Name: Klara and the Sun
ISBN: 9780593396568

Kazuo Ishiguro

A Novel

Klara and the Sun

Fred Rivett

The kitchen was an excellent room for the Sun to look into.

里森

smile??

Favoritism, like any other form of corruption, works best when it remains unacknowledged.

Danny White

vivian mizuno

Klara Hansen 

Brodie smith

“Sometimes,” she said, “ at special moments like that, people feel pain alongside their happiness.”

Of course a human heart is bound to be complex, it must be limited.

The new B3s, it was said, had all sorts of improvements. But how could they be good AFs for their children if their minds could invent ideas like these?

sina (she/her) 

"I supported you this time. But I won't do it again. Its for the customer to choose the AF, never the other way round." 

Francine

The Sun had ways of reaching us wherever we were.

I had seen photos of bulls in magazines, but of course never in reality, and even though this one was standing quite far from us, and I knew it couldn't cross the fence, I was so alarmed by its appearance I gave an exclamation and came to a halt. I'd never before seen anything that gave, all at once, so many signals of anger and the wish to destroy. Its face, its horns, its cold eyes watching me all brought fear into my mind, but I felt something more, something stranger and deeper. At that moment it felt to me some great error had been made that the creature should be allowed to stand in the Sun's pattern at all, that this bull belonged somewhere deep in the ground far within the mud and darkness, and its presence on the grass could only have awful consequences.

jenny grace

“What you must understand is that we’re a very special store. There are many children out there who would love to be able to choose you, choose Rosa, any one of you here. But it’s not possible for them. You’re beyond their reach. That’s why they come to the window, to dream about having you. But then they get sad.’

‘Manager, a child like that. Would a child like that have an AF at home?’

‘Perhaps not. Certainly not one like you. So if sometimes a child looks at you in an odd way, with bitterness or sadness, says something unpleasant through the glass, don’t think anything of it. Just remember. A child like that is most likely frustrated.”

“A child like that, with no AF, would surely be lonely.’

‘Yes, that too,’ Manager said quietly. ‘Lonely. Yes.”

“I noticed such things all the time, but said nothing”

“she was, in her own way, excited and observant, and as anxious as I was to prepare herself to be as kind and helpful an AF as possible. But the more I watched, the more I wanted to learn, and unlike Rosa, I became puzzled, then increasingly fascinated by the more mysterious emotions passers-by would display in front of us.”

AVAILABLE TO PREORDER NOW 'The Sun always has ways to reach us.' From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change for ever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans. In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly-changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

I love the subtly of this book. Some really interesting themes and plot points that I wasn’t expecting. I’ve never read any of his books however I am definitely going to read more 

Oisin Michael Russell 

Ben Hutchings

Felt abit too childish for me

Particularly the latter half

So not my normal cup of tea but actually loved it. Cute story from the perspective of an AI robot in a world which people hire then to be friends and teach shit to their kids. Looks at love and the world changing in a quirky way. Really enjoyed and made my brain think differently.  

Rebecca atkinson

The concept is interesting but the book is so slow and damn boring 

Cherry Chen 

"From her place in the store that sells artificial friends, Klara--an artificial friend with outstanding observational qualities--watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara she is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans. In this luminous tale, Klara and the Sun, Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?"--

Jules 

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE 2021 BOOKER PRIZE NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE GLOBE AND MAIL, THE GUARDIAN, ESQUIRE, VOGUE, TIME, THE WASHINGTON POST, THE TIMES (UK), VULTURE, THE ECONOMIST, NPR, AND BOOKRIOT ON PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SUMMER 2021 READING LIST The magnificent new novel from Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro--author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize-winning The Remains of the Day. "The Sun always has ways to reach us." From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans. In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

“perhaps all humans are lonely. at least potentially”

klara often holds hands with ishiguro’s other novel 

 in terms of their themes and questions (what does it mean to be human? to have a heart, or a soul?), but what i love about klara is that her story leans into the innocence and faith within her character. we learn not just what it means to be human, but about loneliness, and empathy, and how we can find love and beauty anywhere as long as we have the eyes to find it

i’m fascinated by the polarizing reactions to 

. i know many people who love this novel and lift it up as their all-time favorite, but i know just as many others (if not more) who push it down and describe it as ishiguro’s weakest. i fall into the former (obviously, with the 5 star rating), but i still think there are many noticeable flaws in this novel; it’s not unfair to call 

 underdeveloped.... perhaps not as complex as what you'd find elsewhere with ishiguro 

my love for klara does, admittedly, come from a source of significant personal bias: klara’s interest in humanity and family and her relationship with josie often reminds me of paddington, which in turn reminds me of my mom. i also personally resonate with the themes and beliefs in this book, which keep me coming back. empathy, grief, solitude, and the beauty of the human soul are all things i look for in a book; since this is the core of the whole narrative and klara as a character, i think this book really just.... defines me. as a person

regarding genre: there are dystopian qualities to 

, but i would argue this is moreso a celebration of humanity than it is a cautionary tale. the "dystopian" traits in this book moreso center around the setting and time, and what's implied in terms of how we get there as a species. klara's place in the world (especially her place in josie's family) is that of a warm hug

and of course, the question that’s always asked in an ishiguro novel that isn’t mentioned much here: is klara an unreliable narrator? she’s certainly more transparent than some of ishiguro’s other protagonists like ryder or banks, but i would say an argument can still be made for the gaps in her narration. i’ll try to pay more attention to this in my next reread

