Never Let Me Go

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From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day comes a devastating new novel of innocence, knowledge, and loss. 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. Suspenseful, moving, beautifully atmospheric, Never Let Me Go is another classic by the author of The Remains of the Day.

10 pages, Audio CD

First published April 5,2005

About the author

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Sir Kazuo Ishiguro (カズオ・イシグロ or 石黒 一雄), OBE, FRSA, FRSL is a British novelist of Japanese origin and Nobel Laureate in Literature (2017). His family moved to England in 1960. Ishiguro obtained his Bachelor's degree from the University of Kent in 1978 and his Master's from the University of East Anglia's creative writing course in 1980. He became a British citizen in 1982. He now lives in London.

His first novel, A Pale View of Hills, won the 1982 Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize. His second novel, An Artist of the Floating World, won the 1986 Whitbread Prize. Ishiguro received the 1989 Man Booker prize for his third novel The Remains of the Day. His fourth novel, The Unconsoled, won the 1995 Cheltenham Prize. His latest novel is The Buried Giant, a New York Times bestseller. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 2017.

His novels An Artist of the Floating World (1986), When We Were Orphans (2000), and Never Let Me Go (2005) were all shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

In 2008, The Times ranked Ishiguro 32nd on their list of "The 50 Greatest British Writers Since 1945". In 2017, the Swedish Academy awarded him the Nobel Prize in Literature, describing him in its citation as a writer "who, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world".

Community Reviews

Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 97 votes)
5 stars
36(37%)
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97 reviews All reviews
April 17,2025
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La mia copia ha un taglio netto verticale al centro della copertina. Non me ne sono accorta quando l'ho presa dallo scaffale, e nemmeno mi importa, ma quando ho cominciato a leggere questo libro non facevo altro che fissare quel taglio sul cartoncino, probabilmente fatto da un taglierino mentre aprivano un pacco. Non è uno strappo, è un taglio, sottile, preciso, netto, appunto.

Ecco, questa è esattamente la mia sensazione alla fine di questo libro. Mi ha lasciato un taglio da qualche parte, credo non lontano dal cuore, ma forse è più vicino alla bocca dello stomaco, e poi io non voglio sapere niente del corpo umano, tantomeno del mio, mi fa impressione.

Non sono capace di scrivere una recensione, tizio ha fatto quello, poi è successo quell'altro e alla fine mamma mia. Io so solo raccontare quello che rimane dentro di un libro o quello che mi succede mentre lo chiudo e alzo la testa e mi vengono in mente diecimila cose da dire, che poi non dico a nessuno, e qualche volta le scrivo qui e, sempre, ogni maledetta volta, sono sconclusionata.

Il libro non dice tutto (evviva) e tu rimani un po' lì nel limbo, a chiederti se hai capito bene, a chiederti come sia possibile e un po' all'inizio mi irritava non capire, io che faccio un milione di domande e voglio sempre sapere tutto. Poi l'ho lasciato condurmi dove voleva lui e, finalmente rilassata, mi ha portata in un posto meraviglioso, poco chiaro ma magnifico.

Tanto tempo fa, dormivo accanto a un uomo che mi raccontava le storie dei miti per farmi addormentare. Io poi, a tratti, mi lasciavo andare e dormivo e lui continuava e io mi svegliavo e avevo perso un pezzo ma ero estasiata dalla sua voce e dall'amore che aveva per me in quel momento. Ecco, quella cosa lì, in quel momento lì era amore. E quegli stessi momenti lì ho trovati in questo libro, verso la fine del libro, quando ormai la piega che prenderà è chiara.

Leggetelo. Non solo perché a me Ishiguro ricorda i miei vent'anni e il viso di Emma Thompson. Ma perché, qualche volta, è bello che non sia tutto chiaro, che non l'abbiate programmato e che vi lasciate trasportare dagli eventi. Niente alcol a sto giro, un buon tè inglese, bevuto in una bella tazza di porcellana e se sapete preparare degli ottimi scones, beh, sarà perfetto.

