we lean more and more into this narrative to make sure we don’t miss some vital clue about where we are going. This work is truly as magnificent as authoring a cloud. We have so little to hold, and yet it is spectacular to behold. I will indeed Never Let these characters Go.

Sparse elegant provocative

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I really enjoyed this novel. It was enthralling and intense, and I may have needed a tissue or two. Kazuo Ishiguro has an incredible talent for description and developing plot and character. If you read this, you're doing yourself a favor.

Elegantly heartbreaking

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I was moved by this book. I did not have the same hang ups as other reagarding the storyline or social consequences... I just felt a deep dispair for the situation of the characters and wanted better for them. This book was read well and I believe it will stay with me for quite some time.

Haunting Story

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This is remarkable book that raises very sensitive issue of body parts donation. Slowly we are getting to know the kids that are in the center of the story. gradually I was getting atuched emotionally and walked with them in grewing up.

Remarkable very emotional with issues to think

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it was the best of the books I had to 'read' for a freshman lit class.

Required for class, best of the selections.

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Kept waiting for sonething more! Lovelu prose and very melancholy feel but I didn't feel satisfied when it was over.Narration was magnificent!

Good not great

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