“perhaps all humans are lonely. at least potentially”

ishiguro at his most accessible

klara often holds hands with ishiguro’s other novel never let me go in terms of their themes and questions (what does it mean to be human? to have a heart, or a soul?), but what i love about klara is that her story leans into the innocence and faith within her character. we learn not just what it means to be human, but about loneliness, and empathy, and how we can find love and beauty anywhere as long as we have the eyes to find it

i’m fascinated by the polarizing reactions to klara and the sun. i know many people who love this novel and lift it up as their all-time favorite, but i know just as many others (if not more) who push it down and describe it as ishiguro’s weakest. i fall into the former (obviously, with the 5 star rating), but i still think there are many noticeable flaws in this novel; it’s not unfair to call klara and the sun underdeveloped.... perhaps not as complex as what you'd find elsewhere with ishiguro 

my love for klara does, admittedly, come from a source of significant personal bias: klara’s interest in humanity and family and her relationship with josie often reminds me of paddington, which in turn reminds me of my mom. i also personally resonate with the themes and beliefs in this book, which keep me coming back. empathy, grief, solitude, and the beauty of the human soul are all things i look for in a book; since this is the core of the whole narrative and klara as a character, i think this book really just.... defines me. as a person

regarding genre: there are dystopian qualities to klara and the sun, but i would argue this is moreso a celebration of humanity than it is a cautionary tale. the "dystopian" traits in this book moreso center around the setting and time, and what's implied in terms of how we get there as a species. klara's place in the world (especially her place in josie's family) is that of a warm hug

and of course, the question that’s always asked in an ishiguro novel that isn’t mentioned much here: is klara an unreliable narrator? she’s certainly more transparent than some of ishiguro’s other protagonists like ryder or banks, but i would say an argument can still be made for the gaps in her narration. i’ll try to pay more attention to this in my next reread

Sunday Times Number One Bestseller

A very timely story to read with the surge of AI in present day. At times it was hard to fully understand what was going on, but that very much felt by design. I found myself feeling genuinely sad for Klara at times; full well knowing that at the end of the day, she was just an Artificial Friend. 

Elyse 

The ending did it for me. Beautiful writing, and can’t wait to see the film. 

Ani Velasquez

when i made it to part four i felt the book was so dragged on; it made me drop the book. but i feel like it was the right place that i stopped reading, because i was met with overwhelming and melancholic segments that finally made me finish this book, all in one sitting.

darryl ✦

The beginning one-third was a slow burn, but the rest sits with you for a good while.

cha ☁️

klara's perspective is so pure and observant, it makes you rethink what it means to be human. the way she sees the sun, not just as energy but as something sacred, it’s both beautiful and unsettling. Ishiguro doesn’t just tell a story; he makes you sit with questions about love, sacrifice, and the limits of technology. it’s slow in parts, but that slowness forces you to really feel the weight of it all.

Simple language but boy did it engage. I had difficulty putting it down. Seemingly straightforward story but I’m sure I’ll be mulling over some aspects of it for a long time to come. Definitely one of the greats of our time.

This book is the one I read after a rather long reading slump. What I like about this book is how it lets us view the world and humanity from the perspective of an artificial friend—slash robot—as well as showing just how complex human emotions really are. However, in terms of plot, there are probably many other books out there that are more compelling. I would never say this book is bad because I quite enjoy Kazuo Ishiguro's writing style and language, even if the story moves at a slower pace.

gitsa

Jess Z

Slow and tenderly written book. Really enjoyed the pace and care fullness. 

antonia maria wagner she/they

Loved Kiara’s relationship with the Sun. Liked the fragmented vision. Ishiguro is YA for older folks.

Eli Alvah Huckabee

I don't know if I didn't get this book/read it in too many fragments but I didn't really like it oops 

maddy rowley

A fresh perspective of seeing the nature of human connection and love. Love the emotional intensity from part two until the end.

Yves

Was very excited for this as a fan of Ishiguro’s other work - just feels quite slight compared to his other stuff? Has all the elegance but none of the emotional heft of that work. Maybe I just didn’t get it but it felt like there was something big missing - although I thought this was a breezy and pleasant read.