Ps se non sapete farlo, vi mando la ricetta. Ma imparate alla svelta, suvvia.
April 17,2025
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this book was not AT ALL what i expected.

from a writing standpoint, this is easily 5 stars. but overall, the story left something to be desired. i also didn’t find this to be as devastating as most people say it is. it’s objectively a sad story, but to me it was more disturbing than anything else.

no one who recommends this book ever says what it’s actually about (also i rarely read synopses), so i had no idea that this is speculative fiction and not literary fiction. so to say that i was shocked when i got to some of the more sci-fi elements would be an understatement loll
April 17,2025
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I had this book on my TBR shelf for years without realizing that it was essentially dystopian science fiction.

The main character is a woman in her early thirties reflecting back on her life as a child at a private school in England. Kids in the school grew up in an isolated but almost idyllic setting; not knowing their parents but realizing somehow they were “special.” After finishing school they live together in small groups in cottages before heading out into the world on their own. The story is set in the late 1990s.



From the very first page we learn something is not right just from the language. We read that they have become “carers” and “donors;” their teachers are called “guardians” and they know there are people out there called their “possible.” We also learn they can have sex but are incapable of having children and that after their third of fourth “donation” they have “completed.” So we catch on pretty quickly what life has in store for these kids.

There are some genuine mysteries though. Why does the school seem obsessed with encouraging them to do creative work, giving them awards and collecting the best work to go to a gallery that they never see? Where does it go and who sees it and why?

Much of the plot is built around a three-way love story between a boy and two girls at school. One of the girls is the main character. All three are good friends but the boy and one of the girls are a couple.  The girl in the couple is controlling and domineering and prevents the relationship between her boyfriend and the other girl from developing. Later in life a romantic relationship develops between the other girl (the young woman who is our main character) and the now-young man. In fact she becomes his “carer.” Is the love they develop better than it would have been years ago? Or is it too late and stale?  

This quote tells us about the title: “Because maybe, in a way, we didn’t leave it [the school] behind nearly as much as we might once have thought. Because somewhere underneath, a part of us stayed like that: fearful of the world around us, and – no matter how much we despised ourselves for it – unable quite to let each other go.”



I thought it was a good story; it kept my attention all the way through, although not quite as good as the author’s best-known work, Remains of the Day.

Top photo from englishcottagevacation.com
The author from newyorker.com

[Revised, pictures added, spoiler hidden 12/31/22]
April 17,2025
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n  n
Kazuo Ishiguro tells us the story of a clique of students living in the congenial atmosphere of Hailsham, an English boarding school far away from the city. Is there something flagrant or collusion happening behind the consonant nature of this school? Are the students of Hailsham different in some sort of way? The author tries to tell it through the eyes of Kathy, who was a schoolgirl who leaves the school after she grows up into a young woman. How will the products of Hailsham face the stark realities of their future? This novel explores hope and hopelessness, love and betrayal simultaneously. The author is also trying to discuss the importance of ethics in science. This novel is a conglomeration of literary fiction, science fiction, and romantic fiction.

n  What I learned from this book n
n  1) What should we do if things are not going according to our plans in our life? n
If things are not going according to our wishes, we should try hard to get things back on track. Even after we try our best, if it is still not going to our wish; then, we should learn to let it go.
"You have to accept that sometimes that's how things happen in this world. People's opinions, their feelings, they go one way, then the other. It just so happens you grew up at a certain point in this process."

"I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it's just too much. The current's too strong. They've got to let go, drift apart."


n  2) The importance of solitude n
Everyone is so vocal about the problems of loneliness and how loneliness can lead to anxiety and depression. It is indeed an important topic that needs discussion. But most of us are forgetting about the importance of solitude. Solitude is also a vital ingredient to make a person sane, just like companionship.
n “The solitude, I've actually grown to quite like... I do like the feeling of getting into my little car, knowing for the next couple of hours I'll have only the roads, the big gray sky and my daydreams for company."


n  3) The purest form of Love n
The author tries to discuss love from multiple angles in this novel. If we try to read between the lines, we can see love from a different angle that we haven't seen anywhere else, which is unique, pristine in its purest form, and has the propensity to touch our hearts and bring tears to our eyes.
“You say you’re sure? Sure that you're in love? How can you know it? You think love is so simple? ”


n  My favourite three lines from this book n
"It was like when you make a move in chess and just as you take your finger off the piece, you see the mistake you've made, and there's this panic because you don't know yet the scale of disaster you've left yourself open to."


"Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don't go along with that. The memories I value most, I don't ever see them fading."


“It might be just some trend that came and went," I said. "But for us, it’s our life.”


n  What could have been better?n
The pace of this novel, especially in the initial part, was a little slow. This is one of those rare novels which slowly grows on you.

n  Rating n
5/5 This is a must-read book for all those who loves to read literary fiction.
April 17,2025
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Never Let Me Go - my very first Kazuo Ishiguro read and certainly not the last.

This book is a work of sheer beauty in its writing. It haunts me still.n  n   
"Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading."
n  
n
Never Let Me Go is far from a breezy read, and it may not cater to everyone's taste. It's hard-hitting, melancholic, and atmospheric, with a pacing that is best savored slowly.



P.S. Please avoid reviews and spoilers for the best reading experience. I happen to have gone through a review that included spoilers in its very first line.
April 17,2025
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Recitesc, așadar, Să nu mă părăsești. Mi se pare și acum o carte foarte bună, chiar dacă unii au găsit-o „terifiantă”. Nu e neapărat un SF, nu este nici o carte horror (cum au catalogat-o - cam rapid - cîțiva cronicari), deși e neliniștitoare. Este mai degrabă un roman trist, foarte trist. Cineva mi-a mărturisit că a plîns la sfîrșitul cărții. Îl înțeleg:

„Iar acum eu mă aflu aici, în faţa tuturor acelor lucruri, şi dacă aştept suficient de mult, de dincolo de cîmp va apărea o siluetă micuţă, care va creşte pe măsură ce se va apropia, pînă cînd am să văd că e Tommy, iar el îmi va face cu mîna, poate chiar mă va striga. Fantezia mea nu a mers mai departe - n-am lăsat-o eu - şi, deşi lacrimile începuseră să mi se prelingă pe obraji, nu plîngeam în hohote şi nu îmi pierdusem complet cumpătul. Am aşteptat puţin, apoi m-am întors la maşină ca să pornesc mai departe, indiferent care era locul unde trebuia să ajung” (p.323).

Faptul cel mai ciudat din romanul lui Ishiguro este că „donatorii-clone” sînt liberi. Dar ei își asumă condiția ca și cum ar fi o fatalitate. Ishiguro a scris un roman despre condiția umană (omul ca ființă înrobită) și despre fragilitatea iubirii, cînd îți accepți soarta fără un singur murmur...

P. S. Pe o idee înrudită, Klara și soarele mi-a plăcut mult mai puțin...
April 17,2025
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این داستان هم عاشقانه هست و هم نیست ، هم تخیلی هست و هم نیست . نویسنده چنان با مهارت فضای غم زده هیلشم را توصیف می کند و با چنان مهارتی کلام در دهان شخصیت های داستان میگذارد که
نتیجه آن کتابی میشود سرشار از شگفتی و داستانی که خواننده را رها نمی کند . دیالوگهای پینگ پونگی بین شخصیت های داستان که اوایل تا اندازه ای از سرنوشت خود آگاه هستند و اواخر هر کاری برای فرار یا به تعویق انداختن آن انجام می دهند . چیرگی قلم جناب ایشی گوروو در مجسم کردن محیط به قدری ایست که زمانی که فیلم آن را (که خود اثر نازلی ایست از این کتاب ) دیدم منظره ها به نظرم آشنا میامد !شخصیت پردازی هم به قدر کافی محکم است و ایراد چندانی نمیشود از آن گرفت


اما نکته ای که تازه به ذهنم رسید اینه که شاید زندگی انسانهای واقعی در یک آرمانشهر داره می گذره که حتی برای بیماری و شاید مرگ هم به راه حل رسیدن . اما به چه قیمتی ؟
اینجا هم مثله دنیای واقعی شاهدیم که دست یابی به آرمان شهر مستلزم بی عدالتی و جفا و فجایع فراونی ایست
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