Eva Ströberg

At first I thought this book reminds me a lot of Ian McEwan's Machine Like me, with the android theme, but not so much sci-fi, but I quickly forgot about the other book as I went deeper into the book, because there's so much more in Klara & The Sun compared to the other, proving how masterful Ishiguro is with words, character feelings and the way they make you feel, just like he did with "The Remains of the Day"

Klara, which is an AF (artificial friend, I suppose? There was never any explanation), is the main character in the book. All in the book is from her perspective, so it can be confusing sometimes, because she doesn't always call things by their actual name, but she observes a lot, and she is learning every day how to function in the human world, after she was brought home from a store to accompany a sickly teenager named Josie.

I would not delve further into the book, but this is another brilliant work from Ishiguro and how we perceive humanity (?)

Anna 

nikdy jsem si nemyslela že něco takovýho řeknu, ale myslím si, že tahle kniha bude lepší jako film. myslím, že jsem z popisu v knize ne všechno pochopila, občas asi i nějaký důležitý momenty.
 byl to hořkosladký zážitek a já si z knihy vzala hlavně to zmatení, které se ke konci každou stránku zdvojnásobovalo. 
a po přečtení dalších recenzí nejsem (pro jednou) sama, takže v knize asi opravdu chybí vysvětlení důležitých faktorů, které v knize hrají hlavní roli, ale vlastně se neví proč. ten svět byl sotva nějak vystavěný. chybělo mi vysvětlení toho, jak funguje školský systém a toho, co vlastně josie je... 

těším se na film taiky, snad do příběhu přinese tu správnou vizuální stránku, která mi v knize po dlouhé době chyběla. a snad pochopím, co se tam vlastně dělo.

Gelaine Trinidad

4.5/5 

Our society is at a crossroads especially with the rise of artificial intelligence and gene editing (i.e. CRISPR). Kazuo Ishiguro lays these concepts in the background of his novel which centres around an outside narrator named Klara—a robot created to help children cope with loneliness—as she begins to understand human emotions, relationships, and the world around her. Klara is a very observant and intuitive AI. Like a child, she is curious of the outside world and longs to make further sense of it. Klara learns about human love and relationships throughout the novel and is receptive to the various ways humans demonstrate their love for one another. Without spoiling anything, I just want to say that this book lies in-between genres. Maybe it cannot be categorized solely as sci-fi but literary fiction as well. There is some world building but some things are left for the readers to answer themselves and put the pieces together. It is subtle and ambiguous.

It is set in a futuristic world where the possibility of gene-editing and robots are real. Readers also get a sense of something sinister awaiting Klara (hinted by the presence of "Pollution," the father's current disposition, Rick's fated path, and eventually, the ending). This seems to be a warning for human beings to be conscious of so-called "good intentions" in the modern world—and as Ishiguro mentioned in this interview—a call to "readjust society" ... "to avoid the savagery of meritocracy." I appreciate this book for what it can accomplish in a relatively short novel. It is haunting, hopeful, and humanistic.

Klara and the Sun is very similar to Never Let Me Go (the film, since I have not read the book yet lol) in terms of the concept, atmosphere, tone, and general feel of the book. Ishiguro also mentioned it acts as a companion book to Never Let Me Go. This novel also shares similar themes with films and TV shows like  Toy Story, Blade Runner, and Westworld. I was enamoured reading the scenes in the field with the tall grasses, the sun setting behind the barn in the countryside and behind the buildings in the city, and the way Ishiguro plays with reflections and patterns of light and shadow. The concept of light vs. darkness through imagery blends well throughout the novel as a way to balance Klara's child-like innocence with the grim reality of the world she inhabits and the mystery that unfolds later. 

I am quite biased because I am very interested in these themes regarding artificial intelligence and its future implications. I also enjoy reading speculative fiction (hence why I LOVE Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang).

Although Klara is a flawed narrator, I cannot help but feel for her. I want her to be a fully conscious and sentient being even though there were very obvious proof of her falling short (by her way of communicating and the limitations with her visual abilities). Although the scenes with the boxes and partitions in her viewpoint were a bit confusing to read, some say that her ability to breakdown the complexity of body language and facial cues contributes to her exceptional observational abilities. I was sort of rooting for her at the end (and was low-key hoping for a Dolores-level of self-awareness, Westworld style). However, I am still very much pleased with how it ended. This makes you think even after finishing the novel; it will stay in my mind for a while. This is my first Kazuo Ishiguro novel, and I cannot wait to read more of his work. 

P.S. As I was writing this review, Mr. Sun (miss da sun) by Greentea Peng  was coincidentally playing in the background—I cannot help but share how right that moment felt to me lol.

Found my self with a greater sense of awe day to day through Ishiguro's writing. The perspective of the AF is childlike with beautifully vivid descriptions of the mundane. Enjoyed the simple, yet compelling world he created. 

Eric Drake

i now see the sun in a different light :’)

Klara and the Sun A Novel